From a Semi-Maximalist: A Few Keys on How to Have a Minimalist Wardrobe

When the lockdown began several months ago, I noticed that shopping, soon-after, felt a lot less appealing to me. While I still maintained habits of scrolling through Pinterest, and followed along as bloggers featured work-from-home outfits, I hardly thought about buying clothes. When I did feel like shopping, I would look at a website and find something I liked, but I felt detached from the process — mainly because buying new clothes without knowing when I’d have places or plans to wear them, rendered the process a lot less thrilling.

In feeling this shift in my experience, I took note of it, but I wasn’t really bothered by it. In fact, over time, I grew more content to enjoy fashion inspiration through Pinterest and blogs, without the pull to purchase anything new. I started to realize that as much as I enjoyed shopping, I wasn’t missing the actual act of purchasing something new as much as I thought I might.  

In this time of slowing down and picking from the same wardrobe every day, I have found a new confidence to recreate my relationship with shopping. With curiosity and patience, I am re-envisioning this part of my life, with a minimalism that both supports my vision for a wardrobe that suits me, and as a further commitment to my years of moving my consumption away from the fast-fashion industry.  

I am by no means an expert on minimalism or sustainable shopping, but here are a few keys I’ve learned throughout my own journey on how to have a minimalist wardrobe.

Learn and Know Yourself:

I’ll start here, because I think it’s the most important key I can offer. It is essential to take time to learn more of who you are and what styles you love in order to be able to curate a wardrobe that is limited to pieces that feel authentically you. Spend time learning what styles continually inspire you, standing the test of time and trends. This process allows you to have more confidence that you can make a timeless purchase, rather than a trendy one that may quickly lose its sheen. For me, learning my style and how to have a minimalist wardrobe looks like spending time on Pinterest and seeing the common styles threaded through years of my evolving fashion boards. 

Let Yourself Evolve, but Avoid Impulse-Buys:

Rather than creating a rigid wardrobe that doesn’t allow for you to embrace new styles, give space for your tastes to change… but if you are finding yourself drawn to a new style and wanting to quickly make a purchase, it might help to sit with that idea for a while. In my experience, when I feel immediately drawn to a new trend, often the feeling passes just as quickly as it came. However, there are times when a new trend or style does feel authentic to me and my evolving style and I choose to make a purchase. I’m learning that those purchases will be all the better after I’ve given myself enough time to make an informed decision.

Curating a Wardrobe Takes Time:

Curating a wardrobe that you love, while embracing minimalism and sustainability, will likely take a good bit of time to settle into. It might mean waiting for a piece you love from a sustainable brand to go on sale, or saving up for a while to get that piece you’ve been eyeing. It may mean combing through the thrift store racks for months until you find the right pair of vintage jeans or spending hours searching online for the right summer dress. I feel that time is one of the best investments you can make in the process of learning how to have a minimalist wardrobe.

When Thrifting or Sourcing Second-Hand, Less is Still More:

Shopping second-hand is a really great option for those who are looking for immediate and affordable ways to change their shopping habits. However, it can be easy with the low prices and the novelty of each item, to purchase more than just the things you love. I know for me, it can feel exciting to come home with great new pieces, but if I wasn’t 100% in love with those items at the thrift store, I likely won’t love them for very long once they’re home with me.

I find that shopping online through DePop or Poshmark can be helpful in that it offers time to think about purchases longer than I would have in a thrift store. Remember to give yourself time to pare down what you find second-hand, and just as if their prices were much more expensive, only purchase what you could see yourself loving for a long time in the future.

It’s All a Process, No Need to Expect Perfection:

We are all learning, trying to do it all perfectly right isn’t the point. I don’t know when or if I will eventually pare down my wardrobe to a true capsule wardrobe. I expect in some seasons of life I will purchase more than others and not everything I purchase will stand the test of time as much as I hope it will. While I will aim to stay committed to the process of minimalism and sustainable shopping, I know it won’t be perfect and I’m okay with that. The goal isn’t perfection, the goal for me, is moving towards a relationship with shopping that feels authentic to me and my values of sustainability.

How has your relationship with clothes changed during the pandemic? If you too are feeling a pull to embrace minimalism in your shopping habits, have these keys on how to have a minimalist wardrobe been helpful for you? I’d love to hear.