The Background:
I probably have quadruple what I am listing as my potential “Minimalist Wardrobe”, because I love variety too much.
And this is after cutting back my wardrobe by 50% in 2007/2008!!
So just imagine what I had in there before that I didn’t use, want or need.
Still if I had to only bring 30 pieces, this is what I’d imagine would be the barest of bare minimum for me.
The List of 30 items of my (hypothetical) Super Bare Minimum of Essentials Wardrobe
- 2 pairs of Trouser Jeans or work pants
- 2 pairs of jeans
- 1 Casual Blazer
- 3 Work Sweaters
- 1 Ultimate Soft Cushy Sweater
- 2 Camisoles/Tank Tops
- 3 Work Tops
- 2 T-shirts
- 2 sets of Sweatpants or Leggings — only to wear at home!
- 1 suit with a matching skirt and pant option
- 2 Skirts
- 2 Casual-ish Dresses
- 1 Formal Dress
- 1 Light Jacket
- 1 Winter Jacket
- 1 Leather Jacket
- 1 “Other” Item — Anything I choose!
Still, if I was an ultimate, hardcore minimalist, it might look something like this:
THE 15-ITEM SUPER LIGHT & MINIMALIST WARDROBE
- 2 pairs of pants
- 1 pair of jeans
- 1 sweater — can double as a light jacket
- 2 work tops
- 2 casual t-shirts (one needed for laundry day)
- 1 skirt
- 1 dress
- 1 formal dress
- 2 pairs of sweatpants or leggings (one needed for laundry day)
- 1 winter jacket
No suit, or leather jacket included.
I don’t wear suits to work… so I’m safe there, and even if I did, Maybe I could get away with it by switching into a dress, and using one of the pants, skirts and sweater options as a blazer.
No. This is definitely going too far! 🙂
This was originally posted on The Everyday Minimalist.
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Thanks! Looks like a useable template!
How awesome would it be to have ample breathing room in your closet? I have a friend who has fantastic style and I am always surprised because she has 1/3 of the amount of clothes I have. I am no longer buying and slowly getting rid of more and more I realize I don’t need/wear. I don’t feel the need to be a minimalist with clothes but having a full closet and dresser is a bit much.
I would have nothing but a wardrobe full of dresses & lounge pants if I lived in a climate where I could get away with that.
Me too. Dresses galore.. but I also enjoy light jackets so it’s hard to
choose 🙂
IMO clothes are worth buying. Clothes tend to last longer if you don’t wear the same things over and over. I suggest that people buy a comfortable number of clothes that they can change up so that their clothing won’t wear out fast.
I’ve tried having 10 shirts and five pants and it didn’t work out for me. My shirts and pants wore out and faded pretty fast, and I had to buy new clothes again. People tend to judge us by our appearance especially by our clothes.
Your appearance is really important in the workplace, even if your workplace is business casual, the people at work who seem to get the more respect are the ones who wear the nice clothes. I’m not saying that people have to spend their way into debt, but I do think minimalism and clothes don’t go together. I also try to buy my clothes at Macy’s and other department stores because they last longer.
I think minimalism and clothes DO go together. You can buy good quality clothes (what you’re saying), but less of them (minimalism).
Yeahhhhh no. Hahahaha. 15 pieces goes way too far!. I’ve always rotated my wardrobe so it’s never too cluttered. I think I hover around 40? I’m curious now to do the math, I’ve never actually checked. I do find it impossible to go minimalist with underwear and shoes though. Especially in this climate, snowboots are a must, then you’ve got summer flip-flops, business shoes… sneakers to workout in (because you cant wear outside shoes in the gym) then casual shoes… and I like to keep a cute set of heels on hand for a night out..etc. etc.
I saw the 15 pieces and surrendered.
I am also noticing I love dresses. A lot of dresses.. I have about 30 of them right now but I don’t want to get rid of ANY!
Oh man! I am inspired. I have parred down my wardrobe significantly since I graduated college 2 years ago. I wonder if I could start a little minimalist wardrobe challenge with my girlfriends… Thanks for the great post! 🙂
When I really think about it, I probably only wear about 30 items on a regular basis. When I find something I love I wear it all the time. I really need to get rid of stuff, though.
I probably couldnt live without a cardigan….thats all 😛
If I lived in a warmer climate, I could get rid of a lot of winter-y stuff..
I like your choices 🙂 any reason for what spurred on this post and sussing out your 30 potential choices?
I have to say though, I sometimes feel like minimalising clothing down to the barest of bare can only be an option/lifestyle choice for certain people. I’ve genuinely purged as much as I can, but I still feel I have a large amount of clothing. Why? Because it can go from stinking hot to freezing cold and my body doesn’t adapt well. Because sometimes I do messy work that requires old scrappy clothing. Because its not economical to wash clothes too frequently and I’d need enough to get me through till the next wash (I do hand wash, but it can be difficult due to health. I’d imagine it’s tiring for most people too and/or they simply can’t be bothered). Because being an active sports person such as BF or even a moderately active person such as me, combined with not washing every single day, means its necessary to have several sets of clothes. And simply because I wouldn’t want to be doing laundry all the damn time.
Having recently having worked in a hospital environment, it’s not an (advised) option to re-wear clothes due to being exposed to germs all day long. Which means a fresh set of clothing each day. Even though I was incorporating my everyday clothes and re-wearing certain pieces, I was still seriously under-resourced in the clothing department.
When I see posts like these, I feel so inspired to purge down to two t-shirts and two pants as well. Then I look in my wardrobe and even in considering my simple student lifestyle, it doesn’t seem viable. What do you think about that aspect of minimalising clothing?
No reason for what I wanted to wear.. I was just going through my wardrobe and wondering how many pieces I really needed.
Oh good point about the hospital environment.
I think for guys, it’s viable. 2 shirts, 2 pants, 3 socks, out the door.
But for women, some of us love dresses and skirts, we accessorize, and we want variety in items… this is where I can’t get rid of any of my 30 dresses.
My personal goal is 30 pieces in each category, as a MAX. Even 30 is a bit much, I think, but it fits my dress count 😉
I can work with very few pants, but I find I need to have shirt options so I don’t start complaining about how boring my wardrobe is. I tend to only buy “work shirts”, because when they start losing shape or not looking as good (or have a giant grease / sauce splatter from when I forget to put the apron on), work shirts get relegated to casual around the house/weekend wear. If I am at the point where I am really tired of something, I will just donate it.
I would say I have around7 work shirts, and 5 or 6 boring tshirts that I only wear to work when I don’t have clean clothes. I do have multiple undershirts and tank tops as well – those can be worn when a light cardigan is added, but it is far too hot right now for that! I still dislike my wardrobe, and once I am down to the neurologist’s goal weight, I fully intend to completely revamp it, though I am a little scared to set aside the money for that.
Pants are where I lack too. I have 3 pairs for work (2 are identical :P) … and the tops are where the variety busts out, as well as accessories.