Over the past few months, I’ve been having a big declutter. Last year, I started in a few areas of our home such as Jack’s room and the panty, and was so inspired I continued to work to declutter the house. We are now preparing to move, so decluttering has become even more important! My biggest task was my wardrobe – so here’s how I set about creating a more minimalistic wardrobe to replace the out of control one that I had.
Now, in all honesty, my “minimalistic” wardrobe is still probably pretty big compared to a lot of peoples. Clothes are my thing – I don’t really drink, don’t smoke, and don’t have any expensive hobbies. So clothing is what I enjoy.
As I get older, I am becoming more interested in investing in pieces of clothing that are going to wear and wash well. I was completely guilty of having a wardrobe stocked full of ‘fast fashion’ pieces – items that are cheap, made overseas, and generally not that amazing quality. They are items we buy generally for the sake of it. Usually because they are on sale or are cheap. We wear them a few times, they sit in our wardrobes for years often never to see the light of day; before we rummage through, donate them to charity, and fill the wardrobe back up with more fast fashion items. And the cycle goes on – sound familiar? I know I was so guilty of doing this, and I hate thinking about the number of pieces I’ve bought over the years that had very little wear.
My fashion journey so far…..
I could definitely have been described as a clothes hoarder, I had so many items of clothing – and many of which I hardly even wore. A lot of them were items I’d collected over the years, with many of them being clothes I used to wear when I worked in advertising for a radio station. The dress code was fairly casual, but I loved being able to buy beautiful tops and have an excuse to wear them paired with jeans. I worked in town and the temptation to buy gorgeous new items was always there every time I went for a walk on my lunch break. Before I knew it I had a wardrobe bursting at the seams, and a tonne of clothes that I didn’t really need.
Once I left my corporate job and became self employed I got right into fitness and went a little crazy buying activewear. Getting to wear my comfy activewear while I worked from home? Yes, please!
And now I’m a mum who works from home, and my style has changed again. After a bit of a style crisis, I feel like finally I know what I like to wear and what suits me and what is practical. I am a big fan of mix and match pieces, that are easy to pair together, and being a mum means I basically live in casual clothes. My clothes get dirty chasing a toddler around, so I want cotton items that wash well, wear well, and are comfy.
At the same time, I don’t want to give in to just wearing old sloppy clothes around the house or not getting out of my pyjamas. I always get dressed every morning into something that’s flattering, yet practical, and I think it’s an important for not only self-care, but good for the mental health. I don’t want to feel like I’ve just given up on something that I’ve always made a priority, so I continue to do so – I just need items that are easy to pair together, quick to get on, and simple to clean.
After going through an “all black” phase, I’m now loving prints – stripes, florals and paisley prints. I’ve become quite a fan of the “boho” style, so have a lot of floaty, soft fabrics in my wardrobe, as well as comfy (but stylish) pieces that I wear more casually. For the first time in my life, I feel very confident in my style. I know what I like, what suits me, and what I feel good wearing – and everything else is gone.
So I’ve been going through my wardrobe and getting rid of the items that have sat there for years without being worn and the items that don’t fit just right. And it’s the most satisfying feeling ever. I’m becoming more practical about my wardrobe and as a result I’m actually starting to wear and love everything I own, rather than owning clothes I might wear “one day”.
Creating a minimalistic wardrobe: When to get rid of something…
- If you haven’t worn it in a year
- If you keep passing it over in place of another item that you really love
- If you try it on and you don’t love it or don’t feel good in it
- If it doesn’t fit
So what am I doing with everything that doesn’t fit the above criteria? I’m packing away the wearable, yet cheaper items that I would be unlikely to sell and am dropping them off to charity. For anything that is more expensive or easy to sell, I’m listing it on Facebook Marketplace, and for anything that’s stained, holed or destroyed, I’m cutting up for rags.
I’m then taking a look at what’s left in my wardrobe and if there are any holes I need to fill and am then purchasing those items. I’m ensuring they are items I truely need and love and will work with other pieces in my wardrobe, rather than just because they are on sale or are “okay”. I’m being smarter about what I add to my wardrobe, and as a result I’m getting a wardrobe full of things I love and genuinely want to wear.
Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll share some tips on how you can go about decluttering your wardrobe and my favourite items for wardrobe organisation. I know a lot of people have a bit of time on their hands in the current lockdown and tackling your wardrobe is one of those chores we often put off – but is so satisfying to achieve!