Minimalist wardrobe/personal uniform

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Minimalist wardrobe/personal uniform

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Started 2 years ago by wintersmom
Latest reply from pkilmain
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trillie
Member

wintersmom - have you seen the thread http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/negative-responses-to-my-declutter-talk ?

The bottom line there is, it's about you and how you feel, and once other people gave you something, it is out of their jurisdiction (haha) and now you can do with it as you please. Also, with all due respect, 2) is very wrong and somehow something only mothers can get away with. It's wrong because -you- care. Whether you walk the streets of Paris everyday or not, you deserve to feel good in your own clothes. If you sit alone at home and feel boring in what you wear, it's a fact that it's time to throw out some clothes and get a few new ones to un-boring things.

If you still wonder what to tell your mom in case she asks (like everyone in that thread says, don't tell her! The topic will likely never come up), try taking a piece of paper before and writing down arguments. Like "Her: It doesn't matter what you wear, noone else sees you anyway - Me: I see me, and that's enough. - Her: You should give them to me if you don't like them. - Me: If you liked them, you would have kept them. Now they are mine to deal with." and so on. Keep going until you're out of arguments for each side. It feels stupid to write this down first, but it's a technique that has been proven to work well for people suffering from depression and/or negative self-talk, it prepares you for the conversation if it will take place, and it shows you what is important to you :o)

Oh and on a side note: I loved your "Wow, her life is SO busy and interesting...she doesn't even have the time to think about her clothes!" On Friday night I went out with my friends and thought I was a bit underdressed and, well, "booooring" again, then I thought of that and it made me smile :o)

And I love vjb's suggestions, too. I like the probation thing for clothes with the turned hangers, and I also like the "keep only stuff you get compliments in". If I did that, I'd only be walking around in a scarf I bought in Prague and in the colorful woolen socks my mom knit for me! A bit chilly, but yes, a lot less "boring"! Hee hee ;o)

Posted 2 years ago #
vjb
Member

What @trillie said. Wow, #2 especially is NOT a nice thing to say.

@wintersmom, in the end, if your mother gives the clothes to you, they're yours. You're allowed to give them away to whoever YOU want – a thrift shop, the rubbish bin, whatever. ;) Don't take on her Stuff, psychological or physical, as your own.

PS: @trillie - a scarf and socks! I have this mental picture of you as a stuffed toy of some sort (maybe a Tigger), just in a scarf and socks! Hee :D But hey, it's a start!

Posted 2 years ago #
morfydd
Member

@themusiclivez:
I treat business casual as "pieces that could be part of a suit, but mixed and matched and not a whole matched suit all at once". So I wear nice slacks or skirt, nice blouse (or knit shirt), sometimes a sweater, sometimes a contrasting jacket. (And by nice, I still mean machine-washable and inexpensive, just tailored with classic lines and out of decent material.

@SarahJ:
Have you looked at the Academichic blog? They're three grad students who talk about how to be stylish (in disciplines where that's not really valued) but professional. Also, one of them is in Germany for a year-long fellowship and has a few posts about packing a really really constrained wardrobe for that stay. http://www.academichic.com/

Posted 2 years ago #
trillie
Member

@vjb, thank heavens you're visualizing the scarf-sock-look with a stuffed toy -- only cartoon characters and stuffed animals can get away with being pantsless in public! ;o) (It reminds me of the old "how come Donald Duck never wears pants, yet puts a towel around his waist when coming out of the shower" dilemma.)

@morfydd, thank you so much for the acedemichic.com link, I already love it.

Posted 2 years ago #
wintersmom
Member

@trillie, @vjb -- #2 is a pretty wrong, isn't it? That's something I'd never say to a friend or to my own daughter when she's older. My parents say messed up things to me ALL THE TIME though so I guess I'm used to it. Like my dad, who's constantly telling me how fat I am... it was the first thing out of his mouth when he came to visit me two summers ago. My reply? "I JUST HAD A BABY THREE WEEKS AGO!!!!"

Anyway, I've been using my daughter as motivation to unclutter my wardrobe. I pick up a piece of clothing and ask myself, "If I wore this, would I be thinking about my clothes or focusing on my child?" I was able to pitch a whole bag of too-short shirts this way (I have a long torso, plus I'm always hunched over books and toys so I need extra coverage to prevent plumber's crack). Whenever I wore those shirts while playing with my daughter, I was always distracted by how uncomfortable I felt. So, I'm making progress!

Posted 2 years ago #
trillie
Member

@wintersmom, it's so sad to read that you're used to your parents saying mean things. But YAY for you that you noticed it and don't say stuff like that to your daughter :o)

I think it's great you use her as a motivation for your wardrobe. Being a mom is a huge factor in picking out a wardrobe, and I think noone's a relaxed mom if they're worried about ill-fitting clothes or about getting dirt, food or spit somewhere! Plus, kids are so intuitive they notice whenever you feel boring or pretty, and they will dish out compliments when you least expect them. Just wait and see, your daughter probably already noticed and likes it :o)

Posted 2 years ago #
wintersmom
Member

Hi all, here's an update on my quest to simplify my wardrobe. For the past 3 weeks or so, I've been relying on:

- 1 pair of jeans
- 1 pair of Lucy Everyday pants
- 3 short-sleeve tees (2 scoopneck, 1 v-neck)
- 2 long-sleeve tees (1 boatneck, 1 v-neck)
- 1 zip-up hoody
- 1 pair of sneakers

Everything is in neutral shades (a lot of black -- what can I say? I'm a native New Yorker -- some gray and brown). So far, so good.

I should note that these items are for when I'm going outside. When I'm puttering around the house, I'm barefoot in old yoga capris and some random top.

Posted 2 years ago #
candy
Member

Wintersmom, that sounds like a good start for a basic wardrobe.

I've gained some weight these past 4-5 months so I decided to go through every item of clothing I own a few weeks ago. The result is that I've got a lot of things that are going away to charity as soon as possible. I will keep a few things that I really love, in the hope of losing those extra 5-8 kilos and being able to wear them again, but only clothes I really really love and that are in synch with the person I am right now.

I am definitely in the minimalist wardrobe/personal uniform camp. I'll post more about that separately, later (it's long past bed-time here in Sweden right now...)

Posted 2 years ago #
HappyDogs
Member

I am curious how those of us who live in tropical area handle a minimalist wardrobe. Do you just wear black (and stand out like a tourist from the north?) Do you stick with beiges and whites? This is something I always struggle with. I'd love to hear how you handle fitting in when more colorful is more fitting in.

Posted 2 years ago #
wintersmom
Member

@HappyDogs -- I imagine people living in warmer climes may need *more* clothes too. Or am I mistaken? I'm just thinking you're out and about more often and getting sweaty. I feel like I'll need a few more tees to make it through the summer here in Massachusetts.

Posted 2 years ago #
HappyDogs
Member

@wintersmom Oh, but here in California, it's a dry heat.....only 120 degrees. No problemo!

Posted 2 years ago #
morfydd
Member

@HappyDogs - I don't know why a minimalist wardrobe would necessarily be black. (Mine is, but it's just a color I'm comfortable in.)

You could do it in white, or any colors you like. I think, for instance, a whole wardrobe in varying shades of aqua linen would be gorgeous, with a few coral or pink or white pieces mixed in. (Clearly, I need a Caribbean vacation - the above isn't too practical for people with jobs.)

Khaki pants and skirts with white shirts and tan/brown shoes couldn't be more sterotypically business casual, and warm-weather appropriate.

I think color isn't as important to a minimalist wardrobe as is keeping its pieces working together.

For instance, I think flowy clothes are really pretty, but they make me look really sloppy when I try to wear them. So whenever I forget that and pick up a flowing blouse, it doesn't go with any of my tailored clothes and just sits in my closet until I give up on it. And then I forget and pick up a flowy skirt, and *it* sits there. If I have both at once, even then it means they can only be worn with each other, *and* it's such a break from my usual style that I don't feel comfortable wearing it very often because people will recognize it.

But whether my tailored blouse is blue or green*, I can wear it with my tailored slacks or my tailored skirts without thinking about it.

*I lie. They're black. Be braver than me! :)

Posted 2 years ago #
themusiclivez
Member

I agree with morfydd. To me, a minimalist wardrobe means having a few pieces that work well with each other. If I had to wear the same color everyday I think I would cry! I like variety in my clothes but I prefer to have less items but higher quality ones.

Posted 2 years ago #
paulawylma
Member

I've been using a capsule wardrobe for over 30 years and until a little over a year ago, I was a "permanent temp" for about four years. Since I was a temp, my wardrobe had to include clothes for office work in an office environment as well as office work in a warehouse setting. And since my assignments could last for anywhere from one week to one year (90 day assignment with multiple extensions) I had to have enough clothes not to look like I was wearing the same thing day after day. I went through a period when I tried the black theory but after a while the black fade and no longer match and well, it can be depressing--even with a colorful scarf or necklace. Anyway, the point is all you need for a business casual wardrobe is 3 bottoms (skirt or slacks, not jeans) and 4 tops. For a more regular business wear add two jackets or blazers. With this you can mix and match 12 days of outfits. At least one of the bottom should be part of a suit with one of the jackets (if you wear skirts, then one slacks and one skirt can match one of the jackets) and the others should be a color or pattern that complements the suit jacket. The second jacket can be a pattern that goes with the suit or a contrasting color that still looks good with the main color (the color of the suit). The idea is that you should have one main color and one secondary color that completments the main color, so that all the tops can be worn with all the bottom and with both jackets. If you don't work in an office environment, then you can skip the jackets or have sweathers instead. If you work in a jeans environment, then you don't really need a separate work wardrobe but can use the capsule idea for you casual clothes as well. If you use solid colors for the bottom, mix and matching will be easy. The tops depend on how formal your work environment is, but in general, one should be a white or cream blouse and one should be a shirt that can either be worn alone with the bottoms, under the jacket or worn over top one of the other tops as a shirt jacket. The nice thing about this method is if you get tired of a color, you can gradually fade it out with new purchases and update your look. Decide what color you want to fade out and what color you want to switch to. Then buy a scarf or blouse with a pattern that has both colors in it. Then you can add a bottom in the new color and if neccessary a jacket and then the transistion is complete. In this method you can update from year to year while wearing the same clothes just by updating the accessories.

Posted 2 years ago #
Mid America Mom
Member

wintersmom - that sounds like a good foundation. Now come summer what did you have in mind? Will you stick with pants or throw in a skirt, summer dress, or shorts?

I am a big advocate for buying summer dresses. And the black you have going on could work well. You always can find a summer dress with black in it or being black.

Mid America Mom

Posted 2 years ago #
Vivace
Member

I live in Arizona and I wear pretty much the same thing year round - one pair black trousers, one pair brown, one pair black jeans, one pair blue. Five short-sleeve button down shirts. (Black, grey, white, brown, red.) One long-sleeve button down. (Black.) One dress jacket. (Black.)

I do have a wide array of ties for work, but they all fit in one box so I think it's reasonable. But my office is mostly business casual, so I don't need a dress jacket often.

(When it's 120 out here, you're not going to find me outside any longer than I have to be. ;D )

Posted 2 years ago #
EraserGirl
Member

i just noticed something in the my closet...after all the years of weeding, including buying replacements..i seem to have a 'pallet' - Blue Jean (washed and unwashed), Dark Navy Blue, Hunter Green, Black, White, that sweatshirt Grey color, and a warm Beige color - with some Christmas Red shirts and a couple of Sunshine Yellow - your basic Primary Colors, no muted tones or pastels.

I played a game the other day...apparently I got bleach on one of my Navy Polos and my nice heavy Red T-shirt (broken hearted)...so i went to the BIG thrift store where i get all my best clothes ..with a shopping list...Polo shirts, thick T-shirt, River driver (that's a long sleeve T with 3 buttons), and THAT color pallet in mind.

Sure enough when i was shopping that was what i was drawn to. I came home with a Navy LL BEAN Polo, a Christmas Red Polo, a Hunter Green T-Shirt, a Christmas Red T-Shirt, a Beige Banana Republic Corduroy Jacket...all for $11 I also ordered a new pair of Jeans from LLBEAN - $27.

I guess this subliminal color pallet has always been in the back of my mind and I never noticed. But by sticking with this..it makes everything match when dressing and makes shopping very quick.

This doesn't mean I don't have some 'other' patterned items, but they are special pieces that pair nicely with a plain basic color item.

Posted 1 year ago #
IvyLeagueGirlie
Member

My "office uniform" tends to be a neutral-colored pencil skirt on the bottom, and either a v-neck cashmere sweater or a blouse on top. Tops are either neutrals or jewel tones. 3"-4" heels, generally in fairly classic styles (no trendy booties, thank you!) Two dozen pieces provides a lot of mixing and matching, and almost everything goes together. Belts, jewelry, and other accessories add a bit of "zing" and make the basic pieces look pulled together.

Posted 1 year ago #
emmylemmy
Member

I love the IDEA of a capsule wardrobe but every time I think about the actual execution I can't help feeling like I would be bored senseless. I am super jealous of my SO whose wardrobe is incredibly straightforward and yet he always looks fabulous. In varying quantities, all he has are:

- jeans
- chinos/khakis
- shorts
- tees
- polos
- button-down dress shirts
- sweaters
- a suit and a few ties (his work is business casual so this is strictly for funerals, etc.)
- maybe 4-5 pairs of shoes

With this small number of items, getting dressed in the morning is a breeze, everything mixes and matches and he always looks fantastic--never boring or like he's wearing a uniform. I have a sneaking suspicion that he has unintentionally perfected the art of the capsule wardrobe.

Is it just me or do women have it a lot harder because there are so many more possibilities and so much reliance on trends in terms of what items are available? I crave the simplicity of a capsule, but if my wardrobe looked like my SO's I would feel so inadequate style-wise. Is this all in my head? Should I bite the bullet and get back to basics?

The irony of all this is that I'm so lazy about doing my laundry that I end up wearing the same things all the time anyway...oh life...

Posted 1 year ago #
pkilmain
Member

It's the quantities that get me. I have pretty much the same number of varieties of things (no ties of course!) but lots of tees, too many pairs of jeans, and let's not talk about shoes......

Posted 1 year ago #

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