How to Dress Authentically While Maintaining a Minimalist Wardrobe

I remember once I did my big closet clean out a few months ago, I was thrilled to invoke on a minimalist lifestyle. I dug out everything in my wardrobe with determination to get rid of anything that didn’t bring me joy or fulfill some sort of purpose. Nothing was safe – my cute tropical style jumpsuit I only wore twice? Gone. My leather skirt that looked sleek and classy but would not let me sit comfortably? Gone and will not be missed. 

Admittedly, I was a little ‘donation pile’ happy and ended up getting rid of heaps of clothes. It was freeing of course, but months later I began to feel like I was wearing the same thing over and over. And I realized the clothes I kept weren’t exactly me. They were basic pieces I could make a lot of outfits out of, but they were a bit boring and I felt as if my sense of self didn’t align with my look anymore. 

Thankfully though, I found a way to be minimal and still dress in a way that makes me feel authentically me. Here’s how I did it. 

1. Ask Yourself: “If No One Was Looking, What Would I Wear?”

This is a little mental exercise to get you thinking about what your authentic style is. Oftentimes we dress with intentions of impressing others, or worse, we suppress ourselves from dressing how we want to because it would appear “weird” or “unfashionable” to others. If you ask yourself “what would I wear if no one was looking?” You get to imagine yourself purely, without the opinions of others ruining your self expressive fun. When I asked myself this question, I imagined myself wearing long skirts with combat boots, or grandma sweaters with deer on them. At the end of the day, they are just clothes and life is way too short not to express yourself the way you want to. Once you do this exercise and figure out what your authentic style is, you’re ready to do some shopping! 

2. Practice Mindful Shopping

While the objective is to get new clothes that resonate with you, it’s still equally important to maintain the minimalist efforts you demonstrated before (at least for me this was the case). Seriously consider what clothes you buy and where they come from. Being cognizant of this is helpful in preventing a haul of new clothes that don’t actually get worn. When shopping, search for high quality long term pieces that you love enough to wear for many years without growing tired of them. Avoid just adding things to your cart because you like them. Ask yourself these important questions: “Do I actually like this?”, “Will I wear this regularly?”, “Will this material last me for multiple years?”, and “Is it comfortable?”. If you have a resounding yes for all of these questions, then you’re good to go! 

3. Find Your Confidence Booster

It was very exciting for me to get clothes that I felt showed my true colors. But my excitement was quickly matched with fear when it came time to wear these clothes in public. Being yourself sometimes means being different, and dressing differently from everyone else can be scary. What helped me not feel so weird was to remind myself of my fashion icons. It may sound silly, but thinking about how Harry Styles broke boundaries of gender expression with his clothing style alone was very powerful for me. If he could express himself freely without the constraints of societal expectations, I could too. And thus, I was wearing my grandma sweater out and about in no time. The point I’m trying to illustrate here is sometimes all we need is proof of someone else doing something you’re afraid to do. It’s almost like seeing someone you admire expressing themselves makes it safe for you to do it too. So my advice is to think of someone in your life (or a celebrity) who ruthlessly expresses themselves and try to channel their energy when you’re feeling self conscious. 

Having a minimal wardrobe doesn’t have to be limiting, and you don’t have to only wear basics for it to work. For me, my authentic self expression was just as important to me as minimalism. It took time, but eventually I was able to still live minimally and dress the way I wanted to. And now you can too! 

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