Why you should try to create a minimalist wardrobe right now
Contrary to popular belief, it is not just women who are the primary offenders when it comes to having mounds of clothing bursting out of their wardrobe. I know so many men who are guilty of this. This is why us fellas (and ladies, if you’re reading), need to strive towards a minimalist wardrobe.
Their wardrobes, drawers and rooms are full to the brim with clothing, shoes and accessories of all kinds. I am here today to explain how this way of living will never come to a head and will leave you out of pocket time after time.
THE PROBLEM
The first problem you encounter when you have mounds and mounds of clothes is that when it comes to picking an outfit, you have too much choice and so you don’t know what to pick.
This is a phenomenon called ‘paralysis by analysis’, whereby a person has so many choices, they fail to make even one. This then leads to my girlfriend’s favourite phrase – “I have nothing to wear”, which is where I got the bright idea of the minimalist wardrobe.
When I tell her she has enough clothes. Except I wouldn’t wear a pork pie hat – promise.
We all know that the reality is quite the opposite but in the head of the person, they equate too much choice with no choice at all, which then leads to spending on new items they can pair up together straight away, which may alleviate the problem for one particular event but the next time something comes up, in reality you just have the same problem again, but exacerbated by the fact you now have another outfit in the mix.
Multiply this by the amount of times you do this over a year and you can quickly see how people end up needing walk in wardrobes where they find things that they haven’t worn for 4 years nestled at the back.
We’re not on an episode of cribs – you really don’t need this amount of clothes in your life. Keep it simple and you’ll save yourself a lot of money and frustration. Now, it’s all well and good me preaching and preaching but if I didn’t offer you a solution then what sort of hypocrite would I be?
THOUGHTS ON A MINIMALIST WARDROBE
I’m going to give you a quick extreme example to highlight how important streamlining your clothes can be before giving you a few steps to get you on your way to becoming a minimalist wardrobe specialist. Just think of all the great Instagram opportunities this will open up too…
You don’t have to be *this* minimal
So, here’s your example. You remember Einstein? Y’know, the fella who had lots of theories and a bad haircut? Well it’s said that Einstein literally had the same 7 suits in his wardrobe for each day of the week so he didn’t even have to think about what he was going to wear each day. He did this so he could put all of his efforts into his studies which, from what I’ve heard, went quite well for him.
Now obviously I don’t want you to wear the same thing every day – you’re not Spongebob. However, I think that this anecdote highlights the need for you to streamline your choices so you don’t have to waste needless energy on selecting an outfit.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Get all your clothes out and sift through which ones you really want to keep, things you sort of like and things you don’t like. If you can sell the ones you don’t like then great – make yourself a bit of money. If not, then give them to charity or throw ‘em in the bin.
Then go to the ones you sort of like and see if there are any you haven’t worn for over 6 months. If there’s ones there you haven’t worn for 6 months or longer then do the same with them as you did with those you don’t like – you don’t need them and you’ll thank yourself in the long run. This is a great method to trim your wardrobe down a great deal.
Focus on the quality of what you’re buying. Don’t go to the low budget stores and buy a £5 t shirt that’ll lose shape and get ruined within a month. Go and buy the £30 t-shirt and save yourself buying the same low-quality clothes over and over again.
Not only will you look much better, but you’re going to save yourself money – let’s say your t shirts keep getting ruined and start going ugly like the always do. You buy a few each month so you have a selection to choose from.
I’ll be conservative and say you only do this for half a year. That adds up to £90. You could have bought 3 quality t-shirts that’ll last years for that price and you wouldn’t have all these extra garments cluttering up your space.
The same rule applies for every other item of clothing – especially shoes and coats. What I’m really trying to say is everyone’s favourite phrase – “quality over quantity”. Make sure most of your purchases are based around the classics to keep your style evergreen
Just trying to find someone with more classically classy classic clothing than me
One final piece of advice I’d give you is to make sure 70% of your wardrobe contents go together. That means you can wear the majority of your shoes with jeans, shorts, trousers, whatever. Make sure the same applies to your Shirts, tees and polos. This will make sure you never run out of combinations. My rule is that if it only has one use then it’s probably not worth it.
Think of it in terms of kitchenware; if you buy something that has one use – like a mandolin or burger maker then it’s usually a fad and belongs in the bin or at the back of your Nan’s kitchen cupboard. Basically – don’t fall prey to gimmicks, keep it simple and you can’t go wrong.
RECAP
So, let’s recap; trim down towards a minimalist wardrobe as much as you can, go for quality investments that will last, look for timeless classics that are evergreen and never go out of fashion and finally, make sure 70% of your clothing works together.
This way you’ll never run out of combinations and your wardrobe will feel fuller than ever.
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