Nov 27, 2017

It’s sort of crazy I have almost a year of living with a well loved wardrobe tucked under my belt. I have gone from a crazy shirt buyer to minimalist wanna be and back to somewhere in the middle.  A perfect balance of the two if I may so.

I failed a lot in the beginning, and still sometimes do with my pursuit of less.  Though rather than shopping every sale out there, my wardrobe is now filled with pieces I only use.  What a novel idea, huh? Whether my clothes are brand new or years old it doesn’t matter. If they are used + bring me joy … they stay.

It’s all about perspective.

It’s true.  There is a lot ‘less’ in my closet these days, but it’s pretty shocking just how much more I get out of it.  Just today I was struggling with what to wear because I have so many outfits I genuinely enjoy wearing.  As soon as I stopped looking at it as giving something up.. I realized how much I gained.

A new shirt will not solve your wardrobe dilemma.

I know what you are thinking.  That perfectly bulky sweater you saw on Pinterest will make your closet everything it isn’t.

In my early days of trying out less I thought this and so I failed. A lot. And while it was for a number of reasons, I think the biggest one was I didn’t have a good idea as to what my staples should be.  I would toss out clothes after clothes, only to re-buy when I ran into yet another sale.

So I tried something new. I bought a metal wardrobe rack and simply put whatever I wore day by day on the rack. Watching as my clothes began to leave my closet and fill up the wardrobe rack, piece by piece. Soon the I-can’t-go-but-a-couple-days-without-wearing-it pieces became all too noticeable. These helped me build my staples and eventually a closet that became a space too good for ‘just another shirt.

Variety, however, can solve your wardrobe dilemma.

Variety, ladies and gentleman.  It’s all about variety.

As the extreme t-shirt buyer that I had become it’s not all too shocking that I got bored with my closet quickly.  Really quickly actually.  So I did some rethinking. I 90% of the time want to wear some sort of skirt or dress combo, so the 15+ pairs of jeans were unnecessary.  I needed a couple good pairs of jeans that looked with the majority of my wardrobe. And while the idea of layers hasn’t always been the most appealing, I’ve quickly learned the variety a sweater over a dress can do for an outfit.

Variety isn’t a one size fits all. And while it should be in everyone’s closet, it certainly won’t look the same.

Jacket || Dress || Scarf (similar)

A few good accessories go a long way.

Much like a good pair of jeans.  The well loved and dual purpose accessories are the best.  This scarf from Shopruche is something I invested in last year as it’s extra long length and semi awkward shape, make it an easy transition to a vest.  It’s a piece I always end up reaching for because it’s made for many purposes.

Be as picky with your accessories as you are with the rest of the closet and you’ll find the best of the best.

Capsules aren’t for every one.

Confession time… I still haven’t ever created a wardrobe capsule.

Why?

Well they just aren’t me and a capsule always seemed to rigid for me.

I’m one of those people that as soon as you tell me to not eat all the chocolate… I eat all the chocolate.  And if you tell me not to buy more clothes… I buy all the clothes.  But if I give myself loose challenges like keep what you only use, I do really well.

That being said many of my friends and favorite bloggers swear by them. So I say try it if you want to, but don’t force your self to love only 33 pieces of clothing.  If you love 42, love and use 42.

I’m not sure if I ever really thought I would end up enjoying a closet of less.  I think I figured that I would eventually become accustomed to the smaller size and appreciate that my money is elsewhere. (Like in a savings account for goodness sake.) But turns out a well loved wardrobe is exactly what I needed and frankly, want.

If you have tried less lately or even a wardrobe capsule what did you learn?