I started trying to simplify my life at the beginning of the year by buying/consuming less clothes. Here’s some of the things that I realize.
New clothes are great. Have you ever purchased these amazing pieces of clothing that were so nice, you change into them in the parking lot? Yeah I do. But I also remember wearing them 2 months later and that excitement of wearing it the first time has all but dissapeared. Thus the cycle begins again, I go out and buy more clothes to recapture that excitement.
What I noticed:
I never really liked the new clothes I bought, I liked the feeling of getting new clothes. Its like the same feeling of getting presents on Christmas Day. After 1 or 2 months have passed by, 90% of the time I would ask myself why I even bought it because it looked atrocious. So what did I do? I went back to wearing that FAVORITE t-shirt! You know the one that is 2 years old that fits great, shows off the muscles/curves, makes you feel like Captain America/Wonder Woman every time?
This led me to rethink my outfits.
My goals for a new wardrobe included:
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something sustainable to help end the cycle of going out and buying new crap
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being able to grab a shirt + pants and/or jacket out of the closet and still be color-cordinated.
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I wanted clothes I can wear all year long without feeling tired of them and still feel amazing in.
Solutions:
First off, get over the fact that nobody notices what I was wearing on a daily basis. So say I wear white shirt and black pants today, if I wear it tomorrow, chances are nobody is going notice or care. Because often, people are more worried about how they look than about how I look. I got this perspective from an awesome youtuber who is big on the minimalist movement.
Think ahead! If I’m thinking of purchasing something no matter how small or big, I ask myself, if I buy this, will I need to buy something that matches this in the future? If the answer is yes, then I REALLY RETHINK BUYING IT, because that $10 clothing may be the catalyst to spending that $100 to find stuff that matches. It reintroduces me back into the cycle of buying more crap. Examples below
Example 1 - “I want some tan shoes, and tan shoes only go well with blue jeans, I only have 1 pair of blue jeans, I’ll buy more blue jeans so I can wear my tan shoes more”. Those tan shoes that cost $40, now actually cost me $100 depending on how pricey jeans are.
Example 2 - “I like these dress shoes, but I don’t have any dressy clothes to wear with it, I should buy some more dress clothes.” This $50+ purchase may have planted an idea in my head. Its like that movie Inception, ideas grow and and nag. Then before you know it, I am going to spend $100+ for that blazer to go with the new slacks that I bought to go with these new shoes, oh and remember the belt should always match the shoes, so I also buy a belt that matches. Then to top it off, all these people on social media is wearing these fancy designer socks to go with their dress shoes because the “small details” matter. So I buy the designer socks, only to realize that small details also include a watch and a bracelet etc; This can go on and on.. So I tend to stop it at the source and really think about what I buy.
Reduce the color palette of my outfits to just neutral & dark colors (white, black, grey, dark blue). I can grab anything out of my closet and know I look good in them. I did this by condensing my closet to a pair of black and blue jeans (colors that match with any shirt). I also bought t-shirts I knew that fit me amazingly well (old navy shirts, black/white/grey/dark blue match with any pair of jeans I wear).
Find clothing that can easily recycle into other outfits. Example: cardigan, I can put a cardigan on and change the whole look of my outfit. Being color conscious, I tend to gravitate to cardigan colors that easily match with any any t-shirt + jean I put on. This can go for any jacket as well!
What my closet looks like:
Basic essentials:
2 Jeans (1 black, 1 blue)
5 t-shirts that fits me great (black, white, grey shirts from old navy)
2 going out dress shirt (date nights)
1 navy blue suit + 1 black dress shoes for interviews/weddings (mostly job interviews)
Summer specific:
1 or 2 cardigan (you can get away w 1)
Winter:
1 bomber jacket
1 black hoody
1 pea coat
1 plaid Flannel shirt
Other:
2 pairs of white shoes (hm white shoes, both are exactly the same)
Boxers and socks are a given.
Random stuff I rarely ever wear anymore. Leftover clothes from my previous life before trying to live simply.
How I wear them:
White shoes all day, every day. Goes with everything!!!
21 Summer Outfits
14 summer outfits - Alternate shirts with either black or blue jeans. 7 outfits - feeling fancy? Drape a cardigan over and the whole outfit changes
21 winter outfits -
2 outfits - Alternate black hoodie under the jean/bomber jacket (I personally love this look and wear it at least 4 times a week) 16 outfits - any shirt + jeans + peacoat 3 outfits - any dress shirt or the flannel shirt + blue jeans + jean jacket
In summary:
I may not be the most stylish compared to those who are always buying stuff to keep up with the trend, but I have received a lot of compliments on my style. At the end of the day, the outfits and mindset above helped me reduce my spending on clothing and mean more to me than what others think. The arrangement has made me more happy. It has helped simplify my life while offering insights into my spending habits that spills into other portions of life.
This subreddit has always helped me in times when life became hectic and stressful. I revisit this subreddit often because it gives me hope that there are others out there who strive for another type of life, one that is less stressful, one that seeks to define other avenues of happiness. I thought i could give back a little, I hope this helps someone. Thank you.
TLDR:
I never really liked the new clothes I bought, I liked the feeling of getting new clothes. Adjust mindset that nobody notices what I wear so I wear it as much as I want. Stopped buying clothes that can't be recycled into other outfits. Stopped buying clothes that may be the catalyst to buying more clothes.
Submitted December 31, 2018 at 08:48PM by iwuvpuppies http://bit.ly/2VkqY7s
