Mar 18, 2017

Minimalist Wardrobe List: A 36 Piece Wardrobe

Minimalist Wardrobe List: A 36 Piece Wardrobe_Free Printable checklist
"You have HOW MANY pieces in your wardrobe!!!!?", my friend asked me one time when I told her I had a 36 piece wardrobe.  I laughed.  This is a friend that I would not consider high maintenance.  I would dare say that I am more high maintenance than her!  

She was floored that I would only have 36 articles of clothing in my closet at all times.  That is when I realized that I need to share this.  I needed to show others that it is achievable.  Not just that, it is actually quite freeing.  

I want to share with you my story of what I like to call a Minimalist Wardrobe List: A 36 Piece Wardrobe.  It is something I have been perfecting for over a year and I think I have it down to the essentials that are needed in every closet.  I want to tell you the start of this story first and then give you some general ideas.

Minimalist Wardrobe List: A 36 Piece Wardrobe_Free Printable checklist

The Back Story

For way too long I had held on to articles of clothing that I really didn't like.  I would hold on to them for various reasons: the color, the style, the memories I had made while wearing it, etc. etc.  The problem was that I didn't love them anymore.  I would either have to force myself to wear these items or I would never wear them.  I knew this was a problem, but really didn't think anything of it.  

One day I was watching a local TV program and there was a segment about a 25 piece wardrobe.  I immediately was drawn to it.  I was very intrigued.  It was almost instantaneous that I thought, "I want to try this.  I want to see if this could actually work."  This was the start of my "Minimalist Wardrobe List: A 36 Piece Wardrobe Journey" as I like to call it. 

There was one problem I saw immediately and that was that they only had 7 shirts in the whole wardrobe.  I felt this was a bit extreme to me.  I understood that you can style one shirt so many ways, but I felt like I would have failed immediately if I would have tried to do just 7 shirts. 

So I doubled that immediately.  I did 14 shirts.  That way I was only going to be wearing each shirt twice a month.  Way more manageable than 4 times a month.  At least for me. 

That was the start of my journey.  It didn't happen overnight, but I did get it down to 36 pieces pretty fast.  I kind of felt like if I didn't do it quickly then I wouldn't actually change.  Kind of like Marie Kondo says in her book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up".  It needed to be fast enough so that there wasn't a relapse.  
Minimalist Wardrobe List: A 36 Piece Wardrobe_Free Printable checklist
General Ideas

The main reason I wanted to share this is because I feel like this wardrobe is perfect for anyone who doesn't have a lot of space for clothes, but wants to have some direction on what they pick for their wardrobe.  

It also works really well for those people who hate clutter and messes.  Maybe people who get easily overwhelmed.  That is more where I fit in.  I really didn't realize how much my closet was affecting me, until I got rid of more than half my closet.  I sadly can't say that it took all my anxiety and overwhelming thoughts away, but I will say that it has helped immensely. 

One other thought, this DOES NOT include workout clothes or shoes.  It doesn't include pajamas,  It doesn't include leisure wear at all.  By that I mean anything that you would wear at home, but never, or rarely, in public.  I like to wear those things when I know we won't be going anywhere that day.  Don't get me wrong I still want to look cute and put together, but I don't really want to "waste" wearing one of my 36 pieces just to be around the house.  I like to buy really cute leisure wear so I still feel put together at home. 

This also doesn't include socks, underwear, beach essentials, skiing essentials, or accessories (hats, purses, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, or rings).  It does, however, include shoes, jackets/coats, pants/shorts, shirts, and dresses/skirts.  

The Basics

I am going to share a checklist with you.  That way you can print it off and have it for reference.  These are just the basics that will be on the checklist.  

Over the next year I will be sharing what articles I have for each of the items.  I will also be sharing my "go-to" places to get these items and different ones that I currently love.  I have a general idea of what order I want to go in, but PLEASE feel free to email me at support@shambray.com if you have a request on what you want me to cover next.  

Minimalist Wardrobe List: A 36 Piece Wardrobe

I would love to here your thoughts on this.  Are you willing to give it a shot?  


Check out the posts in this blog series:

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4 comments:

Christine said...

What a great idea! I'd love to see how to do this. It sounds really practical and strategic- and less messy!

Unknown said...

I still think your crazy! But I still love you!

AdriansCrazyLife said...

I think this is a brilliant idea! I think it would make things so much easier to have a much smaller selection of clothes to choose from in the morning. I'll bet I'm at 200 pieces in my closet and I could probably go more than three months without wearing the same outfit twice. You're right, that can get overwhelming. But it would take me weeks to get through the selection process and narrow it down. But maybe I could eliminate a box or two of clothes and at least be down to a little bit less clutter. I use a slightly different method - I take all the similar items - like t-shirts. Then I number everything from 1 to 10 based on least to most favorite. Then I set a cutoff point at like 3 and everything below that point - out it goes!

Anonymous said...

Such a great idea! I keep a pretty sparse wardrobe as well and just the other day I was looking at some items I no longer wear which would take me down an additional 10-12 pieces! I'm thinking a mini-shopping spree is in order :-)

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