simplify your wardrobe
I love fashion. I love the fact that different seasons bring different looks and each look depends on who you are as a person. Some people wear lace and others sweats. Some wear nylon and others leather. There are so many different looks to create in the day and age that we live in.
From the start of my high school days until now, I have probably gone through a few thousand articles of clothing and accessories. I have evolved, experimented, and dabbled into different genres of fashion over the last decade. It all started when I was a young kid. I remember changing my outfit multiple times a day based on the mood I was in and what I was doing. An outfit for school, an outfit for homework, and an outfit for hanging out with my friends. I loved, and still love, the way clothes make me feel. It is a big part of the way that I express my creativity. I would go so far as to say that when I don’t have on the right outfit my mood is totally different. I find a lot of identity in being able to dress the way I feel. Some days I want high wasted mom jeans with a big baggy tee and some days I want a frilly dress and wedges. If I wear a look that doesn’t speak to the mood I’m in, I feel inauthentic and uncomfortable. It’s a hard feeling to describe so hopefully you understand where I’m coming from.
Over the last few years I have started to really enjoy the concepts of minimalism and simplicity. I watched documentaries, listened to podcasts, read books, applied the principles, and reflected on the way I felt with less. Especially over the last two years my interest in owning less has increased tremendously. I own more stuff than any of the people who are pillars in the movement, but I own far less than what I did before starting this journey. I have also been able to help other people let go of the weight of their stuff. Stuff doesn’t just have physical weight. It weighs on you mentally and emotionally and sometimes can even have spiritual ties. As I’ve loosened my grip on material possessions I have been able to help others do the same. In fact, a wardrobe is the greatest place you can learn how to let go of stuff and embrace simplicity.
And that’s where simplicity and your wardrobe come into play. I have not counted the amount of items I own, but I would say I own less than 100 items, including the extras like shoes, accessories, coats, and purses. My personal challenge to myself and to you is to not buy anything new for the rest of the year. I just purged my closet and got rid of two trash bags full of clothing and shoes and bags because I wasn’t utilizing them enough to keep them around. I’m sure you have pieces like that too. Maybe you’ve worn a pair of shoes a few times but always skip over them when it comes time to pick your shoes. Or maybe its that top you spent a lot of money on but you don’t like the way it looks on you. Whatever the excuse is, if you’re not actively using it, sell it, donate it, or regift it.
The reason I don’t keep things “just in case” I want to wear them in the future is because it creates a guilt in me every time I decide not to use it. And that guilt weighs on me and makes me feel irresponsible with my money, my time, and my creativity. It’s like that jacket is rolling its eyes at me every time I go for another choice. I feel the guilt and the waste each time I open up my closet and see things that I don’t use. So for me, frequent decluttering is essential. And I also feel that it clouds the judgement for you to be able to see who you really are. After I sold and donated my trash bags of clothes, I realized that most of the shirts I own are black and white. Before that, my wardrobe was full of other colors. By decluttering my closet I could see that my style is more simplistic in color. When you let go of your stuff you will see patterns emerge that will point you to who you are.
Outside of this blog post being about the reasons you should declutter, it is also about something else. I am an avid thrifter and shopper. Even if I don’t buy anything, I just love going and looking at what is available. It’s like a personal scavenger hunt for hidden treasures every time I enter a store. And because I change up my style so frequently, I love the prices of thrift stores because I can get a whole new look for like $15. But this habit I’ve created of always looking for more has caused me to be dissatisfied with my current wardrobe. On my search for the perfect maxi dress I have stopped appreciating the other dress choices I own. As I buy another purse, I start to use the other ones less. I’m all for creativity and adding to the collection that is a person’s wardrobe, but I am also saying that it trains our brains to not be satisfied.
So, what do we do to retrain our brains for satisfaction and minimalism? We stop buying. Whaaaaat?! There has to be another way. Can’t I just buy a new shirt and then donate an old one? Well yes, I do that all the time. But that doesn’t help with the aspect of satisfaction that we are trying to instill in both you and I’s brains. The only way to enjoy what you have is to stop adding more. In fact, the more you have to choose from, the more dissatisfied you are. That’s actually a scientific fact that was written about in an article by Brain World. If you had ten different flavors of ice cream to choose from or just two, your brain would be more satisfied between just the two choices over the ten. Why is that? Well, scientists say that when you have more options, you start to feel regret or curiosity about the options you didn’t pick. So, when we have no new clothing coming into our wardrobe, we have less options to pick from, and therefore more satisfaction in whatever we do pick.
I started this challenge October 1, 2020 and will continue to do it until January 1, 2021. I am very, very nervous about how this is going to go. I looooove shopping for new clothes. It excites me, brings out my creativity, and inspires me. But, I feel there are so many lessons to learn in denying myself, realizing that I am more than the clothes I wear, and having more time to do other things because I’m not focused on going out and buying new things. I hope you are inspired as well to stop shopping and to donate/sell some of the stuff you currently have. We are so much more than the clothes we wear. Courtney Carver cleverly said, “My clothes are the least interesting thing about me” and that has stuck with me ever since I heard her say it. I want there to come a point in time when I can thoroughly enjoy what I am wearing while also being 100% satisfied with the rest of what I own. I no longer want thoughts of, “My wardrobe would be complete if I just had this ________ in it” or “I love this ______ but wish I could have this one too” or the array of other complaints I say in my head or to others. I want everything in my wardrobe to be enjoyed and utilized by me and I want my wardrobe to be the least interesting thing about me (but hopefully it’ll still be very interesting).
