Are Capsule Wardrobes Just for Thin People?

The neon-swimsuit-shaped hole in my heart.

About a week ago, an Athleta email showed up in my inbox. This is not remotely news because sale emails arrive every hour of every day, of course. How do we know we’re even alive if we’re not “jumping into bold swim colors” at 7:55am? I usually delete without opening, but the subject of this email was “9 travel-ready styles inside” and goddammit, I am traveling this month, and want to feel travel-ready, so fine. So I opened and saw: The Travel Capsule. 9 pieces, 20 ways. 

Please do not misinterpret this essay as an ad for Athleta. They are a not-size-inclusive-enough brand that I only mildly like (and not at all for leggings!). But there is a lot happening in this travel capsule gif and I want to talk about it. For starters: I did not realize that simply wearing a swimsuit, and also wearing a swimsuit with a cover-up counted as two separate outfits. Nor had I ever pondered how truly versatile a one-shoulder bra could be. It’s a bra! It’s a top! It’s… just those two things! Mostly though, studying this gif made me realize how extremely seductive I find the “capsule wardrobe” concept, despite having many questions about its feasibility. The most urgent of which is: Can capsule wardrobes work for fat bodies, or is this diet culture for your closet?