So...I'm trying to clean out my closet and establish a minimalist wardrobe/personal uniform.
1) I'm having a hard time letting go of my old clothes, even though I don't particularly like them and they don't fit very well anyway. Any words of wisdom to get me going?
2) Has anyone achieved the perfect minimalist wardrobe and/or personal uniform? I'd love to hear about it.
Thanks!
I guess I have. LOL! I wear jeans and t-shirts.
I laugh, but this is mostly true! I have nice slacks and shirts and one or two skirts. I wear mostly black, denim, and beige. I have about 6 pairs of shoes.
At this point in time, I don't need a lot of clothing. My husband works outside of the home, but we are rural and only have one car. So, I am in the process of starting to sell on ebay and I'm planning on creating a blog and monetizing it.
Well mine isn't perfect, But I've almost eliminated everything in my closet that doesn't fit, except about two pairs of pants and i think there might be one shirt in there somewhere. I've been thinking of doing another clothing purge soon so that might get fixed. I do like keeping one pair of pants as weight loss inspiration as that has helped me in the past, I just try them on once in a while to get a good idea on how well I am doing.
I did replace most of my shirts with v-neck Boyfriend T's from Target, I really like them because they are comfortable and long enough for me. I also like the Mossimo supply brand, so i replaced my jeans with some of those when they were on sale and got rid of all the ones that were to big. so I mainly wear jeans and boyfriend T's now when not at work. I have khaki pants and red shirts to wear to work since I also work at Target. I have some other loose fitting pants I wear around the house and a couple of black tank tops to wear as under shirts sometimes since the V-neck T's are a little low cut.
The only other clothes I have that I wear regularly are two sweaters If iI feel like I want to be a little dressier, and some other black shirt I got a while ago, I have a lot of black shirts b/c they look better on me. I was mostly wearing black till I got the boyfriend T's in a bunch of different colors. I also have some long skirts I like to wear in the summer and a few short ones.
I don't like having to think about my clothes, and generally just end up grabbing whatever is easiest anyway. Whenever I do worry about how I look or what I'm wearing, I just end up really frustrated.
my original goal was to have sort of a personal uniform that consisted of jeans and black shirts, but now its jeans, some black shirts(a couple are dressy) and V-neck T's of various colors. I also have a couple other T-shirt I wear sometimes that I don't want to get rid of, like my Dance Dance Revolution T-shirt, and my Silver Surfer T-shirt, and another one with a funny picture and words on it.
Then I have stuff like gym clothes, one pair of yoga pants and some large mens T-shirts I got on clearance, that double as workout gear or sleepwear.
I have, but I don't think you want to take me as a model.
I live in Honolulu, which means I wear shorts year round. Everyday uniform is shorts plus plain teeshirts (on the long side). I'm fat and hard to fit, so I sew my own shorts, and buy cotton tees from Ulla Popken. All my shorts are mix and match with all my teeshirts. I go for colors in the blue/navy/dark purple/rust-red/dark green/brown/grey range, matched with off-whites.
For dressier occasions, I wear salwar kameez (South Asian pants and long tunic top) that I sew myself. Few people realize that I'm wearing salwar kameez, because I use standard fabrics and don't add decoration. Just looks like loose pants and tunic. All my kameez match all my salwars.
Three patterns, plus mail-order teeshirts. Boring, ne? But comfortable and cheap. Fit me perfectly and they're so well-sewn (all seams enclosed, lots of handwork) that they last a long time.
This is not a fashionable approach. This approach requires sewing skills.
Whoa, Zora. I could get used to year around shorts! Hawaii is paradise! The dressy clothes sound so comfortable.
My uniform seems to be jeans or trouser with either turtleneck or a shirt plus a cardigan of some sort, either dressy or warm, depending on the weather. Everything is solid colours, and a lot of neutrals, so easy to mix, match and spruce up with jewellery and scarves etc.
Of course in summer all the floaty dresses and skirts come out :)
i live in the tropics, so i can wear the same clothes year round.
for the last fifteen years i've had the same basic shirt and pants made over and over, with tiny variations, in linen and cotton and silk.
i stick to blues and white and black with the occasional pink/red/purple garment.
as it happens, i went shopping in denpasar yesterday, at my very favourite fabric shop in bali and i was very disciplined with my selections as a result of all my recent decluttering.
i had a list and i stuck to it and my only deviation was a few metres of amazingly beautiful bright red sand-washed silk.
for shoes, i stick to birkenstock clogs and sandals and i look out for the dressy groovy ones. i look after them and they last for years.
i buy t-shorts and yoga pants online, to work in.
we have a workshop on our property and we both make handmade soap fulltime and nothing wrecks clothes faster than soapmaking!
Wow, bandicoot, how wonderful! You have an amazing life! Your clothes sound great.
Do you sell your soap online?
Ugh, I wish I had my wardrobe in order. I am in the process of "using up and wearing out" my clothes so I can buy new ones, guilt-free. I don't ever plan on simplifying my clothes to the point of them becoming a uniform because I love variety too much. But I am getting to the point where the clothes I have are wearing out and I am having trouble figuring out what kind of nice/quality clothes I would like to replace them with. I don't know what kind of style I have, so to speak!
I'm not into full "uniform" mode, but I do mostly wear black or camel slacks, with a t-shirt (in one of a limited number of colors) and a jacket or sweater - also in one of a limited number of colors. What helped me a lot was getting my colors done a few years ago. Now I know what looks best on me - and knowing that (and seeing the difference) made it easier to get rid of the clothes that weren't right for me. And almost everything goes together nicely!
I had a blog post a while ago about people who created a personal uniform; maybe their stories will inspire you.
http://jdorganizer.blogspot.com/2008/07/personal-uniform-fights-clothing.html
This will sound ridiculous, I know.
I injured my foot a year ago last Sunday. A pretty severe injury, requiring an MRI, shots, a cast, possible surgery in 3 months if healing doesn't progress.
So what has my foot injury to do with my wardrobe? I can basically only wear 3 pairs of shoes comfortably, and must plan my wardrobe around those 3 pairs of shoes, or suffer for a few days and prolong the healing process.
Whatever I wear must match the shoes. Two pair are Skechers, the ballet-flat style that accept orthotic inserts without looking foolish. One pair brown, one pair black. No heels, no cute strappy sandals.
I said it was ridiculous! But I now wear 2 pairs of jeans and 2-3 skirts almost exclusively, since they match my footwear. Summer shorts are no problem, but they go in a drawer.
Thanks to this year-long uniform style, my closet is 3/4 emptier. As much as I'd like my foot injury to be gone (NOW, please!), it defn has caused me to rethink my wardrobe.
I love fashion, but I always end up wearing jeans and t-shirts by default. It's just too hard - kids, work, pets... That and a sturdy pair of work boots!
Is the idea to achieve a minimalist WORK wardrobe? Because that, I have definitely done.
First, you want to figure out what fits you best and is most comfortable and what looks best on you. This is the hardest part. I am an easy-to-fit 5'6" size 8 ... fortunate, but also disciplined (and vain).
My work uniform (I work in a law office) is Lucy everyday pants in four colors, and an assortment of nice-looking tops. Shoes are Steve Madden or Clarks or Nike, comfortable for walking but not overtly athletic shoes.
This won't work for everyone, obviously. I'd really advise having a fashion show with two trusted friends and having them give you their honest opinions of what you have that suits you and what fits. Then YOU decide if you agree - and if it's comfortable, go look for more clothes like that, and throw out everything else.
Good luck!
A lot of really interesting comments! Thanks, all, for sharing. I'm a SAHM, so I just need comfortable, easy-care clothes to wear while chasing my toddler around. I think having a personal uniform will be easier since I'm not in the working world anymore. I used to work in an office where all the women were very well-dressed, and they'd give each other the once-over whenever they met in the hall or restroom. It was like high school all over again.
A funny anecdote: My husband, who is NOT a clotheshorse, has been obsessing over what to wear to work these days. Why? Because he wore blue dress shirts (different ones) two days in a row, and several (male) coworkers remarked on it. "Hey, were you burning the midnight oil? Isn't that the same blue shirt you wore yesterday?" I didn't think guys noticed stuff like that, especially guys in a hard-core tech company.
@Jeri Dansky -- Thanks for the link! I can't wait to read through it.
@chacha1 -- I just ordered a pair of Lucy Everyday pants earlier this week. I'm hoping they will become part of my personal uniform. They look so comfy, and they actually had the right inseam for my very short legs!
at my last job, two of the guys who have to wear dress clothes to work wore the same exact pants and shirt one day and everyone gave them crap about all day long. It was funny, but that just show how much everyone pays attention to the clothes you wear.
@angelicious, I'm with you, girl. My orthodics have made a tremendous difference in the pain level of my feet and legs, but the two pairs of shoes and one pair of athletic shoes have limited the wardrobe options. I have not worn a skirt for the entire school year, just black or brown slacks and a plain top. It's boring, but has decluttered the closet for me. Now the black shoes are goners and I am dreading the shoe shopping experience. Junior high kids definately notice what you wear so I avoid slacks with any detail. That way it looks more like a uniform and less like you wear the same pants three times a week.
@chacha1 -- Just tried on the Lucy Everyday pants...wow, I can see why you wear them every day! They fit great and they're so comfy. Plus the fabric and cut are very forgiving on my very-far-from-perfect body. They're pricey, but I think I may buy one or two more pairs.
It's funny, this clothes thing. Clothes haven't been very important to me since high school. It may have been because I had a "friend" who made fun of my clothes in junior high. So, in high school I was on the high fashion board for awhile. After I was an art student in college I stopped caring much about what I wore. I guess I was just a hippie at heart! I just want to be comfortable. My mother didn't understand it, because she was very clothes conscious. My aunt, her sister, was like me in just wanting to be comfortable. I guess I understand that people who work where clothing is important are more conscious of it. However, the superficiality of it reflects our society in general and the health of our anorexic teen girls in specific.
Oh, well, just running off at the mouth here... :)
Claycat....I agree. The fashion industry is a racket to get us to spend more money every season by convincing us we need the latest style. I decided a long time ago what my personal style is and have stuck with it. I have my basic wardrobe with a few fun pieces. I don't care what is "in style" and don't read fashion magazines. I wear what is comfortable and works for my body.
I love the idea of a personal uniform. Definitely will look into this. Have already had my colours done and sorted my wardrobe accordingly, but would like to simplify/streamline it further.
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