5 jackets × 5 trousers × 3 shirts = 75 outfits+ Olive, Charcoal, Pale pink = 196 in all

5 suits, 75 outfits: a capsule wardrobe calculator

No. 01 / 75 · Wardrobe calculator

Five suits,
seventy-five outfits.

Buy the five colours once and the choosing is over: every jacket goes with every pair of trousers, and all three shirts go over both. Take any combination below and it works.

Unsure? Put black on the bottom — it carries anything above it, and the shoe is picked for you either way.

Olive and charcoal cloth and a pale pink shirt are additions, not part of the five. Each passes the same test — it goes with every other piece — so the outfits they make are counted after the seventy-five, never among them.

How it works

A capsule wardrobe that multiplies.

The idea is a piece of suiting advice that did the rounds: buy five suits in the right colours, wear them as separates, and you own seventy-five outfits. 5into75 is a free capsule wardrobe calculator that does the counting: it numbers every combination, keeps the extras apart from the claim, and picks the shoe.

The five suits

Black, navy, grey, brown and tan, each a jacket and a pair of trousers, with a white, a powder blue and a cream shirt. Every jacket goes over every pair of trousers and every shirt goes under both: 5 × 5 × 3 = 75 outfits. Five of the pairings are matched suits; the other twenty wear the jacket as a sport coat.

Beyond the 75

Olive and charcoal cloth and a pale pink shirt are additions, not part of the five. Each goes with every other piece, so with them the closet makes 196 outfits — but those are numbered after the seventy-five, never among them.

Shorts & t-shirts

The summer capsule is five plain crew-neck t-shirts — white, cream, powder blue, sage and sand — over shorts in the same five colours as the suits: 5 × 5 = 25 outfits, and 35 once olive and charcoal shorts are counted after them.

Off duty

Chinos and jeans are pickier than suit cloth, so nothing multiplies: three styles, eleven pairs of trousers between them, and four tops known to work on every pair. 11 × 4 = 44 looks, the shoe already decided. The jeans-and-tees looks follow the wash: pale tones on a light wash, dark or vibrant on dark, anything on a mid wash, earth tones on black, neutrals and pastels on white.

The shoe follows

Footwear is never a choice that counts. Black anywhere in a suit outfit means black calf, tan takes cognac, brown and olive take dark brown. Shorts take white leather, sand suede or navy canvas; the casual looks take white sneakers, black jeans a dark shoe. Any pick can be overridden.

Questions

What is the five suits, 75 outfits rule?

Buy five suits in black, navy, grey, brown and tan and wear them as separates. Every jacket goes with every pair of trousers, giving 25 pairings, and three shirts in white, powder blue and cream go under each one: 5 × 5 × 3 = 75 outfits.

Can I wear a suit jacket with trousers from a different suit?

Yes, when the colours are chosen for it. Of the 25 jacket and trouser pairings, five are matched suits and the other twenty wear the jacket as a sport coat over trousers from another suit.

Which shoes go with each outfit?

Black anywhere in the outfit means black calf. Otherwise tan takes cognac, brown and olive take dark brown, a matched suit takes black, and any other mixed pairing takes dark brown.

How many outfits do olive, charcoal and a pale pink shirt add?

With olive and charcoal cloth and a pale pink shirt, the closet makes 196 outfits. The 121 that wear an extra are numbered after the 75, never among them.