Last updated:
“Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.” – Epictetus
Have you ever asked yourself, “How many clothes do I need?” or “How many shirts should I own?”
If you’ve asked either of those questions before, consider just for a moment how your life would look if you owned a minimalist wardrobe of fewer clothes:
- You would have more disposable income.
- You would have more time to live your life.
- Mornings would feature less stress.
- Your closets would be well-organized and uncluttered.
- Packing for trips/vacations would take less time.
- Laundry days would be easier (not necessarily less, but definitely easier)
Unfortunately, instead of enjoying the benefits of a minimalist wardrobe, most of us buy into the lie that more is better. And because we do, we accumulate more and more clothing each season. We are convinced that new clothes will make us more joyful, more fashionable, and more popular. Unfortunately, they just end up getting in the way.
Consider going a different route with your life. Try owning fewer clothes and creating a capsule wardrobe. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy the freedom that a minimalist closet brings.
Whether you are hoping to minimize your wardrobe to the absolute minimum or just trying to pare down some of the excesses in your closet, you will find these 10 steps practical and applicable. They are the same steps that we have used in our home to create our own minimalist wardrobes.
How to Create a Minimalist Wardrobe and Closet
1. Admit that you own too much clothing.
That’s all you really need to get started.
2. Wear fewer colors.
Most of us already have a few favorite colors that we wear most often—usually because we like the way we look in them. Choosing to intentionally wear fewer colors means fewer accessories (shoes, belts, jewelry, handbags, etc.). It also makes too much sense not to try.
3. Embrace the idea of one.
When one can be enough, embrace it—one black dress, one swimsuit, one winter coat, one black belt, one pair of black shoes, one pair of sneakers, one handbag… insert your own based on your occupation, lifestyle, or climate.
4. Donate, sell, recycle, discard.
Depending on the size of one’s existing wardrobe, an initial paring down won’t take long. Make a few piles—donate, sell, or recycle. Start with the clothes that you no longer wear. You’ll be surprised how much you can remove and just how close you are to owning a minimalist closet once you build momentum.
5. Donate, sell, discard some more.
Removing the clothes you no longer wear is easy. Removing the clothes that you don’t really need can be a tougher choice. Turn around all the hangers in your closet. After wearing an item, return the hanger facing the normal direction. After the season, remove every article of clothing that wasn’t worn. That should help get you started on a second round of paring down.
6. Impose an arbitrary moratorium on shopping.
For many, clothes shopping is just a habit—and habit always takes over for inattention. To begin breaking the cycle of purchasing and discarding (the average American throws away 68 lbs. of textiles each year), set a self-imposed buying freeze. I recommend 90 days. If given enough time, this simple exercise in self-discipline will change your view of your clothing and the stores that produce, market, and sell them.
7. Set a monthly spending limit.
Pick a low number and stick to it.
8. Purchase quality over quantity.
Only buy minimalist clothing that you truly love—even if it costs more. If you stock your closet full of things you love, you will have less desire to add to it, which will make maintaining a minimalist closet a lot easier.
9. Avoid the sale racks.
Sales can (and should) be used to help you get a better price on something you need. Unfortunately, most sale racks are designed to convince us to purchase something we don’t.
10. Impress with your character, not your clothes.
Lee Mildon once said, “People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile.“
With those tips above, you should have no problem creating a more minimalist wardrobe and answering “How many clothes do I need?”
To see how owning less in other areas of life can bring even more life-giving benefits, check out my book: The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own
I love consignment shopping where I can sell my clothes, shoes, accessories and books for store credit to buy gently worn clothing, etc. from other people or get cash back. As for my newborn daughter, I have given away trash bags of brand new clothes, toys, and accessories.
I moved recently to a big city and the accumulation of stuff is wearing on me again. I’m purging for the second time this year but this time I want to truly own things made of quality. When you buy cheap you get cheap. One pet peeve I have is having to replace something that is broken, especially if it was just purchased. I’m beginning to see my mental habits of just buying things out of boredom, so it is my new goal to be more conscious of my buying choices. To wait for the “right” thing and save up for it. I appreciate the item more this way.
When I do purge I simply ask if the item makes me feel more beautiful in mind, body or spirit? The answer is usually yes if it’s practical, easy to maintain, is used often and if it can function for more than one reason.
I own ten pairs of socks. One for each day of the week plus three to wear with walking shoes or running shoes when I leave for errands or yard work.
Numbers are different for my children because..how does it happen?.. They constantly lose socks, but only one of a pair. Right now they are down to “pairs” of mismatched socks.
It helped me and my family to wear just one color of socks. Black. Might seem boring, but who ever sees your socks? The are mostly hidden in you shoes;) It also helps not to have to many. If you got just a few, you will search for the missing sock till you fount it.
My son has all the same socks, Adidas black, low. He has about 2 packages (12 pr), I never have missing sock syndrome since I just grab 2 and call them a pair. The black color keeps them from looking dirty/dingy.
I’d consider my self pretty frugal, so I often shop at thrift stores. I have since stopped purchasing items from thrift stores, let alone step foot in them…this might fall under the banning certain store/sale rack technique, but just because the item is cheap doesn’t mean I need it. I just found myself accumulating lots and lots of crappy clothing.
Alternately, thrift stores can be a great source of well made clothing. For example, the Savers near me nearly always has brand new items from Eddie Bauer, Ralph Lauren, Born, Timberland, etc. These manufacturers donate unsold items–it’s a corporate write off. I can’t always find what I’m looking for when I need a new item, but I find something often enough that that thrift store is always my first stop when I start looking.
That is true, sometimes you can find a true gem (a while back I got a gorgeous leather skirt that I wear often for $12) but I think the low prices often make you think that it’s ok to buy it even if you don’t need it/love it. I made a lot of junk purchases that way and most of it went back to Goodwill or trash. It takes a lot of restraint. What I find is that they often have good Halloween costumes for instance or kids clothes though.
How can you have a wardrobe that’s simple and uncomplicated, yet still stylish from year to year? Easy! This system I’ve created to simplify my own wardrobe (and life!) is based on neutral colors, accent colors, the classics, and updated accessories. See 3 Easy Steps to a Simple Stylish Wardrobe at http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/3-easy-steps-simple-stylish-wardrobe/
Cheers!
I have a few thoughts to add about clothing and paring down the quantity. Remember that there are only 7 days in a week. How many clothes can you wear in a week? Two weeks? Three weeks? Figure out what you need for biggest chunk of your life; that should be the largest chunk of your wardrobe.
On the hanger idea I take it a step further. I start with all my hangers facing in; as I wear things the hangers are returned facing out. I wear everything from the facing in set before going back to things in the facing out set. This helps me figure out what items I really like and I can weed out the ones that I don’t like or that don’t fit well or that aren’t comfortable. Do this one category at a time (shirts, then pants, then sweaters, then whatever is left). There should be a donate bag handy so discards can go out of the closet immediately.
When you shop for clothes ALWAYS try things on and spend enough time in the dressing room to make sure that fit is perfect. Do not make compromises. If the clothing item fits and is flattering and comfortable then ask yourself what piece(s) it might replace if it comes home with you.
Lastly, if you really like everything you own you will take more care of those items to ensure long life (I guess that applies to more than just clothing).
We are moving onto our 44 ft Morgan sail boat within the next few months. So far, we have had 3 garage sales… and we still have a full house. My goal is to have nothing more than what will fit in the boat… but I do have some art and family items that will go into storage. This is one of the MOST DIFFICULT events of my 63 years. I have been photographing items and favorite things. Thank God for digital!
I am not sure if clothing idea of Steve Jobs was published earlier in these comments. In all the interviews he was wearing the same jeans and the black sweater and sneakers. Some day he thought that it suits him best and kept that way, trying to be comfortable, unique style and impress with personality and not the clothing. But clothes have quality to wear down. so he asked some designer YSL or Ralph to make him the same 100 units of black sweaters. and he changed them when they wore off.
This is really interesting Martin. I am reading a book about the phycology of clothes and the basic point in it is that when we find out who we are we can dress strictly to that image and get rid of everything that is doesnt reflect the person we want to be. What a great incentive to purge our closets and define our look like Steve did.
I think what Steve Jobs did was a bit extreme but I do find having a “uniform” to be a good idea. By sticking to one style of clothing, limited color palette and not caving in when shopping and seeing something VERY trendy, you will also have easier time to get dressed, have less impulse buys and generally have more efficient closet. I also implemented “do I really love it” policy in a way, that I only buy what I am really excited about and what I can wear often. I work in a corporate environment so amount of my casual wear is limited, I don’t need as much for 2 days out of 7. Anyway, I think minimalism in clothes is easier for a man but for a woman especially one that loves fashion it is always a challenge :)
He partly did that as a branding thing as well, which was interesting. Definitely worked for him :)
Josh,
God Bless you for this work you have shared. I haven’t yet started my purging yet but have decided to start with clothes. I was curious if you could share or if anyone else had suggestions for socks. I find them everywhere. How many pairs are “normal”?
I am starting small like you suggested with the socks. May be silly to some but with 3 girls and my husband and myself it is worthy. I am documenting my journey through pictures and am already excited to pair down. Blessings to you and your family.
I own 10 pairs of socks. 1 pair for ech day of the week. Plus three additional in case I need to wear my running shoes again in a day.
I remember someone who just had four to five shirts and beyond that he would end up donating and gifting people. I would always wonder if I could do that… We always want more, new dress, new shoes …it does take a change of perspective to bring a change in our lifestyle :)
For the girls (and guys… why not?) who wants to be on style in a minimalist way there is a wonderful website for us: Into mind (into-mind.com)
Because I have two young boys, having the time to declutter and minimize is my biggest challenge, but I have begun the process. I am intrigued by the concept of buying fewer but higher quality clothing but am hesitant. It seems like a big commitment to spend $70 on an item if there’s no guarantee I will always love it, it will always fit (due to an occasional laundry mishap), my kids won’t ruin it, etc. Another issue is that I’ve almost lost the weight I need to get back to my “real” size, so haven’t wanted to invest a lot before that happens. I suppose once I take the time (when I can find it!) to shop for quality clothing, I will learn what styles, brands, etc. to invest in. But until then it seems like an expensive experiment!
Jessi,
The time has been a big problem of mine too. This is the solution I came up with for the quickest way to declutter my closet. Hope it helps you too.
Paris
http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2014/06/get-rid-of-your-closet-clutter-fast.html
Wow!
Now that one suggestion will definitely get me started on de-cluttering my closet and drawers! CATEGORIZE first by clothing item ie pants. And then, just work on that for now. One day at a time, one item per day! How ‘underwhelming’ that will be!
Thanks for that post. Joshua you may want to consider adding it to your amazing posts too.
I love this article! Just this morning I added 6 items to my give away clothing pile. As some have already mentioned I also keep clothing out of fear that I’ll gain or loose weight; however, I have never gained or lost so much that I needed to buy a new wardrobe. If they get tight I can simply minimize my groceries & save money on both food & new clothing; & if I loose weight I can simply add a few extra calories a day to fill my clothes out :) My end goal is to get all of my clothing down to where i can fit it all in my 40 L backpack, I’m almost there!!
I just stumbled over your website and am so glad I did. I needed big encouragement in the area of living a minimalist’s life and here it is! Keep up the good job.
“Purchase quality over quantity. Only buy clothing that you truly love – even if it costs more. If you stock your closet full of things you love, you will have less desire to add to it.”
Really rings true for me. I have come to turn up my nose at a lot of things going shopping because I know I have something better in my closet. There is no such thing as retail therapy! Some girls hoarde beauty products… again, quality over qyantity. Those chemical loaded low quality products will wreck their skin later. I think if you invest in an electric toothbrush, floss, quality skincare products, nutritious foods, vitamins, and a positive attitude, your vitality will make you way more charming.
Food too. Be happy with the food in your fridge and pantry, eat less junk outside. Feel better!
it might be different for men, but where I work people will think it odd if you only have ten items of clothing. They will make comments like, She’s wearing that…AGAIN? Don’t think I could do that. If you are into fashion you don’t want others to think you have an inadequate wardrobe. But it doesn’t mean my closet is stuffed either. I think it is a matter of balance. Mix and match helps or, if you wear a uniform at work, I guess that cuts the wardrobe down to size as well.
But that’s part of the minimizing, not worrying about what others say. If it is clean, in good repair and your body is covered in a work appropriate way, their comments have zero value.
I am coming to understand that it is a backwards way of thinking. I can either give up my space, time and money to not have their comments. Or I can ignore their comments and get back my life.
I am leaning toward travelers clothes for my every day wear. They don’t wrinkle and they are lightweight and comfortable. And of course they are designed to take up less space. Eddie Bauer (Travex line), ExOfficio, Chicos (Travelers line), Coolibar (sun protective) all have those kind of clothes. Since I started dressing that way, I really wear all the clothes.
R these brands good? I’m hearing them for the first time since none of these are on my shores. I just checked out coolibar and it looks goood…need plenty of sun protection here!
Shopping is an addiction for me.
I have passed this on to my children.
I want to change.
Change takes a commitment; behavioural, psychological, and emotional. You can do it if the reward is greater than the difficult journey.
Judging by the overwhelming response to this article, the reward is DEFINITELY worth changing for. Freedom, less stress, less worry, more money for things that really do make a difference to a family (family photos, a day trip somewhere fun, savings for education funds…whatever you find to be truly important to yours and your childrens wellbeing)
I’ve been getting rid of clothes for the past year – but I still have an opportunity to reduce more. This post has given me a different way to look at things. This is my project for the weekend.
You have the best site, and the most informative. I love your practical, and honest viewpoints. Keep up the great work.
I have been doing this since summer. I love having a limited wardrobe. I have added a few things back but overall I am content. I spend less time standing in front of the closet and on my laundry. It makes life much simpler. Here is my blog post if anyone is interested. http://www.eternallyhappy.blogspot.com/2013/08/minimalist-wardrobe.html
Minimalism is a good policy to embrace for many reasons. For one, it does wonders to the wallet and the security it brings along. Second, a decluttered life is a liberated life. Many other dividends have been pointed out by others above. However, I wanted to add a few observations which make minimalism a bit difficult.
First. You cannot have enough of undergarments. I keep as many undergarment T-shirts of various colors on hand as possible. I wear such shirts under collared shirts and even under regular T-shirts of certain styles. I use a fresh one every day. But, because I abhor chores, like doing laundry weekly, I keep enough to last me a month. The same goes for socks and underwear, modified only by seasonal temperature changes. It does not cause me problems to use socks and underwear twice, specially during colder seasons.
Second, I live in the part of the country where layering is the only sensible way to dress up. 3/4th of the months of the year I layer up to four. (Undergarment T-shirt, collared shirt, light or heavy hoodie, and a jacket, a windbreaker, or an overcoat, as necessary. It is not always easy to balance colors and fabric weight. I step out to misty, or foggy and chilly morning and as the day progresses and the fog burns up, I delayer. Often I have to deal with windy days, and I dislike wind the most. This makes it difficult to commit to minimalism. It is easier to live in a climate that requires stocking up only on T-shirts and shorts.
By all means buy quality even if it costs a bit more. For me that basically means cotton and other natural fibers and leather. I wear nothing but cotton and wool fabrics. Linen and silk are harder to take care of. Synthetic fibers are always for outer layer, such as windbreakers. I detest synthetic fibers on my skin. Have you noticed how difficult it is these days to get 100% cotton socks? Lucky if you get a compromise at 80% cotton. Ditch a certain shoe store, which should remain unnamed. The materials they use to make the shoes stink the feet.
THANK YOU for this. I am in the same boat as you and I have always felt very guilty, especially about undies. Also, in my case, I need special underpants that can only be found in Europe, so it makes more sense to buy packs of two or three dozen and then forget about them for two or three years till they wear out.
What kind of underpants do you get that can only be found in Europe?
You’ll be surprised where I live, people actually have bursting wardrobes even though it’s summer all year round. I myself had to pare down lots and I am mostly sticking to a few neutral colours but I don’t really know anyone who dresses like myself…
I agree on the laundry aspect…I don’t “do” stairs very well and my washer and dryer is in the basement…I have enough underwear so I don’t have to do laundry every week. I also have to pay for water. That is new for me coming from the country to the city. I feel that is just practical…undies don’t take up much space…and your way of life is your comfort and weather…you can minimalism in other ways. I have one purse…..not one for each outfit..outfit??? haha what outfits! I get complimented on that small, efficient purse more than I ever did on anything else I ever owned!
YES. I’ve been doing this for the past year and I LOVE it. I went from spending $7,000 a year on clothing (you don’t realize it until you actually add up all those little purchases) to $1000 (scaled wayyy back this year in anticipation of big life changes). I’ve done several “purges” and it feels so good… and I don’t miss a single thing I’ve gotten rid of. I’ve gotten my fiance in on it too and he loves the feeling of having a minimalist closet. We recently went to Europe with thoughtfully packed, lightweight bags. We were sitting pretty while our travel companions lugged huge suitcases up and down stairs! I would also add the following rules of thumb:
One in One Out: Buying another pair of black boots is fine, but only to replace your old ones. Donate the old item, or you can’t buy its replacement.
1 year rule: If you haven’t worn it in the past 12 months, donate it.
10-item Capsule Wardrobe: This European-inspired method says that you have 10 items in your closet per season. It’s a fun challenge and you have a surprising amount of options to mix and match. It makes you pick your favorite, most-wearable items, and also makes you realize what you don’t need (like alllllll those sweaters).
Go shopping twice a year: Carefully plan in advance exactly what you are going to buy, and invest (aka drop some dough) in great pieces for the upcoming season. What used to get me was casual shopping every weekend, a little here, a little there. But, if you save up you can buy some really high quality pieces that you will keep for a long time, and you can actually spend less over the course of a year. Quality pieces also magically keep you from wanting to stuff your closet with the briefly-satisfying cheap clothes.
X- out your online shopping windows. Only buy things that you try on in person. It’s too easy to forget to send back an ill-fitting internet purchase.
Ban certain stores. For me, I will never step foot in an Old Navy, Gap, Payless, H&M, Target (clothing section) again, because 1) the clothes I purged (b/c i never wore them) were invariably from these stores, and 2) to this day I still can’t walk into these stores without buying something I don’t need.
Get used to the idea of wearing an item twice or more in a week. It’s liberating, and no one notices (you are not the center of the universe, and no one is keeping tabs on your wardrobe). It also makes you focus on neutral, classic pieces.
Good luck everyone!
Excellent post! I’ve been practicing the “one in, one out” philosophy for several years now. It’s very satisfying.
Also, when you invest in a quality item, it looks better, wears better, and is often worth repairing instead of replacing.
“Ban certain stores. For me, I will never step foot in an Old Navy, Gap, Payless, H&M, Target (clothing section) again, because 1) the clothes I purged (b/c i never wore them) were invariably from these stores, and 2) to this day I still can’t walk into these stores without buying something I don’t need.”
THIS IS A GREAT CONCEPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for introducing me to a new idea. It would be amazing for everyone to consider where all the clothes they DON’T wear came from ;)
Who has $1,000 a year to spend on what you wear? Are you kidding me?
I think you would be surprised to see how much you really spend on clothing each year. I guarantee I spend at least that much.
great additions to the main post! Thx!
I’m curious which blogging and site-building platform you might be running?
I’m new to running a blog and have been thinking about using the Ning platform.
Do you think this is a good foundation to start with?
I would be extremely grateful if I could ask you some questions through email so I can learn a bit more before getting started.
When you have some free time, please contact me at: patriciaburk@t-online.de.
Many thanks
Great post, buying fewer items but ones of better quality really struck a chord with me. Also, mending is a really important skill. When an item of clothing/handbag/pair of shoes I really love starts to look a bit past it I almost go into mourning (I know, ridiculous) about having to potentially get rid of it. If you can mend or repair whatever it is you get the item back and feel virtuous about not buying more stuff at the same time :-)
The other thing is, when you buy clothing that is of better quality, and likely a higher price point to begin with, it makes MORE sense to mend it…that in turn helps keep local alteration/seamstress businesses afloat. Higher quality clothing means the $10 fix or patch is worth paying for (Because the item was over $40 to begin with) whereas buying sale-only items that were only $5-$15 initially doesn’t justify spending a $10 fix…that lends itself to a ‘throwaway’ culture where hundreds of pounds of textiles go to waste from each person every year, and for what? A lost button? A small rip in a seam? Spending more initially should ensure a better quality garment, and one that (if/when it needs a repair) is worth mending.
This idea of owning fewer clothes gimme some motivation to apply this method. It useless to have many or buy plenty of clothes especially to impress others.
The most stress-free job I ever had, as far as what I had to wear, was when I was a home health aide…scrubs were the best..washed the best and you never had to iron, always knew what you were wearing. I no longer can work and have reduced my clothes closet tremendously. Using the pattern of a scrub and the hippy/boho shirt to fashion a new design for an all-around every day shirt and then when that is perfected…more will leave my dresser drawers!! I also agree on what you DO buy being better quality. When I worked in retail and needed to “dress-up” I bought what I needed and still own some…10 years later. Not much tho’..didn’t need it..donated it. AND good for you to have $7000 to spend on clothes…**shudder**… going down to $1000…go down to $0 for a year and you have a retirement fund that you could invest!! But then…experience is talking..sometimes you have to live it to get it….go from the top to the bottom and you know how to live on almost nothing and still smile.
Philippians 4:12 (NIV)
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
I’ll throw this out for all of the hunters out there. We can be notorious “gear hounds” for all of the stuff marketed to help you be quieter, harder to see (for game, anyway), harder to smell, closer to the animal, blah blah blah et cetera. One of the areas where marketing targets hunters is in the realm of clothing – hence the relation to this article. You have your warm-weather gear, fall gear, winter gear, and so on. If you get really carried away, you can have a wardrobe full of hunting clothes alone, which can also be a pain because chances are you are taking steps to avoid scent contamination (washing in scent-free soap, keeping separate in bags, etc.). So you have an array of clothing that is ONLY for hunting so you can keep it scent-free. It can be a lot to keep track of if you let it suck you in!
Since I am new to hunting and don’t want to amass a ton of stuff that is only used a few days out of the year, I applied the concept of a layering system like folks use for backpacking. This will vary for everyone depending on their region, climate, comfort in different temps, and so forth. But the idea is that you basically build warmth by adding layers rather than having an entirely different set of clothes for a temperature range. Cool weather involves an additional layer over your existing warm gear. Cold weather involves simply adding another layer of something light but insulating plus a wind and moisture-resistant shell onto your existing cool-weather clothing.
That’s not to say run right out and buy a layering system. This is to suggest looking at your existing gear and figure out what you could do away with by layering other bits of gear you already have. Or, if you’re just starting, thinking about layering for warmth rather than totally separate gear for each kind of weather will help keep your amount of hunting-specific gear to a minimum.
Also be honest with yourself with new purchases. Sure it’s cool that that coat you’re looking at is rated to -35 degrees, but do you really need it if you’re not generally inclined to go out when it’s below freezing?