"I believe your clothes should be as individual as you are; An expression of you."
I have many moods, and different sides to my personality, so keeping my wardrobe to a minimum has been a struggle for as long as I can remember. However, I do not follow fashion and the latest trends. Instead, I do style; I purchase quality, timeless pieces, that are on a broad spectrum, and that are suitable for my body type.
Some things that are key to me are:
- Dressing for the occasion
- Dressing appropriate for the weather
- Cut, and fit the garment
- Material
- Colour
My fashion style is mixed; Varying from vintage soul fashion style, rocker fashion style, military fashion style, girl next door, to casual fashion style.
You see what I mean about the different sides of my personality?
The positive thing about this is that I hone these different styles, and I effortlessly, and comfortably switch from a soft, cute style, to a hard, tomboy in combat clothes.
Again, it all depends on my mood, the weather, where I am going, and what is on my agenda.
Keeping Clothing Items At a Minimum
Living in a small space such as the narrowboat that I live on, helps to keep the number of my clothes to a minimum. This has forced me to maintain a capsule closet, where all my clothing items complement each other, and colours and styles harmonize to make it easy for me to interchange and mix-match my garments.
Autumn/Winter clothes on the left; Jeans and Spring/Summer clothes on the right
But the question is; How do I pick a minimalist style and maintain my minimalist wardrobe to stay stylish and fresh?
Without feeling the need to purchase new items?
Simple Garments
I start by having a small collection of basic items, such as plain jeans, neutral coloured trousers, plain tee shirts, and plain sweaters.
Colours
I prefer vibrant colours over pastels, which I associate with my personality.
(vibrant = fiery, and feisty vs pastels = meek and gentle).
My colour scheme consists mainly of earthy, warm colours such as orange, yellow, greens, browns, khaki, black, grey, white, cream, and navy blue.
Monochrome vs Floral
I prefer monochrome, but I will make the exception and wear florals that are a mix of my favourite colours. However, I find I do so more in tropical countries.
Variety of colours, fabrics, designs
Generally, I go for light fabrics that can wash and dry easily.
I also tend not to have items of clothing that are two similar, but I will make exceptions. For instance, these two blood-orange dresses.
My logic behind the decision to keep two dresses that are the same length and colour is that the fabrics are completely different.
One is a lacy, stretchy fabric, which gives it a more casual look. The other is a delicate, silky, chiffon dress with some tasteful studs, which make it a little more versatile - I can dress it up or down.
Timeless Simple Pieces
A dressy tee shirt...
That looks great on.
For a smart casual occasion, like an evening at the pub; I can easily pair it with black denim and a nice pair of shoes, and I am good to go.
Easily hand-washed, its natural crinkled look makes it a good item for travel.
Keeping my minimalist wardrobe stylish and fresh, without feeling the need to purchase new items, comes easily when I follow these principles:
I tend to buy individual items of clothing.
- If there is a wide range of the same thing, chances are my eyes will pass over them.
Therefore, I am not a fan of high street fashion, I prefer vintage or individual boutique shops.
I take particular care of my clothes.
- I do a quick scan of my clothes each time I take them off.
- This scan will let me identify any small holes or damage that I can easily repair before they get any bigger. (The same approach to a dental check-up, where the dentist does an x-ray to see if there are any small holes in your teeth so that he can fill them to preserve the tooth). Do you get my point?
- I check for spills and stains.
- This gives me the chance to spot treat the area before washing garments.
For example, I have had this dress for 20 years. It never goes out of style. However, it has been in my storage and I noticed the little stains, so I will spot treat those stains before washing the dress in a mild detergent.
- I read labels carefully before doing laundry.
- I wash similar colour clothes together in a mild detergent, and dyed colours, I wash in salt, to prevent colour runs, which will ruin other clothes, especially lighter colours.
I also tend to stay away from items that require dry cleaning.
- I wash similar colour clothes together in a mild detergent, and dyed colours, I wash in salt, to prevent colour runs, which will ruin other clothes, especially lighter colours.
Sticking to these principles saves me from contributing to the overly "money-wasting" industry of fashion.
Do you think it's easier for men to stick to a minimalist wardrobe?
I invite you all to check out the post ideas for the week with some options on minimalist wardrobe choices for all sexes.
PS. Here's a link to one of my first posts with my camouflage looks.
All images are mine
Find The Minimalist Community Here on Hive
Hey @millycf1976 aaah this was such a pleasure to read!! You already had me with the first paragraph. I can just agree, you want to own little clothes but I could never settle for one stile (has always been like that). But also, as you mentioned as well by living in a small space you are reminded to keep things small and limited anyway, I guess that is even one of the reason for me why I appreciate smallish living spaces:)
Well that was so nice to read your perceptions on your minimalist wardrobe, and I am glad to have come across your post, also since I wanted to write something about minimal/sustainable fashion choices, but didnt quiet find the space within hive where to talk about it, so I am really happy to have found it:) Have a good time, cheers!
Hello @kesityu.fashion
Thanks for your nice message😊
I'm glad you liked my post:)
Yes, you can be a minimalist with a variety of styles; I think it's more important to keep things simple...and yes, I do prefer smaller spaces too:)
Please feel free to drop by the community at any time.
Have a lovely day:)
You are so gorgeous and cool, I like your minimalist style
Oh, thank you very much. You're so kind :)
You're looking gorgeous as always Cam. I really admired how organised you are with your stuffs 😍😍😍.
Thanks, Laica😊!
I have to, otherwise, I won't be able to find anything😆
Haha, right.😁
I can never find anything haha
🤣😆.
You look beautiful and elegant 😍, very tidy in organizing clothes with a combination of style and color. totally agree that style is very necessary to support performance and self-confidence for us as women.
Have A nice day @millycf1976🌸
Thank you so much 😊
Yes, I think looking good helps us to feel good about ourselves, and we need the self-confidence to survive the harsh realities of this world (especially as women)
Have a nice day too, @ettydiallova
Totalitas "agreed" @millycf1976.
Not only inner beauty, but also we need to combine our styles to confidence perfectly 🌷
Absolutely :)
You really do care so well from your clothes and i have learnt something i would adapt to for my clothes;reading label of clothes before washing, now I understand why mmy clothes don’t last most times and i i blame the manufacturers when it has been my mistake all along
Thanks for sharing this amazing piece with us
Hello @estherscott,
You are very welcome:)
I'm glad you found this useful😊
I love that pic of you beside the wall, with that fabulous tropical-print top and that awesome skirt! You could be a fashion model! 😍
😊 Thank you:)
I quite liked that photo too. It happened by chance, but it was a nice day in Cebu City, and I have it as a great memory.
Thanks for your compliments😊 @thekittygirl :)))
I like your sense of style and how you take good care of your clothes. I still wear some of the skirts and dresses and the red architectural sandals you have given me and I love them.
Thanks, Arni😍
Glad you still wear them... and I think the red shoes were perfect for you:)
very nice clothes
😊 Oh, thank you:)
I love those red dresses, such a terrific flash of colour!
Thank you so much:) I love the vibrancy of them too:)
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Fashion is essential for us women, I like to dress well, and as long as I like fashion and it goes with my style, I wear it. it is important to dress according to what suits us and we feel good.
I agree with you when you say that we dress according to the occasion and so we are out of tune.
greetings dear @millycf1976
Those are key too @wendyth16 💯%
Thank you for stopping by:)
Hmmm, gorgeous is the word! I will not say any more than this, I wanted to say much more though. And yes, I have nothing much to write on this topic because I don't think my worn out shirts and ripped jeans would fit in this category 👍. You're taking full advantage of your limited space.
😊 Thank you!
Yes, indeed! I leave no gap in my limited space.
If this week does not suit you, look out for the next set of topics on Saturday morning bright and early :)
You mean writing more than one is allowed in a week? If it's so, I will hide the ripped parts of my jeans, or put my trousers and dresses on the show :)
Yes, you can write on two different options in the same week. No problem!
You kind of have to be a minimalist with how much space you've got :)
I don't have many clothes myself, maybe too many hoodies, but only a few shirts and about 3 pairs of trousers that I actively wear. The rest are in storage somewhere. I should probably just give them away.
Yeah, you strike me as a minimalist somehow😁.
You'll feel better when you give those clothes away. Probably just makes notes of things you could use now, and when you go back to your storage, see if any of those items are there. If not, then might be better off not just having them sitting around:)
very attractive clothing models, do all the clothes have an expensive purchase value.
Thank you!
I am a thrifty shopper, so I purchase expensive/quality clothing from reduced outlet:)
Thank you so much @innerblocks and @thekittygirl :)