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Observations: my minimalist wardrobe so far

MsLuna

Veteran

Some of you may know that I'm trying out the concept of a minimalist wardrobe as per Project333. I am trying to live off a 33 piece wardrobe, not including shoes, accessories, basic tank tops/tees for layering and very occasional events such as weddings and corporate job interviews (or mock interviews for school where suits are needed). Of my current wardrobe (already sparse and pared down due to many many purchasing mistakes), I selected 16 pieces and will work on buying 17 more. Well... Here's what I discovered:

- I am happiest in graphic jersey dresses (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....kshop-long) and versatile ponte dresses (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....er-booties). I was ready to let them go because I can't wear most heels until I discovered Campers and their Agatha footbed (1.75 inch heel) I plan for graphic jersey dresses to dominate my wardrobe and will purchase more

- I also love my jackets: all of them, but none are good enough for warm weather. Need to find warm weather replacements for most of them.

- I had no luck with separates. All the tops I picked out were not really "loves". Just tops that for the colour scheme. Meh. The only top saved was the one I wore here because it went with the flares very nicely: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....dings-long

- I'm keeping the flares. I love the flares but fluid, muffin-top friendly tops are just not working for me. I don't feel good in it and I don't think I will force it, unless the top drapes as well as my chevron INC top. I'll stick to this formula:

Flares + basic tank tops (layered or not) + tailored jacket + colourful scarves

- I stopped being scarf-phobic and learned to wear them with structured jackets to diminish muffin tops from pants

- most of my clothes veer to the dressier side. I need very casual clothes for the weekend - something to wear with comfort sandals or sneakers. Maybe slim jeans and more fluid tops? Shorts when it gets hot?

So basically I'm struggling because my clothes just don't go with each other and there's not enough jersey dresses to grab. I guess I'll need to get more.

If you got this far, thanks for reading

General

19 replies

Latest reply was from MsLuna

Anonymous

Have you tried a knit tube skirt? They can be casual yet feel a bit dressy?

MsLuna

Veteran

No I have not! I'm a bit concerned about muffin tops and panty lines though and for some reason I can never get the right (untucked) proportion. Are there tube skirts that are relatively sturdy and less revealing?

rachylou

Veteran

Incredibly illuminating. I love the blue jacket, black/white chevron top, and flares outfit. That's really sharp.

So but are you saying you're down to one top (excluding tanks)?

cheryl

Veteran

The dresses are beautiful and you look wonderful in those flares. Good luck with the minimal approach. I admire it but I am team huge wardrobe, lol.

MsLuna

Veteran

I'm down to one top excluding tanks. I don't know why I fell out of love with the Portofino shirt from this outfit (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....-confusion). My other fluid tops require tucking and semi tucking but doesn't quite have the fluidity that the Chevron top has.

I'm not sure what it is. I'm really opening my mind and trying. I've limited myself in the past and I opened up to different trends that Fabbers love such as the fluid trend and the boyfriend trend but it's just... Not... Me... *sigh* I'm really feeling disappointed. The only trend I seemed to have easily jumped at is the flares trend, but even then, I'm so self-conscious of the dreaded muffin. I know that we don't necessarily have to follow all trends, but I guess I just don't want to seem closed-minded when I really tried to make the look work

If I can wear only dresses, life would be easy but I really need the extremely dressed down weekend wear.

MsLuna

Veteran

@rachylou: Oh and regarding the fluid trend: the ones that I'm drawn to and can definitely wear are those A-line tunics over skinnies/leggings. Long over lean. I've sported this look for years except I always disliked the baggy knees skinny jeans/Jeggings give me. I also LOVE that Eileen Fisher look, especially since I recently tried the brand and just felt lovely in them. They are such a stark contrast to my usual vibrant "In-your-face" styles I'm drawn too

@cheryl: thank you! I really do feel good in those dresses and I love those flares!

rachylou

Veteran

Well, that's interesting KatieKat. You know, I don't think the Portofino was a fluid top. It may have been silky, but the construction was pretty tailored. Also, I personally am quite fond of tunics over leggings, esp. capri leggings in summer. Also, why not wear dresses all the time? Also, I think it would be great to explore the EF look some more. I just found an EF outlet down here in Northern California...

MsLuna

Veteran

@rachylou: the Portofino isn't as fluid as the Cynthia Rowley silk top I have, you are right. And also - it has that icky polyester feel, but this is just me. I hate polyester but it doesn't seem to bother me on jersey dresses (maybe they are airy, that's why).

Tunic and leggings are super comfy and I still love them to thus day - but I'm a bit concerned that they may be outdated. I should really learn not to care because they work on my body and are super comfy. I sported the look on the 2nd pic here, I realized: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....f-the-week

I can wear dresses all the time. I think (and I'll admit insecurity to this) I still fear that someone (like a friend) will say I wear the same thing all the time and buy the same clothes all the time. Odd because the patterns of my dresses (I have only one solid dress: my LBD) wildly vary. But again - I should stop caring about what others think!

The EF look: I'm seeing some Fabbers sport that look and I love how laid back yet elegant they look. I also love the light layers and I think there's so much room for creativity there.

Thanks for the questions, Rachylou you're really helping me figure this out. Ok perhaps I'm being too heart-on-my-sleeve about this but I really really appreciate this!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I think sometimes we need to nail our personal style preferences before we can "own" new trends. Until you know your style you're not really ready to evolve it.

As for dresses -- I think they are perfect for Canadian summers. That's when I wear dresses the most, actually. No tights to worry about. Breezy, easy, and fab. So what if your friends say you always wear the same thing if you look great wearing it?

The Vince Camuto tube skirt might be one to try. It is relatively less bump revealing than others. I love my VC skirts. Some people wear them with long tops or tees to cover any "trouble" spots. Others wear them any which way at all.

I think you would wear EF fashions beautifully. They're quite elegant when styled well but also can have an arty feel to them.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I thought of this post as I read your comments

http://youlookfab.com/2014/01/.....fit-pants/

Anonymous

I practice Project 333. When I first started, it was much more strict. The 33 items included shoes and accessories such as jewelry and belts. Truthfully, at that point in my life I owned a lot of shoes and jewelry and they were all paid for so I wanted to enjoy them. That, of course, made it all the more challenging and I never quite made it to 33 items. When Project 333 became more popular, people started re-defining the rules and it got so much easier. I think few people now include shoes or accessories in their 33 items. So it is so much more doable and so much more fun for me.

What I am missing in my current wardrobe though are summer weight toppers. Truthfully, I don't even know what a summer weight topper is. I will be very interested in seeing how you approach these and what you find. Please keep posting your progress. I will watch with great enthusiasm.

harmonica

Veteran

Love your musings! Insightful and so it must be so fruitful to recognize the pro's and con's in ones wardrobe. I admire your strength to keep it simple - I'm not sure I would be structured enough to hold up a 33 pieces wardrobe.

Helena

Veteran

Good for you - I keep wanted to try Project 333 but keep putting it off - I hope you will keep updating your minimalist journey!!

crutcher

Veteran

I am cleaning closets today so your post was a great boost for me...I love the blue Ann Taylor jacket and the chevron stripe top,,,TDF..
I ,in theory, would love to try Project 33 but in practicality I am just not the personality to do so...Now that I have seen your results, I may be able to try a more abbreviated version of Project 33...
Please keep posting, seeing someone else do this is really worthwhile...

NDMom

MsKatieKat....I love following your minimalist journey! I am so drawn to this style and it's fun to read your thoughts and see it in action.

I am a big EF fan and love the long/lean look myself. I live in "almost Canada" and think dresses, like Suz said, would be a great solution for the varying temps in our area.

Please keep posting!

E

Veteran

It sounds like you're learning so much from this! It also sounds like you should make dresses your signature, so I agree that you should prioritise some more! Even if you don't want to wear them on weekends, that's still 5/7 of your time sorted out. Honestly, I think if you wear the same silhouette frequently, it becomes your signature and people admire your style (rather than thinking you wear the same thing all the time).

For casual separates, maybe you should start by looking for a few inspiration outfits and then figuring out how to adapt it to your lifestyle? But tunics & leggings seem like an ideal choice for you, and I really don't think they're outdated. I don't know if they'd work in hot weather though (I find knits too clingy for very hot weather).

Basically, from your reply to Rachy, I suspect you already know how you want to be dressing and just need more confidence/positive feedback, as well as of course being able to get the right pieces, to get there. The forum's great for that.

Aida

Veteran

Very interesting reflections, and still so early on! It's great that you got some of those key issues sorted, which should help in upgrade and new piece perusal.

You mention replacing most of your jackets with ones that are warm-weather appropriate ... do you live in a primarily warm climate? I have found for jackets I have three types: winter, all-season, and summer. The all-season ones get the most wear, because most of the year is mild where I live, and therefore I also have the most number of those. But when it's cold or warm, then the winter and summer jackets come out to play. Trying to force it otherwise was just too much work, and I'm much happier with this system.

Your flare formula sounds classic and lovely! And you can keep the look updated plenty with the scarf and footwear.

Like you most of my clothes veer dressy, so truly casual outfits for the weekend is my biggest struggle and that is my primary goal to sort out this year. My plan is to get a pair of faded skinny jeans (in the mail!), some looser breezy tees (still looking) that I won't mind taking out romping around, and a couple pairs of flats that can take a beating as well as go for long walks (yah, definitely still looking). Anything that I can "borrow" from workwear will just be a bonus. I'll let you know how that system goes though, I feel like I'm already way behind with it

Zibbets

Veteran

I'm a huge fan of dresses too. A good dress is easy to wear, flattering and no-fail. The ones you posted look great on you. They striking and memorable in a way that might limit their wear if you're self-conscious about that.

I wonder if new additions to your dress collection would be more versatile and thus more useful in a minimalist wardrobe if they were solid colors or smaller prints that would read as solids.

MsLuna

Veteran

Thanks for the responses, ladies! These responses have been so helpful and very encouraging!

@Suz: dresses are definitely great for Canadian summers! I'll likely wear then exclusively when the weather warms up! I really shouldn't concern myself with my friends' comments. Haha... Sometimes, I'm way too sensitive. Happens when you wear your heart on your sleeve

I started exploring the EF look earlier today. I used to dread the warmer weather because I couldn't layer, but with the fine knit summer weight sweaters around? I think I can do the EF effect! I just love how floaty and ethereal EF looks!

@Sterling: I'm looking into some natural fibre summer weight toppers. I've actually seen a few slouch sweaters that would work and am contemplating on getting them. Will keep you all posted

@E: you are right - I do work 5 days a week and that's still a lot more days than I spend lounging around or hanging out on weekends! I will definitely stock up on dresses. Maybe I'll look into more dressed down dresses for the weekend as well. Toronto summers can get excruciatingly hot!

And yes, tunic and leggings work best for me. I'll probably need to stick to more natural fibres (Jeggings) in the warmer months and wear less ponte since the Jeggings are breatheable.

@Aida: we have four seasons here in Toronto and I feel that they vary sooo much. Spring and Fall are usually the easiest to dress for. I can pretty much wear anything except chunky knits, heavy layers and fleece/wool tights. Winters are cold and snowy so I often tend to forego fashion for comfort. Summers are excruciatingly hot. It's my least favourite season, given that my personal style involves creative layering. Ideally, I'd love to wear silk toppers for this season, IF I can find any.

Let me know how your flats search goes! I'm still on a lookout for walkable yet stylish flats! For now, I use my fitflop patent sneakers!

@Zibbets: solids would definitely add versatility to the wardrobe. I find it challenging to find good solid dresses as prints are very forgiving! With solid colours, I'm very discerning about the cut of the dress. I'm still looking to replace my LBD because it's just not working for me;