A Minimal Wardrobe

When it comes to a functioning wardrobe for men, I am an advocate of taking what I consider a minimalist approach. By this, I mean the idea stocking one's closet with quality clothing relevant to their lifestyle and reducing excess. However, as this is still a somewhat vague definition, I hope to use this post to further explain.

But, to clear the waters as to what this minimalist approach is not, it is not owning as few items as humanly possible. While that's one interpretation, it is most certainly not this one, and this should be further demonstrated later on.

Each person's situation is unique, and this includes their lifestyle. And, while there are a significant number of influencing factors in regards to this, those that strike me as the most relevant to clothing are one's professional and social activities. Now, as each person's professional and social life is unique to them, while there are general items that can be incorporated into most wardrobes, it is impossible to give one general formula for what every man's complete wardrobe should look like.

I will likely elaborate on the different facets of this in future posts, but this is a brief summary of the process I favor. To start, you evaluate your current situation, identify the sort of image you wish to present of yourself, and proceed to work towards that goal. As you improve your image, you'll get a better understanding of what items suit the image you're looking for, and you optimize your wardrobe further. You'll find that you gravitate towards certain articles of clothing more than others, and there will be items that you'll realize you never or rarely use. When this happens, purge your closet of the things you find unnecessary. If your circumstances change, such as moving to a new city or changing jobs, simply adjust accordingly, rinse, and repeat. This is a cycle, and as it goes on, you'll find that your closet will naturally adjust more and more to contain clothing that you enjoy wearing, and the excess will diminish. This is what I mean by minimalism.

Now, should you try this, there are a few tips I offer that I learned, sometimes the hard way, listed below.

 

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1. At first, buy cheap. If your experience is anything like mine was, you'll find a lot of items that you think will work well or look good, but the longer you have them, you'll find more and more you dislike wearing it or tend not to reach for it. If you buy higher-quality items to begin with, when it's time to purge, you'll have a much harder time getting rid of items that you barely did and probably won't use.

2. Buy clothes that fit, or that you can have tailored. Fit is the most important aspect of how any article of clothing looks. Regardless of it's price, regardless of the fabric used, regardless of who made it, if it fits poorly, it will not look good.

3. When you are comfortable with the type of clothing that suits your goals, buy quality, especially over quantity. Quality items will tend to last you longer, thus saving you money, and you'll enjoy wearing them more.

4. Buy what's within your price range, but buy value. I am a big supporter of finding higher-quality items for as inexpensive a price as I can find, and even then I'm picky about how much I'm willing to spend. Learn brands that make quality items, or that you personally prefer, and then keep an eye out for them in thrift stores or on eBay. There's a certain point when the price of an item well exceeds being reasonable.

Any tips you have of your own, or anything you personally disagree with? Comment below!