I had the most organised wardrobe, and yet I would often feel like I had nothing to wear, which was frustrating. Yes, my wardrobe was minimal, but there was definitely, enough clothes to wear. It was also organised; clothes were folded nicely (the KonMari method of course), and I knew where every piece of clothing was. Despite this getting dressed in the morning would often be time-consuming and a struggle.
Then it dawned on me, although I had an organised wardrobe, the actual clothes left in it were the issue. Why? Because I had a lot of unique, single-use, and different coloured clothes which made it challenging to pair clothes together to create a suitable style. For example, I had one pair of pants that only worked with one type of shirt, which could only be paired with one kind of shoe. Ultimately, this left me with limited choices on what to wear.
So, I needed to sort out my wardrobe (for the second time) but not only focusing on decluttering and organising my wardrobe but ensuring I had the right clothes in it. After doing a bit of research and reassessing my look, I reorganised my closet, which is now much more functional. This not only meant discarding clothing but also buying some new items.
So here are the three things I have learned and implemented that will help you to have a more minimalist, organised, and more importantly functional wardrobe:
1. Have more neutral coloured clothing
My wardrobe now has more neutral coloured clothing rather than non-neutral colours. I retained the majority of my black, white and grey coloured clothing as well as purchased a few additional items in these colours. This has allowed me to mix and match clothes and create different styles much more quickly. For a bit of brightness, I have retained a few blue items which pair well with my white and grey pieces. Likewise, with shoes, keeping them to black, brown, and white. Having a wardrobe that has more neutral colours will also mean you stay in style for longer as black and white are always on trend.
2. Have more adaptable clothing
Having the same item of clothing that can be worn for different occasions has kept my wardrobe minimal and functional. For example, a pair of pants that works well with a t-shirt and casual boots could be dressed up with a collared shirt, blazer and dress shoes. Clothes that I can dress up or down has made it easier to dress for different events.
3. Focus on quality clothing
Recently, I have become more mindful of the negative impacts of fast fashion and am now working towards having slow fashion items. This has meant that when buying clothes, I now focus on quality items that will last longer. This helps to keep my wardrobe organised as I am not purchasing high volumes of clothes but rather small quantities of clothes that I will keep for longer.
So, what did I actually achieve from applying the above?
Here are the stats, the following exited my wardrobe:
- 8 pairs of pants
- 3 shirts
- 3 pairs of shoes
- 2 ties
- 2 belts
- 2 Jackets
- 1 Jumper
Total items 21
The following items were added my wardrobe:
- 2 pairs of pants (one grey and one black)
- 1 black and white top
- 1 white t-shirt
- 1 pair of black shoes
Total items 5
Although the total amount of items exiting was higher than items entering my wardrobe, I have more choice when deciding on the style I want to create. As through having neutral coloured and adaptable clothing rather than many coloured and single-use clothes I can quickly pick out different looks from fewer clothes. And not only do I have more style choices opening my wardrobe is now a positive experience. Next time you are planning to declutter and organise your closet, think about what looks and styles work for you and how you can get multiple looks out of few clothes. This will help you to determine what clothes to keep and will also help you stay focused when it’s time to buy new clothes.
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