In recent years, in adopting minimalism, I’ve tried to live with less and this has been most applicable to my wardrobe, which I’ve attempted to downsize. While, in the past, I never owned a crazy amount of clothes it was always more than I probably needed and I ended up hardly touching some items because they were either not my style, the fit was slightly off, or they just looked a bit worn out.
With every spring clean or declutter, I manage to fill a big bag full of items to be donated or recycled. But even after these wardrobe cleanses I find that I haven’t been quite strict enough or that by purchasing new items here and there, my stock rises and I need another clear out.
Having noticed this, and in trying to make some intentional changes, I’ve come up with a list of principles to downsize my wardrobe and be more conscientious with my clothing purchases. If you want to lighten your clothing load, try out the tips below.
Start with a wardrobe clear-out
Before you can think about how to buy you have to start with what to let go of. Get rid of everything you don’t wear: one-hit wonders, the items you avoid, odd fitting, old or damaged pieces. Say your goodbyes and pack them up to be sold, donated, or recycled.
If you can’t decide what to keep and what to dispose of, pack all of your clothes in boxes and when you need something, take it out and return it to its proper place. After a few months, whatever’s still in the boxes is what should go.
Define your style
I’m sure many of you know the feeling of having lots of options but none that that match. Defining your style will help avoid that.
Our younger years may have had us dressing in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways as we tried to figure out who we were. Influenced by friends, family, and mainstream media, our attire was used to help us fit in while simultaneously reflecting our individuality. As we grow older, these habits don’t quite wear off as we like to have ‘options’ to suit every occasion.
The need for options and keeping our style fresh has led to many people grabbing ‘just in case’ outfits off the shelves. We don’t know exactly when we’ll wear them, but they look good, so we best keep them… Just in case.
By defining our style, we reduce the temptation to grab all manner of clothing, instead, concentrating our efforts on the things we know suit us. If you’re not sure what your style is, start by looking at what you already own and what you often find yourself reaching for. Especially think about your favoured colour scheme. My go-to combinations are black, white, grey, and shades of blue. Exciting, I know.
Another tip is to buy versatile items. If there’s a rogue coloured jacket that doesn’t go with anything but that one outfit you have, that’s not a great purchase in my book. Buying versatile items allows you to keep your look fresh and your cupboard small as you can just mix and match between the things you own. It also reduces the hassle of figuring out what to wear – everything already matches!
Don’t impulse buy
I’ve spoken about this one before but don’t impulse buy. Remove temptation and don’t browse sales or subscribe to email marketing from brands. If you see something you like, give it a day or so before you buy. Better yet, plan ahead and identify the items you want and use tools like Shoptagr to get notified when the things you’re eyeing up go on sale. Be proactive with your spending, not reactive.
When considering a purchase, I think about if the new item fulfils a purpose that isn’t already served by what I currently own. That way, I don’t buy multiple pieces for the same situation. It saves money, space, and reduces decision fatigue.
Buy quality over quantity
This one’s obvious but, in the world of fast fashion, it’s easily forgotten. Quality items will not only last, but you’ll find yourself using them again and again.
Don’t forget, quality doesn’t always mean expensive (and vice versa). Most of the time, you’re paying for the brand. Whether this is important to you or not, keep an eye out for things that will last.
Finally, if you’re on the fence about buying something, leave it. You’ll likely not utilise the item as much as you think.
Think about the cost-per-wear
Cost-per-wear is an important concept to consider. The more you wear something the more affordable it becomes. This means expensive items that you wear constantly can end up being really great value.
Example: you buy a £100 jacket and wear it 400 times before donating it. The cost-per-wear is 100/400 = £0.25, which isn’t too bad.
Something seemingly cheap that you only wear once or twice can have a pretty high cost-per-wear and end up being poor value for money. This concept is particularly relevant for those ‘just in case’ items.
Make it last
Unless you’re quite particular about what you wear around the house, I would highly recommend extending your clothes’ lifespan by downgrading them to home-wear. When things don’t fit as well or get old and worn out, wear them around the house. It may not look particularly stylish but that cost-per-wear will drop lower and lower, saving you money!
Get going!
I hope the above are some useful guidelines for working towards a smaller, more lightweight, wardrobe. I realise that this won’t be for everyone, but if you, like me, are looking to live more simply and save yourself some cash along the way a simpler wardrobe is a big part of that journey.
