Capsule Wardrobes seem to be the latest trend in shopping and not just for the minimalists who strive to eliminate the excess!  I decided to have my students explore this trend, create their own capsule wardrobe collection for a specific season and budget range as well as promote it through an infomercial using apps such as Polyvore and iMovie.  Students were highly engaged as they looked for pieces to create their collection and somewhat frustrated as they had to revise when prices exceeded their budget range!  Overall, a great practical lesson and project, simulating real life practices (except for the infomercial–that was just a fun, creative way to share their collections with the entire class)!

Set

• Ask students to think about where they keep their clothing at home.  Closet?  Dresser?  Other? Also ask them to think about the approximate size of these receptacles as well as an estimate of the number of pieces of clothing and pairs of shoes they own.
• Next, ask students if they wear ALL of these pieces?  Discuss why or why not.
• How many of you often feel, that despite having a lot of clothing, you still have nothing to wear?
• Finally, have them view this video and read this article and discuss what they have in common.

Materials

• iPads or Laptops
• Projector & Screen
• Shoplook (website)
• iMovie App (if using iPads)

Activities

• Project the Title This Picture slide on the screen and ask students to #Title it and generate a list of as many things they notice about the clothing in the picture.  Share and discuss responses.
• Introduce students to the Capsule Wardrobe Exploration assignment.  Students will use the internet to explore and learn more about capsule wardrobes by completing the guide sheet found below.  Afterwards, discuss this concept and the information they found as a group to be sure everyone understands the concept.
• Next, assign the Capsule Wardrobe Project.  In this project students will create a 30 piece wardrobe around an assigned season and budget range using the Polyvore App or website.  Once their collection is created, they will explain their choices and share it all back with me via a slide portfolio.  Note:  I had an all female class at the time of this project, so if you have males, you will need to adjust your wardrobe collection criteria.
• Lastly, students will create an infomercial, using iMovie to promote their collections, showcase some collection combos, and encourage others to practice capsule collections.  These will be shared with the entire class.  I would love to show a sample or two of the infomercials my students created, but they all included their names within their movies, so unfortunately, I am unable to share.
• As a concluding activity, I have my students answer a few reflection questions about this project and how realistic it would be to do within their own closets. However, if you wanted to offer an extension activity or bonus points, you could have students actually create their own capsule wardrobe from their existing closest and then share back what they might need to fill in the gaps, or complete their capsule.  They could even try wearing their collection and share back the experience.
• Note:  I assigned this as a self-directed project using the Capsule Wardrobes HyperDoc below.  After discussing the “Engage” part of the assignment and before assigning the “Apply” section, we  stop and discuss the “Explore” and “Explain” parts, as well as discuss any “tech” issues or concerns.  Students are great about helping each other with “tech” applications!  Students shared their capsule wardrobes with the class via their “iMovie Infomercial”.  In the end, I received a lot of positive feedback from this lesson/project.  So, choose the method that works best for your class and students and see what happens!

Attachments

• Title this Picture–Capsule Wardrobe (PDF)
• Capsule Wardrobe Exploration (PDF)
• Capsule Wardrobe Project (PDF)
• Capsule Wardrobe HyperDoc (Google Doc) **Make a Copy of the document if you want to edit!

Resources

• Simply Money:  Never Say “I Have Nothing to Wear” Again (YouTube)
• Never Have Nothing to Wear Again (Website Article)