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“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 anyway – 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. See this article for more creative tips on decluttering.
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
Leanne says
I love the idea that we dont need alot, and the colour thing. I already do that with reds and blues, although im not into the whole matching accessories, im just not cool enough. So I have one bag, and a few different styles of shoes, sandalsx1, joggersx2, bootsx1 and slippers.
Its hard when your a mum of a young one though to keep clothes to a complete minimum because of all the snotty noses, grubby hands getting wiped all over you. Unless you could manage to wash every 2 – 3 days.
marie says
The idea of one can also apply to a closet or wardrobe. I know a lot of people who need more than a regular (dorm size or Ikea size) closet for clothes, but if you decide that one should be all that you need, then you have to work with only that space, and anything that won’t fit in there shouldn’t have to fit in your life.
Chris says
As a mama to three young boys…I can’t do minimalist or I end up with a closet of rags in about six months…I have tried it. I cook and clean and play soccer and wrestle and clean and cook some more, get tears and snot wiped on me on accident….I wash my clothes a lot. Particularly my shirts. Buying higher quality helps a little but not much…they end up full of holes and /or faded much quicker than before the kids. I have discovered I need a closet of ‘nice’ clothes and a dresser of ‘at home’ clothes that are cute colors, fit well, etc…but aren’t in the best shape any longer. Not remotely minimalist but to everything there is a season. At least it keeps me from replacing my entire closet every year!
Vikki K says
Whenever I think of the amount of mess generated by preparing meals day in and day out, I pledge to return to aprons! They are very practical and easy to slip on and off when you transition to other activities.
Michaela Stephens says
That suggestion “Embrace the idea of one” is probably the best, most practical advice for reigning in materialism.
kyasuku says
Yes, I agree that many people have too many garments, but for many things, I say “embrace the idea of two.” Then, if your sneakers are wet, you can still play football the next day!
Hirsty says
Nobody really needs more than one pair of jeans. Buy good quality, raw denim. That’s the stiff dark stuff. Wash as infrequently as possible (6 months minimum) they last much longer, maintain their indigo and when you do have to wash they will have a nice contrasty fade. Infrequent washing is good for the environment too.
susana Gardete says
6 months minimum???!!!!
Varney says
6 months is nothing. I managed to pull off 2 years without a wash, albeit three pairs on a daily rotating schedule. The trick is to steam them in the shower and not get them dirty. Why were they washed? Needed a full machine.. :/
Keira says
Wash every 6 months? That’s disgusting.
r says
You should put them in the freezer for 24 hours every once in a while, that’s how you get rid of any possible smells.
A says
Raw denim is quite different and can be worn longer without washing since it has not been treated like most denims you find in the stores.
Elizabeth says
I know, shouldn’t it be? And yet, if you do it right it’s totally fine. I used to have to wash my jeans every 2-3 wears even if they didn’t look dirty because they would smell. Turns out that when you fold them up and put them on the shelf, the bacteria breed. (It’s the same concept as letting sheets air out before you make the bed. Much less smelly!) When I started hanging them up and airing them out, they could go for a long time and be fine. I did use the freezer trick a few times, and while it didn’t work perfectly, I got at least another week out of that pair.
di says
3 tops x 3 bottoms = 9 outfits
Omit accessories.
Iron clothes on a towel over a kitchen counter.
Rather than use a hanger, iron an outfit and wear it.
Try one pair of dress shoes, sneakers and boots – or go barefoot.
Rather than a hat or umbrella, try a hooded jacket.
marie says
That’s a good idea, but I have always wondered: what about laundry? I can’t wear a shirt more than once because it feels dirty at the end of the day. That and the fact that I line-dry everything means I need more than just the bare minimum. How do others manage with so little clothing?
Islem says
Gear post!
I do NOT like shopping for clothes…. Yes, I’m a girl. I don’t have patience to look through racks and racks, aisle after aisle… Boring! My husband says I shop like a man – I go into the store to get exactly what I need, if they don’t have it, I walk out.-
But when I do find what I need I spend GOOD money on it so that I can wear it for at least 5 years, and not buy it again till then. I am still wearing good clothes I saved up for and bought when I was 17 (I’m 32 now), like my black dress and two black skirts. My dad gave me a Chinese style dress when I was 13 and it’s of good quality that I still wear it today!
I never thought of this as being minimalist… I think I’m headed the right direction!
Keith says
Hi
Shame I saw “my husband”. There’s only one thing worse than shopping for clothes and that’s waiting for someone shopping for clothes.
K
Andrew C says
very good idea towards sustainability living.
Visited it in my visit to Stockholm recently.
Can do the same with furniture too.
In Hong Kong, we have for ladies handbags.
Andrew C says
Lånegarderoben
Karin says
I am running a library for clothes (in Malmö, Sweden), it works just like a regular library for books but at our “store” you can instead borrow clothes and accessories.
I borrow a lot of clothes myself, because of that I don’t need so much in my own wardrobe. I can still weare “new” clothes whenever I want to. Normally, I quickly get tired of what I buy anyway, and to borrow clothes are much more sustainable in every way. And why buy a new party dress that you will be using maybe once or twice? And besides, if you have a garment that you like, but never use, you can turn it in to a library and if you miss it you can always borrow it.
In Sweden there are a few libraries for clothes and we plan to cooperate so you can borrow in one location and return at another. We get the clothes for free from people who have cleared out their closets.
(I’m sorry that our website only comes in swedish – maybe you can use google translate?)
Tereza says
WOW! I’ve dreamed about “libraries for clothes” and didn’t know they really existed! That’s such a brilliant idea! I would love to start one in my hometown but it’s really small town so I don’t know if it would work here.
glennis says
I would love to run a library/gallery for art. I have mostly original works by artists but not excessive value, plus well framed prints of famous artists, plus many framed landscvape and anature photos. Wopuld love to know if anyone knows of one. i am in australia.
we all love a change but i don;t want to buy more and store some away.Such a waste .
Ruth Ezra says
Karin,
I learned ‘library of clothes’… What a great idea! I should partner w you here in the U.S of A…
Ann says
I love learning more about Minimalist living. I don’t have a lot of clothes in my closet, but sometimes I feel I need to switch up my look. I heard of a company that rents out and delivers clothing the same way Netflix does movies. You pick the clothes you want online, they send them, you wear them for however long you want, you return them when you’re ready, and they’ll send you the next thing in your queue. There is a monthly fee for this, of course, but it could be what some people would pay in a regular store for one outfit. As far as I know that site I found is only for “plus sizes”. I haven’t seen if there is one for standard sizes yet. It’s a pretty neat Idea though!
Heather says
I like the idea of taking photos! I would suggest uploading every photo you have to a place like shutterfly for if your pc breaks or like us our house burned down. The first thing people said was oh no all your photos! I said they are ok, you know I am internet addicted and they have been online for years hehehehe
Weeze, I did the backpack Morocco, Europe and eastern europe for 6 months so living out of what you can carry I feel you on not many clothes but my few months is not 2 years wow you rock!
We are getting ready to rent out our 2480 sq ft house and do 5th wheel traveling all 5 of us! Now definately we will have to be minimalists :)
Keith says
Hi
You like the idea of taking photos or like taking photos. The latter is more minimalist
Weeze says
I was in Peace Corps in eastern Africa for two years, and I was VERY limited in what clothing I could take. I managed quite well on three pairs of pants, one skirt, half a dozen shirts and two pairs of shoes (sandals and hiking boots). This was all I had for two years! That was beyond minimalist!
I really did like the ease of not having to think about what to wear, but by the end I was REALLY ready for some variety. When I got home, I sort of went nuts buying lots of things, and I filled up my closet in a big hurry. Why do people DO that???
Denise says
Weeze, I did this after having my baby. I did so good at NOT buying an access of maternity clothes and managed to get by with about 10 items. But after 9 months of the same clothes over and over, coupled with the fact that those clothes and my belly made me feel HUGE…I went a bit nuts. Ironically, today I am still wearing the black Liz Lange maternity t-shirt I bought the first week I found out I was pregnant. Maybe that’s what Josh means by buying basic, but classic clothing :)
Krys says
What I found helps for me is making a ‘shopping bin.’ What I did was I lined a small tupperware box with a space bag, stuffed it full of clothes I liked, and vacuumed it all down. I kept a decent variety–a few pants, shorts, an extra swimsuit, some fancy clothes, etc.–and I shoved it up at the top of the closet.
It’s too much of a pain to access frequently.. but when I get bored of my clothes, I go ‘shopping’ in that box. And low-and-behold! Turns out I like everything in it! So I trade items.. a pair of pants for those.. a dress for this outfit. Those older clothes get vacuumed down and shoved back into the top of the closet.
Even if you had two of these bins.. it’s free, and way better than adding to your collection with outside sources and it’s curbed my urge to buy new things tremendously.
pinkangelgirl says
Krys this is such a great idea. I have seasonal bins and when i get them out for each season it’s like having new clothes all over again. Putting away some favorite clothes and going ‘shopping’ sometimes is a great idea though. Especially when having a capsule or small wardrobe. Thanks for sharing:)
BrownVagabonder says
Reading about your Peace Corps experience makes me think about my journey to come. Thenix and I are planning to drive down to South America in our Honda Civic – it is a journey of 50,000kms and 1 year or more. We will be taking only a backpack each with us. This means, the mounds and mounds of clothing that is in my closet right now will be left sitting there. Packing for such a trip is what teaches me about how much crap I really have and how little I really need. Thanks for the post…