(Photo: When I decided to pursue a minimalist lifestyle, one of the first areas I tackled was my closet. I had too many clothes that I didn’t wear, and too little space in which to keep them. I wanted a wardrobe that was simple, elegant, and functional — and I wanted to be able to retrieve the pieces, and put them away, without any pushing, pulling, or wrestling.
Over the course of a few months, I pared down my closet to less than half its original contents. I sold quite a number on eBay, gave some to family and friends, and donated the rest.
The reward: a spacious closet, and a well-edited wardrobe that perfectly suits my needs.
Want to do the same? Just follow these seven easy steps, and you’ll never again have “a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear:”
1. Purge everything that doesn’t fit. Ditch the “fat clothes,” the “skinny clothes,” and anything else that bunches, pulls, stretches, or sags in the wrong places.
2. Purge everything that doesn’t flatter. Get rid of the mom jeans, the baggy sweatshirts, and any other items that make you look or feel frumpy.
3. Purge everything you haven’t worn in the last year. Twelve months’ time is sufficient to cover all the seasons and occasions for which you need apparel. If you didn’t wear something last year, you probably won’t wear it the next.
4. Choose a base color. Pick a neutral like black, brown, navy, or khaki for your “foundation” pieces (like pants, skirts, and suits), and purge the rest.
5. Choose accent colors. Select a handful of shades that flatter you, and limit the rest of your apparel (like shirts and sweaters) accordingly. Choose colors that complement your base and each other, for optimal mixing and matching.
6. Pare down your shoes and purses. If you’ve chosen a base color for your clothes, you no longer need a rainbow of footwear and handbags. (Black shoes and a black bag, for example, go with everything in my closet.)
7. Accessorize. Instead of buying trendy apparel, stick to classic pieces and spice things up with scarves and jewelry. They’re significantly smaller and easier to store.
And remember, don’t put your rejects in a landfill; they may be perfect for someone else! If you don’t want to deal with selling them on eBay or in a consignment shop, be generous and give them away. Here’s a list of organizations that could use your donation:
In the US:
Dress for Success
Goodwill Industries International
Purple Heart Pickup Service
Vietnam Veterans of America
The Salvation Army
In the UK:
British Red Cross
Oxfam
Cancer Research UK
You may be able to take a tax write-off, so obtain a receipt and record the value of donated items.
If you’d like to pursue a more minimalist lifestyle, decluttering your wardrobe is a great place to start. Each item you toss is like a weight lifted off your shoulders—and you’ll no doubt be inspired to tackle the rest of the house!
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I am just going through this now! Thanks for the tips
Do you find you spend more on clothing after becoming minimalist in order to get the best quality?
I was disgusted as well)
Because I did my sums and I’ve spent close to $2000 on clothes over 6 months (I know
for example instead of paying $50 for synthetic boots that aren’t as comfortable and wear out quickly and require another pair down the road, I spent $300 on pure leather. Do you have any suggestions for this type of problem?
While I actually don’t own much, with this spending I still feel like a consumer and that I’m not making progress
@Kate–I think you are on the right track–if you have fewer things, you will use them more, so they have to be of higher quality to last. The query you need to make is whether you are paying for more than higher quality–there is a break point, I find, where paying more doesn’t buy more. In my experience, really cheap shoes don’t last, or worse, hurt me feet so I can’t wear them. Paying more–say $100 or so a pair, gives me shoes that are comfortable and last. Paying $500 a pair gets me high style and a fancy name.
Think about the cost per wear. Think about how much you enjoy the item–cost per util, in economist terms.
I also think that when one makes more of an investment in clothing, it’s valued more. Often then, one takes better care of it since it’s less disposable.
I love this! My theory on clothes (and everything else, actually) boils down to the “per use” theory. If you are going to wear it a lot or use it frequently, you should invest in a quality product – you save money in the long run and have a better experience. When I lived in Boston, I spent a lot more on a winter coat than I did when I moved to Seattle. Same with shoes – I hike more than I attend swanky events, so I’ll easily spend upward of $100 on good trail shoes but will spend the least I can get away with on strappy heels. Figure out how often you’ll use (or how long you’ll own it) it and spend accordingly.
And you can’t go wrong on buying quality neutral basics and jazzing them up with accessories. This is even more fun if you travel a lot like me because you can buy small things from each destination that will totally change the look of your basic clothes and remind you of the good times you had.
I’ve been spending the last few months doing just this! I own a lot of black items (shoes and pants and purses) so black was the obvious ‘neutral’ choice, though I do have some silvery gray shoes that I splurged on so I’ve got gray as a neutral base, too.
The biggest problem I’m having is summer clothes. Winter is easy because I really can’t go wrong with a black/gray pants or skirt, a solid colored tank or a white button-down shirt and a cute cardigan or sweater. That combo is pretty much a staple in my wardrobe. Summer, though, is difficult! Too hot outside for a cardigan or even a scarf, but wearing a tank to the office isn’t professional (not to mention its cold in the air conditioning!). I’m trying to figure out some alternatives, but its hard. I’m not a huge fan of t-shirts for the office – I’d like to find some lightweight, short sleeved blouses that I can wear.
I purged my closet and drawers of 75-80% of my wardrobe about 3-4 months ago and have never felt better. I wear about 80% (yes, I have found that I can purge further) but it is so wonderful every time I open the doors to the bare empty closet. I would have thought I would have been feeling a tremendous loss about now but quite the opposite happened.
I went through the purging the closet thing in the last year and I was shocked when I filled up 7-8 of the big black lawn & garden garbage bags! I had no idea there was that much I wasn’t wearing or had gotten tired of. I took all of them to a place here locally that gives everything away for free. I like that. I’m of the mind that if I give it away for free, it should in turn be given away for free.
I’ve done the same thing Kate has done, spent more on better quality since then, but I’m really happy about that. I agree with what hestden said. And I like what Betsy said about traveling and buying clothes in the new place to remind you of your times there.
This is exactly the advice I’d give to others who are willing to get rid of 90% of everything, but I don’t follow it myself out of personal choice.
I like having variety. Not just one bag, but many. And I like that I can choose to bring a gym bag as my work bag during the week, but if I go out on the weekends, I grab another purse, or perhaps something else, like a clutch instead.
That being said, I know I have a lot of clothing, but I do wear them on rotation at least, so not all is lost.
[...] I couldn’t resist getting rid of some stuff myself. I have gotten rid of about 1.5 feet of CDs and DVDs. CDs are actually pretty hard to get rid of. Three quarters of a foot of CDs were simply donated to freecycle, where they go like hotcakes. I also went through my closet and got rid of a bag of clothes. This is now only 50% full. I can’t tell you how convenient that is in terms of getting things in and out. I like it! (Also see Miss Minimalist’s 7 steps to a minimalist wardrobe) [...]
I like variety too. I enjoy changing things around. I do try to buy quality over quantity and I have a running list of what I need instead of just buying randomly. I work in corporate, so I have to have professional clothes, no business casual for me. At home, I am mostly yoga pants or jeans and a white t-shirt. Simple and easy.
I won’t kid here..Downsizing my wardrobe has and continues to be a challenge, but I have managed to get rid of a lot of clothes that I haven’t worn for some time and/or had no intention of wearing. I bought a lot of thnigs for the mere fact that they were on clearance or the “looked” good at the time.
A couple of things that have helped me is avoiding the sales racks..This just entices me to but more. Also keeping it simple when I do buy. Classic styles and solid colors will never go “out of style”. Trendy, faddish styles are just mere clutter after a while.
[...] 7 Steps to a minimalist wardrobe at Miss Minimalist [...]
Nice advice! For those looking for quality who are not second-hand-store experienced, I suggest you check out some in your area. Many “used” clothing stores have not only high quality, but never-worn high-quality pieces. Also, to make your clothes last longer and help the environment, try washing in cold water and hanging your clothes to dry–we hang ours inside on a rack and it works great; you don’t need to have an outside clothesline.
What a coincidence that I blogged about my own closet, and then I read your post!
Very inspiring, as always, MM.
HK (I have a new blog- I wanted a fresh start, in case you noticed my old one was gone).
i was wondering if you could tell us how you handle “seasonal urges.”
i’m really into simplicity, not as much minimalism as you, but i really get the girly urge each season to freshen my wardrobe with pretty things. i don’t go overboard but i really love buying a new cardigan in the lastest color for instance. i know i can stick to a basic black one but i really love that fresh feeling of a new article of clothing. maybe it’s a new bag or a pair of sandals. how do you handle this. how do you stay satisfied/content with the same, useful clothes. i’m soooo curious.
~janet
Janet – If that cardigan or new bag or sandals can be more than a one-purpose item (meaning you can only wear it with one outfit) then what’s the harm? Wearing black all the time gets boring! So if there’s a plum cardigan that you absolutely love and can see your self wearing with a lot of what you already own then go for it! And maybe, if you want to feel less guilty about buying another item, you can pick a cardigan from a past season that you don’t really enjoy wearing anymore and use the new one to replace that old one.
If you have curbed your consumerism to what you deem as an acceptable level for other areas of your life, it sounds like this may be an area that you place at a higher value to gain personal satisfaction/pleasure. Weigh your priorities and determine if 1 article of clothing per season or per 6 months still fits in your overall life plan & budget. Tweak this number if necessary, then enjoy your wardrobe!
You are still probably buying less than the average person, and if you want to maintain a minimalist household, don’t forget about the “one item in, one item out” rule.
Excellent and practical tips, Francine!
When I gave all my purses away (and they were Coach too!), my girlfriends thought I was completely nuts and a raging lunatic. (Hey, I still might be, but that’s what makes life interesting!) I now only own a wristlet, not much bigger than a man’s wallet, which fits my phone, keys, ID, and credit card/cash. Simple versatility and I no longer have shoulder cramps from carrying a 10-lb. purse around! Yeah!
@ janet: I´ve lived with very little clothing for a couple of years now, that means about 7-8 t-shirts, two pairs of pants and so on..
well, these 7 t-shirts won´t last very long, because i wear all of them every week. That means, that i do need to buy something new every season, because things just get a bit too old.
so if you always get rid of one old thing before you buy something new, you´ll always have only a little and still also have new, seasonal stuff.
Hi Francine,
Thanks for the great post! Just thought I’d share what has worked for me.
My four-season minimalist wardrobe:
- bra, panties, camisole, thermal underwear
- dress*, sweater dress*, short-sleeved top*, long-sleeved top*, shorts, pants
- belt, bag, tights, socks, flat sandals, ballet flats, knee-high boots
- sweater, cardigan, light coat, winter coat, shawl*, bonnet*, gloves
- swimsuit*, sporty top*, cycling shorts, fitness pants, sports socks*, sports shoes*
- cocktail dress*, formal dress*, heeled sandals*
- nightie*
* Pieces in accent colors. All the rest in black or grey.
Except for the socks and panties, I have 1-3 pieces or pairs of each item.
When buying pieces for my wardrobe I keep the following in mind.
- style: classic and simple
- materials: as much as possible, cotton, wool/cashmere, silk
And of course, everything should fit me perfectly. If something doesn’t, I have it altered immediately.
I hardly ever go shopping as I’d rather spend my time doing other things. But when I do go shopping, I make sure I only buy pieces I love. Even if it takes me a long time to find the “right” item, I try to be patient and wait and keep looking. Better have pieces I love to wear from the start than buy something that will do but will almost never get worn and will surely be replaced soon.
Hope others will share their wardrobes as well.
@Mia – thank you for a comprehensive four season list. I am having a hard time deciding what to keep and what to give away as I’m in the depths of winter with chilly overnight temps -2c(30f) needing thermals and in the summer here we get up to 45c (113f)! I can’t even think about swimwear in the winter. But now is the time to try everything on as it will start heating up in just a few months and it’s almost impossible for me to try on clothing without getting overheated! I will be heading for my cupboard today, thanks for the inspiration MM.
Francine, I’ve enjoyed this article and the commentaries.
Years ago, I received the advice to buy my wardrobe twice a year. I’d considered it but wasn’t able to merge the quality vs “fresh fashion idea” too successfully. Some years, the styles available were just not flattering. I may re-visit this concept again.
Jean
ps: High 5 to Nina from another no-purse carrying wristlet-only wearer!
Love this post, except I don’t choose a base color. I like to wear taupe heels and bag with any color skirt: black, brown, blue…all of my clothes match together this way and I get the variety of multiple base colors.
Considering purses, I have always thought my mom was silly being in love for 20 years with her simple leather purse and matching wallet. Watching myself throwing away fashion purses and wallets the dozen over the years, I decided saving for a real leather wallet and purse. The wallet i bought new as a present to myself for my graduation and the purse from the same brand as my mom’s but used on ebay, and I couldn’t be more happy now (since 5 years happy with these quality items). I don’t even look at overpriced fancy faux leather stuff anymore. Same goes for a really beautiful pair of high quality british oxford leather shoes. A copy of which I recently saw at urban outfitters for almost the price that I paid. Life is good!
I’ve been trying to do this very thing for a week or two now, but I have a question for you.
What do you do if following these or similar purging rules is going to put your wardrobe down to almost nil?
I’ve never been a huge clothing person (my weakness was always random kitschy crap), so most of my clothes are second-hand from my mom or my sister. Of the few items that fit that I actually like, I almost regret buying them (on yet another credit card… too bad I didn’t find the frugality mindset sooner!)
I may end up interviewing for a job soon, but I have nothing appropriate for the interview or job. I have almost nothing I like, even with a not-too-large wardrobe to begin with. Most of it’s awful or ancient and ill-fitting.
What on earth can I do?
hi beth,
you could ask friends or family if they can borrow you a “job interview uniform”?
If you don’t love your wardrobe, you could consider taking a friend with you next time you buy something and let them help you with the decision
[...] Clothes – Put all of your clothes in a pile and begin to sort into three categories: keep, donate, [...]