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Most of us have overstuffed closets. We hold onto clothes that don’t fit in the hopes that they someday will. Clothes that once suited our lives but have no place in them now. Clothes with emotional weight that drag us down in ways that we might not even realize.
For the past few years, the idea of a minimalist or capsule wardrobe has gained traction. The idea is that you pare down your stash of clothing to a small yet flexible collection of curated pieces. These wardrobes emphasize quality and versatility. Proponents of the lifestyle claim that cutting down on clothing has actually made their lives much better than they expected.
When you have fewer pieces of clothing to deal with, it makes getting dressed so much easier. Your personal uniform, whatever it might be, can be put together in just a few minutes.
You don’t need to hunt through multiple drawers or flip through a closet packed with hangers to find something that piques your interest.
You won’t be spending as much money on clothes, especially not the kind of unplanned splurges that happen when you find a sale. The money you previously spent on fast, disposable fashion can go to something more meaningful–or straight into a savings account.
What if every piece of clothing in your wardrobe looked good on you? What if it was all comfortable and tailored to your needs? What a joy it would be to select an outfit knowing that it would fit properly and flatter your figure.
If you’ve ever held onto clothing that did not fit, then you know the psychic burden of seeing those beautiful clothes. Some people keep clothes to motivate them to lose weight. More often than not, however, they merely serve as a reminder that your body isn’t the right size or shape.
Although you will probably wash each item of clothing more often, since you have fewer of them overall, you’ll spend less time doing laundry. We all know that the worst, most time-consuming part of laundry is putting the clean clothes away. A minimalist wardrobe makes that task significantly easier.
If it’s important to you, a smaller wardrobe filled with quality pieces instead of fast fashion is also good for the environment. The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world, both during the production process and afterward when the cheap clothing ends up in landfills.
Many people who adopt a minimalist lifestyle describe a feeling of calm and peace that they gain by giving up excess possessions. While your mileage may vary, it’s certainly worth exploring. Most minimalists are fans of natural fibers instead of synthetics, and they prefer to shop with companies that practice ethics in every stage of production.
Having less also means appreciating what you do have more. In particular, when you shop in a way that reflects your core values, it can make you more aware of all the people that had a hand in making your clothing. It took a lot of work to get that t-shirt into your hands, so next time you get dressed, take a minute to say “thank you.”
