Keeping a Minimal Wardrobe – How to stay on track

image source – vogue

I never thought I would be writing a post like this – how to stop shopping? Come on now. But, when I start a challenge, I like to stick it out, even if it does mean that I won’t be adding much more that 5 new items to my wardrobe over a six-month period. It’s not easy; I mean, temptation to add a new piece to your wardrobe is always going to be out there, which is probably why breaking the habit of regularly buying new clothes is so tough. Especially if you’re following the trends, be they seasonal, micro or flash trends (I am so sure this last one is going to become a thing… one day…).

Finding the perfect piece isn’t always easy, which makes the temptation to buy something ‘cheap’ to fill the void all the more tempting. So to stay on track, and stay true to the 5-piece French wardrobe challenge, I’ve been using the following steps to avoid getting spendy unnecessarily:

1. Unsubscribe from mailing lists – this one is a no brainer. If you’re blissfully unaware of the newest items in stock at your favourite e-boutiques, you aren’t tempted to buy, so removing these emails from your inbox is one of the quickest and easiest ways to remove temptation. I’ve unsubscribed from most mailing lists, however there’s still the odd one that I like receiving – more for the newsletter style content than anything else. It’s actually turned out to be the most liberating feeling, and instead of waking up to 20-30 promotional emails every morning, I now get the occasional one, which means working through the emails that actually is so much easier.

2. Stop making excuses to visit the shops – again, another no brainer, as above. If you don’t know it exists, you won’t know that you want to buy it. I’m fortunate to be working in an area which is about a 15 minute walk to the shops, which means that I think twice about walking such a long distance just to browse the racks in a department store.

3. Make a wishlist and stick to it – this to me is such an effective and easy way to stay on track. Considering I’m only able to buy 5 key items this season, the impulse purchase of something that isn’t on the list means I’ll have to forgo one of the items that I’d had my eye on – and for some time too. Most of the time, it just isn’t worth it.

4. Rediscover your wardrobe – sometimes it is as simple as rearranging your wardrobe, and rediscovering those pieces that you hadn’t worn in a while. Try out new combinations, and find something ‘new’ which works for you. Every now and then I set aside some time to play ‘dress ups’ with my wardrobe; and it’s even more fun with a glass of wine in hand!

5. Think twice before buying – put it on hold for a day, or two days, and see if you’re still thinking about it. If you aren’t, then don’t go back for it. If you are, then you should probably buy it. It’s quite easy to get swept up in the idea of something new when in a store, but what seems exciting in store might suddenly seem like less of a good idea when you’ve had a bit of time to think about it (or not). Same goes with shopping online. Add what you like to cart, and leave it for 24 hours before going back to complete the purchase. Quite often I’ll add items I like to my bookmarks and then revisit them a few days later when I ask myself, ‘Is this something I really need?’. More often than not, the answer is ‘no’.

6. Don’t shop the sales – unless you’re armed with a very specific shopping list. During sale time, it’s a little too easy to get caught up in the discounts, how much you’re ’saving’ rather than thinking about how often you’re really going to wear that peplum crop top, and whether it actually goes with the rest of your wardrobe. But on the flip side, during the sales you can find that a huge number of high quality classic pieces which you might not have been able to afford at full price, are suddenly within your price range. It’s all about stepping back and taking a look at what you’ve got in your shopping bag with a discerning eye. If you wouldn’t have considered paying the full retail price (whether you could afford it or not!), it’s not worth taking home with you. I was very restrained over the Christmas break and only ended up taking home three items from the sales – all of which I’d been eyeing up well before they were discounted.

If it’s proving too difficult to resist, I’d suggest following the one-in-one-out rule. So, for every new item purchased, you have to cull a piece you already own from your wardrobe. Sometimes this alone might be enough to deter you from making a new purchase! Personally, I’d rather add a high quality classic piece, be it a silk blouse or a pair of woolen trousers, rather than an item which might not last longer than 5 washes, or be in vogue for more than 5 minutes. But, it’s all down to personal circumstances, what works for one person might not work for another.

Saving up for an expensive (and hopefully) high quality piece isn’t going to work for everyone – we all have different budgets to work with, different priorities, and different responsibilities. So with that in mind, if you do decide that you can’t resist adding that shiny new piece to your wardrobe, at least ensure that you are buying the highest quality that you can afford on your particular budget.

If you have anything to add – or if there’s anything that I might have missed out – please feel free to leave me a note in the comments. x