Find out how you can make the shift towards a minimalist wardrobe in this article.
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How To Start A Minimalist Wardrobe
Starting a minimalist wardrobe (a.k.a. a capsule wardrobe) is a big step towards living a life of minimalism. Whether you want to commit to this style of living fully or not, a minimalist wardrobe can still benefit you in many ways.
What is a minimalist wardrobe? A wardrobe that only keeps essential, versatile clothing pieces
Most people who do this want to live a life less consumed by material things (due to spiritual or even ethical reasons), or to reduce the stress of owning far too many items of clothing.
Also, people who aren’t too keen on fashion would benefit from having a few choice pieces to wear, to take the guesswork out of planning outfits.
So how do you start building up towards a minimalistic wardrobe? All you need to do is follow the steps below.
Step 1: Remove Everything Inside Your Closet
First things first, you have to start with a clean slate (sort of) before you can begin to have a minimalist closet. Thus, your first step should be to remove everything inside of your wardrobe.
By everything, we mean everything — from your underwear to your shoes.
Try to do this in a spacious area, so you have plenty of room.
Step 2: Clear Out the Obvious Throw-Aways
By obvious throw-aways, these are the clothes that you don’t have an affinity for anymore. These are the clothes that you instantly want to get rid of but just haven’t gotten around to tossing out yet.
As the KonMari method would say, remove the clothes that no longer “spark joy” in you.
In this situation, one of the more apparent throw-aways are the items that no longer fit you, need too much repair to be worth the effort, or have become unusable. Another throw-away criterion would be clothes that don’t make you feel comfortable or look your best.
Step 3: Separate Sentimental But Useless Clothes (Including Expensive Ones)
Now comes the hard part.
Going through all the valuable clothes is a step on its own. The reason is because of all the self-reflecting you’ve got to do.
Although these items may hold a special place in your heart, maybe they shouldn’t hold a special place in your closet.
If they don’t fit you, don’t look good on you, or are way past repair, then it’s time to let them go.
One way to be able to “keep” them in some form is to take a photo of them and keep that photo instead. That way, you have more space in your closet but are still able to keep the memories that come with sentimental items.
Step 4: Scan Your To-Keep Clothes Again
Ask yourself a couple of questions before you think about keeping them.
Are you sure they fit you? If these clothes are the clothing pieces you’re keeping just because you want to be able to fit into them someday, then you should get rid of them.
After all, you can always do another wardrobe purging when you reach your goal body. Plus, it’s way more fun to reward you reaching your weight goal with new clothes.
Scan your clothes and ask yourself whether you need these pieces. Go over them again, one-by-one, and get a feel for each item to see if you really should to keep them.
Step 5: Put the Rest of the Clothes Back
Now that you’ve finally whittled down your choices to the staple clothing pieces, it’s time to put your clothes back in your closet.
Try and find out how you plan on categorizing and organizing your wardrobe. Since you have more space to work with, you have more room to play around with organization.
Tip: Invest in some beautiful hangers that are similar to one another. Since you have fewer pieces, you have the chance to style your closet more, and hangers are one way to do that.
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Step 6: Categorize the Clothes That Didn’t Make the Cut
Now that you’ve organized the clothes you’re keeping, it’s time to sort out the clothes you aren’t.
What you plan on doing with the clothes after the purging depends on your preferences. You have five major options: donate them, sell them, reuse them, give them away, or discard them.
Of course, if your clothes aren’t in any good condition, then you can either reuse them or discard them altogether. Your choice depends on the level of involvement you want.
If you plan on donating your clothes, then you can get some tax benefits if you give them away to non-profit organizations or NPOs. You can also give your clothes to people you know who could use them.
On the other hand, selling requires a bit of a commitment on your part, but you’ll get some money out of it. You can either organize a physical garage sale one weekend or put your clothes up for sale online.
Step 7: Take Inventory of Your To-Keep Clothes
Do you have all the essentials in your to-keep clothes? Perhaps there are some gaps in your wardrobe that need filling.
Once you’ve dealt with the clothes you removed, it’s time to revisit your wardrobe. Do an inventory of your to-keep clothes and check whether you’ve got everything you need.
The types of wardrobe pieces that you need should ideally serve more than one purpose and offer versatility when styling. Of course, they have to be comfortable and of high-quality too.
Here’s a list of a few essential clothing items to keep in your wardrobe for your reference based on these qualifications:
Essential Wardrobe Pieces For Minimalist Living
- A couple of long-sleeved button-downs: These are a must in your closet, according to Andria Bush, a celebrity stylist. They’re versatile and can have many repurposes, which is what makes them essential.
- Two jackets: Peter Nguyen, a personal stylist and the man behind The Essential Man, includes two jackets in his one-week wardrobe. One is for casual purposes, and another is a blazer.
- A luxurious bathroom robe: The right bathrobe is comfortable and stylish in many ways. It could serve as loungewear, a beach cover-up, and a reliable item to dry your body with after a bath, too.
- Two pants: Nguyen also likes to keep two pairs of pants in his one-week wardrobe. And according to Andria Bush, as long as these are your go-to pants, then they should be in your closet.
- At least eight tops: Having eight different tops will add that much-needed variety in your closet. Spice it up with some color and classic patterns, too.
- Two elegant pajama sets or nightgowns: Comfortable sleepwear can help you get better sleep, but another benefit to them is that they can be quite stylish to wear outside. Yes, you can totally pull the pajama look off.
Although a minimalist wardrobe can be a challenge for fashion-savvy people, having the essentials makes it easier.
Step 8: Repeat the Process Again
Remember that a minimalist lifestyle is a continuous process. After a couple of months or so, you should revisit your wardrobe.
During that time, you might have had additions to your wardrobe. Not all of them may be essential to you, which is why you should repeat the process eventually.
This periodic reassessment not only keeps your wardrobe clutter-free but also ensures that every piece in your collection serves a purpose and brings you joy.
Besides, it’s always refreshing to clean out your closet!
Step 9: Try to Minimize Your Minimalist Wardrobe Checklist Further
To be able to remove yourself from the fast fashion way of life altogether, you should try and improve upon your minimalist wardrobe.
Maybe you can try the capsule wardrobe method. This method confines you to only ten pieces of clothing for each season.
If you’re interested or feel like you want to minimize your wardrobe even further, then consider that method.
Adopting a minimalist wardrobe is all about prioritizing quality clothing items in your life. Not only is it about having quality over quantity, but it’s also about living a life less centered on consumerism.
In the long run, having a minimalist wardrobe will make it easier for you to dress up. Finding clothes to wear won’t be a problem any longer.
Aside from that, a minimalist closet is also good for the environment. By making this shift, you are doing a lot more than you think.
Why are you interested in making the change towards a minimalist wardrobe? We’re curious to know so leave a comment down below!
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