When I first decided to become minimalist, I can remember looking in my closet and seeing 100, maybe 120 different articles of clothing.
I cut my wardrobe in half to 60 items. But then I discovered Project 333 started by Courtney Carver. After trying it, I cut my closet in half again.
Nowadays, I own about 33 to 35 articles of clothing. Somewhere during that process, I started wearing basically the same thing every day: a V-neck t-shirt, pants, and black shoes.
I have come to love wearing the same thing each day. And I’m not alone. A lot of people are doing the same thing.
Here are some of the reasons why I wear the same thing every day:
1. Fewer decisions. This is by far the most popular reason why people decide to adopt a streamlined capsule wardrobe.
Decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making. Wearing the same outfit each day removes picking out clothes as a decision to be made.
The truth of the matter is, you have more important decisions to make than what you’re going to wear each morning.
2. Less time and energy wasted. When you wear the same thing every day, you save time deciding what you’re going to wear each morning. And you save significant energy over the course of the week.
Just think about how much time goes into maintaining, and organizing, and taking care of your clothes. Laundry, for example. When you decide to wear the same thing every day, all of that becomes easier. You save time in the morning and energy over the course of a week.
3. Less stress. As a result of fewer decisions and more time, wearing the same thing means you have less stress in the morning.
It also means you experience less stress over the course of the day. I don’t ever have to think about, “Oh man, am I wearing the right thing today? I wish I would’ve worn x instead.” I wear the same thing, and it works perfect for almost every occasion. I love it. You will too.
4. Save money. The average American family spends $2000 a year on clothing—despite already having closets full of clothes.
For some reason, we just keep buying more and more and more. A lot of this expense is wasted on clothes that are never worn—trial and error fashion that ends up wasting time, energy, and money.
5. Feeling put together. Every moment of every day my clothes fit, match, and just so happen to be my favorites. All day long, I feel like I’m wearing something I enjoy and look good wearing.
6. Less waste. The average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing every year. Deciding to wear the same thing is good for the planet, it’s good for you, and it’s good for everyone else as well.
7. An iconic look. Wearing the same thing every day is the quickest way to become famous. You become known for your particular style, you look put together, you look classy, you look comfortable, and you look confident. Because you’re not constantly chasing the newest fashions, you’ll communicate confidence in who you are and how you look.
I love wearing the same thing every day. You will too.
If you’re looking for help to get started on this in your own life, let me suggest: The Minimalist Wardrobe: A Practical Guide to Owning Fewer Clothes.
Adapted from: 6 Reasons I Wear The Same Thing Every Day.
Gerald Wels says
A few years ago my family of 4 moved from a condo into a poptop campervan. Needless to say we had to do more than just declutter the garage. With a mix of emotions that were less strong than the desire to minimize we (including the kids) had a lot of fun selling off and giving away ‘stuff.’
It taught us and the kids valuable life lessons – many of which are being discussed in Joshua’s blog here. Having a practical, trimmed down, yet stylish wardrobe was one of the many challenges to master. Turns out a black T-shirt and jeans was my go-to outfit as well!
Having less stuff gives you more time to think. And I realized that I also wanted to be less wasteful with the time I was given. So, after minimizing stuff I am also now into maximizing my time. I do this by using a schedule in which I timebox all the things that I need to spend time on in order to achieve my goals.
Muriel says
Hi, I’m studying English reading your posts and watching your videos. I’m from Brazil and Brazilians loves you! Thank you for sharing good things!
Kirstin says
“Wearing the same thing every day is the quickest way to become famous.”
It’s hard for me to reconcile this with a slew of articles about how the writer wore the same thing every day for days/weeks/months and no one noticed. I’m kidding, kind of.
Interesting article: “What Was Elizabeth Holmes Trying To Prove With Those Black Turtlenecks?” at tinyurl.com/y202yqv3.
Laura Day says
I remember reading up about Minimalism and decided to tackle my wardrobe a few years ago. I’ve never looked back! I love clothes and I love expressing myself through my fashion choices but I always make a conscious effort now to ensure my wardrobe doesn’t get out of hand, and I have a “one in, one out” rule. If I buy anything new, something else has to go! When you talk about less stress due to minimising unecessary decisions, it’s entirely true! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and continuing to inspire my little wardrobe :)
Tracy says
Thanks for the reminder as i’ll be returning to work after 8 years at home & I really want to keep it simple since my home life still involves teenagers, etc…one of my easiest times was when work DID require a uniform. To have an MBA & wear shorts & trainers to work was awesome….
My sister is a clothes horse & it reminds me of how i was once too but the upkeep is exhausting.
Karla Holley says
I enjoyed reading this and I can relate! I don’t have very many outfits, and though I don’t wear the same thing every day, I keep it minimal. I don’t like to put a lot of thought into what I’m wearing, which is why I enjoyed having jobs that required a uniform.
I live in Virginia and we have four seasons and it still works. I have a few pairs of shoes to change into, depending on the weather. That’s it.
This idea works for my daughter, too, because she has sensory processing issues. When we find a sweatshirt or t-shirt that fits and feels like she likes it, we stick with it. She doesn’t have a lot of clothes, either, but enough to wear clean clothes throughout the week. She doesn’t like the stress of having to decide on outfits so keeping it minimal for decision-making is much easier.
P. Gilroy says
I am 45 and I also have sensory processing challenges, so if I find something that works, I’ll buy it in different colors. Right now I wear tunic/dresses and leggings layered with a cardigan on cooler days. In reality, I am wearing the same outfit in different colors every day. I always look put together and it works well for me. I also have a small wardrobe, but more than enough to get through a week. I do laundry once per week and it feels great not to be bogged down with so many choices.
Jordan Taylor says
I found this article and all the related comments really interesting. I am desperate to de-clutter and minimize my wardrobe, and actually everything I own. Joshua, I would really like your opinion on this. While I happily give many things to charity, I am on Disability and living on an extremely tight budget. So, while I want to pare down and give many things away, I also feel the need to sell what I can and get even small amounts of money for things I have spent a fortune on in the past, many of which have never been worn! I just feel I need to get some money out of the process. I haven’t counted in a long time, but I have a ridiculous amount of clothing, and these days barely wear more than a handful! My other excuse is that I go up and down in weight a lot, right now up, so worry about letting some of my favourite “skinny” clothes go when I cannot afford to replace them. Help!?!
joan mckniff says
Retired, live in 2 bedroom apartment in a continuing care community and still go out to the ballet, brunch w friends, museum. I see a lot of the same people at meals, performances, etc. And I wear the same thing every day, in one-week chunks. Usually, it is one of my Zuri dresses, African print cotton from several places in Africa, made in Kenya. I use walker or power chair, dress style, with two deep-pockets works wonderfully and looks good in the power chair. At home, less putting things in and out of the closet, not tossed on chair, and less laundry/wear on these great prints. JOY !
SoFi says
I started this for myself years ago, and am happily progressing into the rest of the seasons.
A few years back I joked with my friends that I adopted a “summer uniform”. I had two, identical, black bathing suits and a few different white cover-ups. I also buy the same brand flip flop, but a new color each year. So I normally have 3-4 pair to choose from. It was the perfect outfit for a SAHM who took her kids to the pool everyday. I never had to think twice. I loved it.
Last year I decided to adopt the same theory with my workout gear. The hardest part of getting to the gym, is getting to the gym. I’ve always had a preference for the Walmart Capri (its a mostly cotton blend) and probably had 4 that fit when I wanted to get back into a routine and join a new gym. I immediately bought 3 more, then 7 identical black tank tops, so I could never use “not having my workout clothes clean” as an excuse for skipping a day. Throw in a couple of identical supportive sports bras, a pack of thin white low cut socks, a gym bag that can contain the essentials for spin, boxing, etc, *and* also fit into the cubby at the studio and, BAM!, I’m there all the time. It’s magic.
Beginning to see a pattern in how easy my life has become, clothing-wide, I also created a “summer look”. I ditched all my other pants but kept the 4 pair of white capris for when I’m not at the gym. I originally thought “these white pants will go with any color top (v-neck) in my drawer, but when I went on vacation last week I chose to only pack the black tops (v and crew neck). So there you have it. I’ve subconsciously made my decision. I will begin “konmari-ing” my shirt drawer and will feel even more free!
I must say, this was a timely article. I may purge my closet, too ;-)
Andrea says
American Giant satisfies my minimalist wardrobe needs.
Lauri Jon says
I have a few different basic looks… v-neck shirts with black leggings and a black overskirt… or midi dresses with under buster vests with a shear cardigan… or occasionally mini dresses work as tunics with shorts (summer) or jeans. These are my go-to looks and my wardrobe falls into these categories. It gives me structure but a tad more flexibility.