When Less is More: Part 1
“I have nothing to wear”.
“I have nothing I want to wear”.
“I already wore that. I can’t wear it again”.
“I like it but…I have nothing to wear that with”.
If any of the statements above resonate with you, you are not alone. Many of us are guilty of peering into our closets, filled to the brim with clothes, and thinking something similar to the statements above. We go through so many stages in our lives, and our closets are often reflective of that. I do not necessarily mean that our closets reflect our current place in life, but rather, we tend to hold onto things we no longer use for a wide variety of reasons. Some may find it difficult to part with something that they paid a substantial amount of money for, even if they have yet to wear it after years of having it. Others may place sentimental value on clothes. Still others may think to themselves, ‘what ifs’ such as, ‘what if I need it again’ or maybe I should keep it ‘just in case’. I for one, am guilty of ALL THE ABOVE.
If I were to dive into all the personal style ‘phases’ over the years this article would never end, so for the time, I will stick to the two ‘big’ phases I have found in my personal style during my adult life. It is also worth noting, I did a lot of bouncing back and forth between the following two styles…even just day-to-day. They can be summarized as: 1) a ‘boho-esque’ phase (primarily driven by an obsession with Free People and Anthropologie) and 2) a ‘preppy’ phase during which I accumulated a vast array of Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, and Lilly Pulitzer.
It was not until fairly recently, just at the beginning of 2022 that I started to shift my perspective not just on my style, but my life as a whole. I began learning about, and embracing the concept of decluttering, and living a more intentional life. I hesitate to use the word ‘minimal’ or ‘minimalist’ because my home, and life in general are a far cry from what traditional ‘minimalism’ is nor am I trying to emulate that. HOWEVER, my journey towards incorporating certain ‘minimalist’ concepts has progressed in various aspects of my life.
I like to frame it like a simple equation: Less ‘stuff’ = less time spent cleaning. Less time spent cleaning = more time available for other activities. Therefore, by owning less, I am able to free up more time for my daughter.
Similarly, I could say: Less ‘stuff’ = less time spent cleaning. Less time spent cleaning = less stress. Less stress: happier Mommy. Therefore, by owning less, I am able to be a better, more patient mother for my daughter.
Reverting back to our main focus: the clothes we own, I realized that more items in my closet does not reallyyyy actually mean more options. I realized that I had many tops that only worked with one bottom or vice versa. Similarly, statement shoes that did not even go with anything I already owned. I accumulated items I ‘liked’ with no sense of purpose or guidance to my choices. What good were the items I owned if I did not actually ever wear them?
Over the past seven-or-so months I have gradually ‘edited’ my wardrobe both by 1) selling or donating gently used items that I did not use, and 2) being conscious of what new items I was bringing into my home (in this case specifically, my closet). I have become better at not ‘impulse buying’; however, when I slip up and do make an impulse-buy, I return it. I remind myself that sometimes less is more. I have curated my wardrobe so that the majority of items I own, can be paired with everything else I have. The one notable exception: statement pieces. For example, I have a pair of bright blue Schutz block heel sandals that are absolutely fabulous and I love them. Here is the thing though, because my wardrobe now is 95% neutral colors, I can easily curate outfits that complement the shoes. At last my statement pieces actually get the attention they deserve.
By no means am I saying you should immediately go through your closet and question every purchase you have ever made. I can say from experience, attempting to closet edit all in one go is inefficient, ineffective, and just mentally draining. If you are happy with the items you own and how they work with your life that is great and I commend you. If however, you find yourself wondering what you might find in your closet if you really look through it… I get it. I have been there. I am still there and it will always be a process. There are items that I recently allowed myself to let go of…items that earlier this year I would have fought tooth-and-nail to keep. Sometimes we realize that what we think we will wear, is not what we actually wear.
Ponder this: what items might you currently have that have seen better days, but that you cannot seem to let go of? Conversely, can you think of any items you bought at a similar time, that are barely worn at all? When looking at my clothing and accessories in that manner I soon came to realize that what I perceived to be “my style” did not line up with what I actually consistently wore.
Consider the following questions when you look through your things:
- Have I worn it in the past three months? Six months? Year?
- Is it a special occasion piece that would therefore be used less often?
- Does it fit me?
- Do I like how it looks on me?
- Is it comfortable?
- How do I feel when I wear it?
Similarly, when you have determined items that you have not used for whatever you consider ‘a while’, ask yourself:
- Why have I not worn it (recently)?
- Is it missing a button? If so, why have I not fixed it?
- Does it need to be tailored? If so, will I realistically go get it tailored?
- Is there a tear or hole that needs repaired? If so, will I realistically mend it soon?
- Is there a specific reason I have held on to it? Or, a reason why I am hesitant to let it go?
This is the first article of a 3-part series ‘When Less is More’. In the articles following, I will be discussing reflecting on your personal style (The Style Edit), and building a wardrobe that allows you to be confident no matter what you wear, and that minimizes the ‘decision fatigue’ that often accompanies an overwhelming wardrobe (Curating YOUR Capsule Wardrobe). Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter on the home page to be notified when the rest of the series is live on the website. Thanks for the support!