Minimalist Clothes

Before you get too excited, no, I am not a minimalist and yes, I have too many clothes.  I have in the past pared WAY down and even done a two season capsule, but somehow it tends to get away from me and once again I will find myself with too many things, half of which are not my favorites.

I do sway towards wanting to be a minimalist.  No, not the "get rid of everything you own and sit on the floor," but more the "surround yourself with only the things you love and use."

Shop purposeful.
  
Live purposeful. 

This latest move has shown me once again that random stuff is not what I want in my life.  When you have to pack and unpack everything you own every several years it makes you reconsider what is truly important to you.  This move has been no different, and I have been so thankful that 34 Weeks of Clean is not just something I write about, but something we live!

Honestly, if I went around with a bag and tried to gather up things I could throw out and not miss, the list would be small.

Except for clothes.  Yes, I may have fewer than many people, but I still have more than I need.

My issue is what to do about that.  I like to shop, so the first step is to stop shopping for a while.  In stores or online.  This means staying OUT of stores and OFF online clothing sites.  YOU may have more will power than I do, but sister, those places are bad news for me.

The other ideas I am still processing through look like this-

• #20in2020dressing- Committing to buying only 20 clothing items in the year.  No judgement- from your side or mine.  This was recommended to me by some friends who are doing it and the idea is intriguing.  I am working through this idea.  You can see her plan at her blog!

• Only buying second hand.  This is actually more of a challenge for me.  Full disclosure- I love Stitch Fix. I love shiny stores.  I already told you I love clothes!  But places like Poshmark and Thred Up (referral link!) sell things at a fraction of the cost and often in perfect condition or even tags on.  Since I know what sizes I wear in the brands I like, it will be easy for me to search for exactly what I need.  Notice the word need!

• Back to basics!  I love the idea of a capsule wardrobe and have written about them in the past and I love the many pictures I see of them.  They speak to the organizational side of me.  Lately I have been following some friends in a group called Polished Plaid Fashion Challenge that helps you create a capsule and then use it to get dressed for about a month.  It works for me, takes the guess work out of my "what to wear" problem, and makes my mornings pretty thought free.  (Not to mention I LOVE the community these gals have created! Seriously, want to make some new friends and be encouraged and cheered on, join this group!  They will begin a new challenge in March.)  Since we are now living in a 4 season climate what I would like to do is create a 4 season capsules that I can rotate through. 

• Project 333- This is where capsules rubber meets the road.  While I am not stuck on the magic number of living with 33 items (in total or in each season's capsule!) the principles she uses are solid and I am hoping to learn from those principles, taking what works, and tweaking what doesn't.  I am not an all neutral girl, but I do own a few too many floral tops.  Just saying! 

So yep, as I am unpacking this week, these are just a few of the MANY things running through my head.  Once I land on a plan, I will be sure to update you!  In the meantime, I would LOVE to hear how you manage your clothes.  Really!  Leave me a note.

Blessings,