Capsule Survivors

The modern prescription for getting-dressed stress? A new take on the capsule wardrobe with special, high-impact, combinable pieces that feel fresh longer than the old formula's sad basics.

AS A NEWLY MINTED fashion model in 2018, Marina Testino buttoned into a favorite, emphatically red suit for two New York events that a single brand hosted a few weeks apart. “Three people came up to me just to tell me that I had repeated the same outfit, as though I’d done something embarrassing,” Testino recalled. Not one to be shamed for doubling up, she wore the crimson set every day for the next two months.

Now 30 and a director in the sustainability division of creative agency Art Partner, Testino has amassed 59,000 followers for the vibrant outfit inspirations she posts on Instagram. Her tightly edited wardrobe of 25 pieces—a rainbow of blazers, crop tops and satin pants—is small but mighty. Lately Testino has noticed that her style-savvy First coined in the 1940s, the term “capsule wardrobe” denoted a minimal collection of cohesive clothing items one can combine in myriad ways to create a versatile array of outfits, all while capturing a sense of personal style.

Over the last decade, however, the term was hijacked to mean seemingly only one thing: a clone-like uniform of seven predictable pieces. The items in question? A white T-shirt, a white button-down shirt, a navy or black blazer, a Breton striped top, straight-leg jeans, a classic trench coat and menswear-inspired black loafers.

“Until quite recently, if you opened a magazine or scrolled through TikTok videos tagged #CapsuleWardrobe, you would see endless copies of the same French girl shopping list,” said Jennifer tor at Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, and now edits a Substack newsletter about style.

“We’ve all read that magazine article 1,600 times,” echoed Claire Arendse, 51, a New York advertising executive, of the dull “must-haves” that she can “recite by heart.”

But now, rebellious forces have upended the idea of a capsule wardrobe that’s best suited for entering a Jean Seberg look-alike contest.