I’m sure we’ve all been susceptible to a few hoarding tendencies. Whether it’s not throwing away the multiple unnecessary spatulas in your kitchen or not getting rid of your old Nokia Swivel phone from 2008. My wardrobe is something I go through every few months as I absolutely hate hoarding items that I know for sure, I’m not going to wear and in doing this I have created a streamlined, minimal wardrobe and I somewhat operate a one-in-one out system. Now some people may not class my wardrobe as minimal, but ‘minimal’ in itself is subjective to each individual. I see it as having all bases covered, from a leather jacket, to a good pair of jeans that make you feel your best as this minimises the chance of purchasing something you’ll only wear once.
I’m Wearing – Coat: Primark. Top: Zara. Jeans: Topshop. Watch: Thomas Sabo. Rings: Monica Vinader. Bag: She In. Shoes: Zara
DETOX: Have a look through your wardrobe and get rid of items that you either haven’t worn in over 6 months, do not suit your current style or items that you just don’t like anymore. In doing this, you will find a pattern in your current wardrobe and know what you want to inject when purchasing new items for your minimal wardrobe. I recently had a little clear-out in which I got rid of some black ballet flats that were looking a bit worse for wear and some loafers that I haven’t worn since I was in college. This allowed me to create room in my shoe cupboard for a brand spanking new pair of black flats that aren’t falling apart.
INVESTMENT: This is completely preferential (and obviously depends on your finances), however there are some areas of fashion to splurge and others in which to save – check out my post here. When creating a minimal and streamlined wardrobe, you allow yourself more areas to splurge as in theory, you are being a lot more selective in your picks as quality trumps quantity all the time in a minimal closet.
COLOUR PALETTE: Distinguish what colour palette works best for you, whether it’s a pop of colour or neutrals such as black, white and grey etc. My wardrobe mainly consists of a more neutral colour palette with the bulk of my clothes being either black or white however there are a few hints of colour for the odd occasion when I want to inject a bit of colour. Know what colours work best for your skin tone for example if you know that yellow washes you out, but a beautiful cobalt blue brings out the blue hues in your eyes, try and stay away from colours that are the suns counterpart.
VERSATILE PIECES: One of the most important things to remember when it comes to constructing a minimal wardrobe is the versatility. If like me you like to have a streamlined wardrobe with multiple options, you need to take this into consideration. Don’t purchase items that you can only wear on one occasion or a pair of shoes that you can only wear with one or two outfits that will then spend most of their time in a box in the wardrobe.
CLASSIC: When it comes to minimalism, classic and timeless pieces are your best friend. This goes hand in hand with the whole versatility concept. I would class denim, leather, and basic tops etc. as classic pieces. These are items that can go with various different outfits and whether they’re worn today, next week or in ten years, as they would still look good and will always be on trend.
