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Sticking to your style? (Minimalism, ethical wardrobe, budgeting etc.)

Astrid

Veteran

Hello everyone, long time no see...

I recently started my first real job and I've been buying quite a few clothes to get me started, mostly not of the make and quality I would really like to buy. Just because I felt like I needed something to wear... I have gained a bit of weight back a year ago and a lot of my clothes don't fit me anymore or are simply worn out. Most of the new pieces were either on sale (the shoes) or inexpensive (the sort you buy to make do). The two wide leg pants got both shortened and I've been wearing the black ones with hose and the blue cotton ones with sandals.

My job is casual and I'm quite often the one the most dressed up in a room (which I don't mind). But I feel like I'm in a kind of in between space right now and as funny as it sounds, sticking to my wardrobe goals felt easier with a student budget. I want to keep my wardrobe small, stick with quality and buy more ethical brands (which I can better afford now), but I feel way less patient to wait for those pieces to come along at the moment. I don't necessarily regret buying those new items because I had no other choice, but I worry that I'm going to fall back into old habits of just browsing (and now buying) for fun.

Any ideas how to go about building a better wardrobe? One in one out? Not sure I have enough of a base to do that, at least right now. No sale items? I just don't know, that would be very difficult because I love a good bargain.

I would love to know how you handled transitions like this...

My first try to remedy the problem was to order the skirt in #1 - new collection, full price, ethical brand. But if it works out it should be super useful and I love the look of it in the pictures.

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32 replies

Latest reply was from JuniperGreen

anne

Veteran

Astrid, I don't know!! Chiming in to say I relate to so much of this. Will be watching the thread with interest.

rachylou

Veteran

Congrats on the new job! (You know, Astrid, I think you are a musician... what *do* you really do? Lol)

Sticking to my style is the bane of my existence. I have a wandering eye... You will probably want to figure out your new budget and re-assess your activities and thus your wardrobe needs, since this has all changed. Get a big picture view. Do some outfit creation...

Ok, *I* need to do this, really. Lol. My wants are diverging from my needs, I have just noticed during our heat wave... and what I thought were my needs was incorrect. I just gave away my only two tank tops because I hadn't worn them in a long time and weren't my style... And now I really wish I hadn't done that!

Astrid

Veteran

Hi Anne! *Waving* Good to know I'm not the only one...

Thanks Rachylou. Funny you thought of musician, probably because I posted about my clarinet playing in the past? No, I'm a librarian. Getting a big picture view is a good idea... Maybe I should start to reassess everything before I do more shopping. I'm good at just wearing what I want though, no matter what my environment thinks is appropriate. I could just come in wearing my old jeans, sneakers and novelty tees taking my cues from some of my colleagues. No thank you.

Anonymous

This is always a challenge. I don't have any concrete advice for you, but Rachylou's advice seems like the next right step.

Sal

Veteran

Yes I can relate...and I remember back to starting work and feeling as though I had to build a wardrobe, with little money... What helped for me was that I was travelling at the end of the year so I had to put most of my money in this direction - and ethical clothing concerns were not prevalent in 1992.

I would build on what you have that works....the new skirt if it is a keeper, make sure you have two tops that work with it. Ideally in my opinion most pants or skirts need two tops that work with them, and hopefully the tops also work with another skirt or pants.

When I started work I had about 6-7 work looks so I could get through seven days. Of course the top five got worn the most but it is good to have a couple to mix it up. It sounds like you have flexibility in what you wear so that makes it a little easier. And most people do not notice if pieces get repeated...

I found when I have done 30x30 capsules this was plenty to get through a month - work/casual/going out socially.

If I buy something cheaper/mass produced/acrylic etc I just make sure I wear it well and wash it carefully so it lasts. Sometimes cheap garments last better than expensive ones.

There are wardrobe building years - I suspect next year will be easier on that front.

I hope you are enjoying the job too.

Traci

Veteran

You're off to a really good start. The following process takes quite a bit of energy, but it pays off for the rest of the year.

I pull everything in my wardrobe together on the bed and try on every top with every bottom and every topper, and I take a picture of each combo. When I'm done I'll look through the pics and figure out which items are definite keepers, which need to go away right now, and which are place holders. Once everything is sorted that way, I can usually see holes in the wardrobe that need to be filled. I make a list of all the needs in my phone and then I try really hard to stick to that list. Having the pictures really helps keep my real wardrobe in mind so if I find a wildcard I can see how it will play with everything else.

Best of luck!

Scarlet

Veteran

Astrid, it sounds like you are doing everything just right. You needed a lot of new clothes quickly, and you managed to cover your needs while staying in budget. Now you can sit back and slowly look for the things that make you really happy. I think setting a monthly or seasonal clothing budget and knowing how much storage space you have sets all the limits you need (ultimately one in, one out). I know you are very disciplined and you can do this. At the same time I think it also helps at this stage, transitioning to the workforce and feeling flush with cash, to right away develop some concrete long-term financial goals like a retirement plan or buying a home. I would highly recommend setting long-term goals and acting on a savings/investment plan right away.

anchie

Veteran

Are you happy with the current size of your wardrobe? Do you have any holes that you need to fill? Do you have enough variety, are you prepared for different temperatures and situations? Laundry bottlenecks? This is all very individual. But when all of this is sorted you may implement one in one out and try to replace your current items with better quality ones. There is nothing wrong with the sale if it is the right item that you need and not something you are buying just because it is a good deal.

gryffin

Veteran

Astrid - big congrats on the new job!! That's awesome. I do think you have two separate questions. How do you handle constructing a functional wardrobe you need quickly? How do you make better choices or quality/ethics? I don't think you can proceed to number 2 without having a functional wardrobe unless you are ok with being short/tight on number of choices. As per transitioning, once you have "enough" to function, I found keeping a list of purchases and wish list invaluable. Also Caro had recommended to me, Malcolm Levene's "10 steps to fashion freedom" which I found really helpful. My "good" clothes feel so much better physically and psychologically that inexpensive fast fashion becomes much less alluring. The comparison of the experience is different and I'm not happy wearing those pieces. It's baby steps. One great piece that makes you feel truly fabulous and good about supporting the brand, kind of leads to another. But I don't think I could have easily transitioned if I didn't have enough clothes to survive the daily grind. Good luck it's a really worthy goal and I'm sure you find that balance. Enjoy the new job!!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Astrid, congrats on the new job, and good to see you.

Give yourself some credit - you shan't fall back into "bad" shopping and fashion habits. It's more intuitive for you now, and you've had practice. I believe in you.

My suggestion:

edit your closet so that you know what you like and what fits.
Build capsules around those pieces.
Choose colour palettes.
Create a list of wardrobe essentials.
Throw in some statements to work with the non-essentials and essentials to create head-to-toe OUTFITS.
Road test the outfits, and trust your emotions.
Duplicate the looks that you are feeling this season.

Don't try to do things perfectly - just do the best you can by being as discerning as you can. Learn from your mistakes. Have fun a long the way.

Anonymous

I would buy less expensive knitwear for now, and more expensive (ethical) outerwear, shoes, and bags.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Hi, Astrid -- congratulations on the new job! That is wonderful. Librarians are so important!

You have already received some great advice here and I can only echo what others said. You need a base before you can consider replacing items with more ethically sourced alternatives. And you also need some "fun" pieces in the mix or you will feel sad. Those don't necessarily have to be fast fashion -- beautiful scarves, specs, etc. can go a long way to lighten the mood and set the image. As Angie said, think outfit!

The items you purchased already look very true to your style -- beautiful colours and patterns and very sensible for your work life.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Congrats on your job, that is wonderful! I think you've gotten good advice above. Take your time, think about adding a fun color maybe? I've been adding coral to my own wardrobe lately because it felt so "neutral" with all my navy, olive, white and charcoal. Accessories are always a fun way to add some interest. How are your shoes - are you set on that end?

A local research librarian way back when I was barely out of my teens was so instrumental in helping with business research - I've never forgotten.

Sydney

Congratulations on your new job. I think the one in and one out practice makes so much sense once you get your new wardrobe to where you want it to be re sustainability. Wish I would have started adhering to it years ago!

Astrid

Veteran

Thanks everyone for your input and encouragement! Lots of food for thought. Unfortunately it's been a long day and I'm totally knackered, but I promise I'll come back to you tomorrow.

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

Contrats, Astrid, on the new job!

I'm in a very similar place, wardrobe-wise. I've approached wardrobe building in a couple of stages:

1) Researching wardrobe-crafting and capsule dressing. Thinking about my use of clothing, seasonality, which items of clothing will be useful across seasons and which are season-specific, identifying seasonal color palettes, etc.

2) Building a fully functional test wardrobe of inexpensive pieces. The "win" at this stage is identifying wardrobe holes and essentials...checking the boxes, and living with the results for a while to see if the wardrobe works for you. If I identify additional wardrobe holes, I tend to fill them with inexpensive pieces just to make sure that the outfit ideas I have actually translate to real world usage.

3) If the inexpensive wardrobe is working well, focus on upgrading it as time and budget allow or as items wear out. For me, this means replacing "standard issue" tees with nicer tees in more luxurious fabrics or even moving away from tees and replacing with silk tank tops or sweater-knit shells. The number and type of items in the wardrobe stays similar, but the level of quality in the wardrobe increases. (This step is probably on-going )

I'm kinda stuck between stages two and three--I've been living with a small but functional wardrobe for a while now and I and looking to upgrade as items wear out or as I see good replacement pieces in the stores. At the same time, I've identified a few wardrobe holes (like a good non-gear winter coat and raincoat) that I have to shop for, so I'll probably look for less expensive coats in the color and style I like, get some real life experience with the silhouette, and buy a more expensive version of the same next year if the inexpensive version works out.

cindysmith

Veteran

Congratulations on the new job!

Weight gain left me scrambling for summer clothes this year. I'm hoping that I don't wind up scrambling for cool weather clothes (most of my warm tops/sweaters were oversized, so my fingers are crossed). I've had to settle for some unethical choices due to the budgetary constraints that come with building a house. I've decided to make the best of it and baby the garments so that they last a long time; that's kind of the best I can do right now. As I see pieces are wearing out, I can replace them with more ethical, quality options. When something isn't working for me for mental or aesthetic reasons, but still fits, I'll just have to wait until the house is finished to find a replacement. Sometimes we just have to do the best we can, and that's my best right now.

As for your specific situation, perhaps a monthly allotment for upgrades (either dollars or a set number of pieces)? You could upgrade slowly so you don't continue to buy as mindlessly as we had to do to keep from being situationally inappropriate or nekkid. That's what I'm going to try for myself; but if I don't spend my monthly allotment on new pieces for my wardrobe, I can buy something for the house. Maybe you could save your unspent allotment towards a nice investment piece?

bj1111

Veteran

Hooray for gainful employment.

Curious why you have less patience now to wait for the right piece than you did as a student?

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Congrats on the new job and the wardrobe. I can't imagine trying to put it together quickly.
If you don't already know what better quality ethical brands you want to purchase from I'd set aside some research time, even if it is penciled in for a few months from now. And I'd keep an eye on the condition of your wardrobe as they could wear out at similar times, and purchase better replacements before they are necessary.
And I like the idea of adding better accents, fun items, high joy items, etc, as your budget allows.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

There is a definite gap between my aspirations of high quality ethical clothing and what I own.

Anonymous

What Scarlet said. It is important to put something directly into savings from each paycheck now as it will be worth more than what you put away later. Make a budget and get really picky about what you buy when you have enough for day to day wear. Maybe limit yourself to one item a month or every two months to force yourself to ask "is this the one".
Big congratulations on the new job. They are lucky to have you!

Bijou

Veteran

Hi Astrid, I totally sympathise with your dilemma. I have changed jobs twice over the last 6 years - with vastly different dress codes: pre 2011 extremely formal; 2011 to 2016 office casual; since 2016 semi formal - so I have recently gone through a similar experience.

To refresh my wardrobe for a more formal work environment I bought a few key pieces and cheaper basics. I find Zara and Uniqlo good for the less expensive items, especially knits and little tops to wear under jackets, which I like to update regularly, so I don't like to spend much money on them. I have been pleasantly surprised at how I have been able to dress up some of my more casual pieces with the addition of a sharp blazer, heels and dressy tote. A Zara basics one button blazer is a firm favourite, so there are good quality items around at reasonable price points. I have also bought two jackets from JCrew US (I live in Australia) because the quality and price is superior to what I can buy locally. I find items in colours such as white, cream, blush, ink, navy, black, charcoal and grey can look expensive, even when they are not.

Having been in my 'new' job for a year, I have reached the point where I have enough clothing and just need to do a seasonal refresh, and I too want to be an ethical purchaser. However, I like a bargain. I keep a list of items that I like and I know will work well for me. If they go on sale, I will happily buy them, but I am fine with missing out. I recently bought some below the knee boots that I will wear next winter - they are going to be a great refresh for next winter and at 50% off, were a good buy. I am looking to make sure that each and every future purchase is well considered and works back with what I have or is a complete outfit in itself.

I hope you enjoy building this new style direction!

lyn67

Veteran

Congrats for the first real job! All pieces are lovely and will make for a usefull work wardrobe, I guess! Can't wait to see them styled!
My DD(20) has the same dillema now, only she is second year in college, but wants to change from her casual to a bit more dressier(or slightly more professional) style-this is even more challenging, as she don't really want to overdress her age or pals:-).
Then, i think, Angie has a post somewhere where she says a work capsule means 2 jackets(toppers), 4 bottoms, 6 tops and 2 shoes, each of these coordinating with a few of the others-for some well currated outfits.
You (und us) probably can start from this one.

BrieN

Veteran

Hi Astrid. you may be missing the *feeling* you used to have about your clothes. That each purchase was thoughtful and represented your values. And when you finally did purchase something there was a particular pride that you had checked all the boxes (price, style, quality, impact).

Astrid

Veteran

So, I finally had some time to come back to this. Sorry for being absent for so long.

@Sally
I think I'm fairly good at buying remixable pieces, so I think that should work well. I've been getting dressed with very few pieces for work these past few weeks. I had to be really careful about laundry and do laundry in the middle of the week too for that to work out. Definitely not something I want to do all the time! I agree with you that sometimes the cheap options can work just as well, I guess it's important to really take a hard look if something is worth spending more on or not. And yes, it's good so far. But what I enjoy the most is actually the fact that I don't have any exams looming on the horizon and that the end of the work day truly means free time. I'm a lot less stressed, even though I really had to get used to getting up so early every morning again.

@Traci
I'm not sure how many items I truly have right now, but I know fairly well already for each one in what kind of combinations I can use it. But I should probably go through my wardrobe anyway and finally get rid of all those maybe or not quite right pieces I held on to during my student years because I thought they could still be useful (and sometimes they were).

@Scarlet
Thanks for the encouragement. Good idea about thinking of long-term saving. I already have a mini-goal for the coming months, I want to put most of my paychecks into paying back my
BAföG in full as soon as possible to be depth free. I'm going to see what else I can/want to do next year.

@Anchie
Yes, it's definitely complex! But I think I agree with you, I'm not going to miss out on sales in the future. I just have to be consequent about what I buy on sale.

@gryffin
Thanks! Also for the book rec. You're right, you need enough to get by without stress to have the freedom to keep looking and searching until the right piece comes along! But I agree, I also get so much more satisfaction out of great pieces I love and in that case the desire to buy and wear something new simply dissapears. It's that way with my plaid cashmere mix scarf - it's so lovely that I don't even want to look for a different scarf for fall and winter. I've been happy wearing the one I have for the last three winters and I can't see that changing. But I do want a matching hat.

@Angie
Thanks for the pep talk! I think a real wardrobe edit is the first step I have to take right now. I've held on to way too many things. It looks like I have lots of choice, but right now I'm using probably only about 40 to 50 percent of it regularly. I think I'm going to make a day out of it next weekend and see where that takes me. I do have room now to put some stuff away in boxes too, which I didn't have before. I can do a holding zone right now.

@Smittie
Totally with you there. Outerwear, shoes and bags were always the areas in which I spent the most. I do want to treat myself to a new dressy crossbody bag the next time I am in Berlin - I've wanted a Volker Lang bag ever since I discovered them and I think I'm finally going to splurge for one. The color should work with almost everything I usually wear, so I want to pick in person and not order online (they have a huge color range available for the bags). I also plan to get a new Tom Bihn bag for work (probably the Medium Café Bag) as soon as there's a color combination available that works for the purpose and my wardrobe.

@Suz
Thanks. I definitely need to think more in outfits - you're right that little details make a lot of difference. And yes to the fun pieces! I do want my wardrobe to be more elegant, chic and grown up than it has been in the past, but I also want to keep a certain amount of whimsy and quirkiness. Or I wouldn't feel like myself.

@Texstyle
Adding more color is a good idea, it's been a lot of blue/grey/black lately. Maybe some nice purples or some red/burgundy? I'll keep my eyes peeled. I'm pretty good when it comes to shoes, there where times when it was a lot worse. I still need a true replacement for my old black oxfords though. I've been talking about demoting them to going out wear for years. And I still don't have decent summer work shoes, but that's not something I have to tackle right now, that's a task for next year.

@Sydney
Yes, that's definitely my goal too!

@Emily
Interesting that this works for you, I don't think I could ever to this. Simply because the inexpensive stand-ins wouldn't feel the same to me when I use them, so the whole experiment would be skewed. Better fabrics, better cuts, better feel - all this contributes to the enjoyment I get out of a piece and how useful it feels to me.

@Cindysmith
I've had some weight fluctuations ove the years and luckily a lot of my clothes can handle a few kilos fairly well. I guess that's one benefit of prefering slightly oversized or relaxed fits. And I definitely should slow down a bit... Maybe I should do that wardrobe sorting and then make a list what kind of pieces I want to buy until the end of the year. I think right now the number would probably more useful than the amount of money.

@bj1111
I guess as a student I knew that buying the inexpensive 30€ sweater right now might mean not having the money to buy that awesome sweater for 50€ afterwards. Plus there was never the need to be dressed a certain way, not even for work. It was not a problem to "make do" if I needed to. Right now there are simply some outfits or looks that I don't want to wear for work, even though I probably could. Which resulted in too few clothes/outfits and the urgent feeling of needing to buy something to get by.

@Barbara Diane
I'm fairly well informed when it comes to brands and options, I've done my research quite a while back. And I still have a lot of bookmarks for ethical clothing brands/online stores on my other laptop. I need to have a look at those to remind me.

@Joy
Thanks for being the sensible one. I definitely think setting a limit for numbers and doing one in one out is going to be the goal once I have the basics down. I think for me having just one (or whatever number if you count stuff like underwear etc) item I can buy in a month would be more effective than having a certain amount I can use.

@Bijou
I agree with you, intelligent use of money can get you far when you're shopping for clothes! I hope I'm going to find a good way to make it work for me.

@Lyn
Thanks for the tip about Angie's blog post, I should have another look. Not dressing too different is a concern for me too, but I don't want to stop being myself and dressing how I would like to dress just because I might be a bit different to those around me. I've started to do my own thing a long while ago and I never want to give that up. Not that I think that you have to... But it's important to me that I'm approachable (very relevant in my job).

@BrieN
You nailed it! I think that's a big part of it.

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

Astrid, That's completely true--an inexpensive substitute just isn't the same thing at all when compared to the nicer piece. But, for me, I think it was so helpful to get enough cogs in place to see if the wardrobe would function--a different sort of satisfaction based more on the creation of a successful process even if a lot of the parts were placeholders.

Astrid

Veteran

I think I know what you mean.

Scarlet

Veteran

Hey Astrid, I don't know if you pay interest on your BAföG (I think not?), but you have to consider if you can earn interest on your savings by investing it or saving in an account that earns interest, it actually makes more sense to pay the debt back more slowly while you are earning interest on your savings, than to pay the debt back faster than necessary. I know that debt can be psychologically uncomfortable, but you really have to look at the numbers to see which way you will come out ahead over the longer term.

Astrid

Veteran

No, there's no interest on it, but you get a certain percentage off the amount if you pay it back in one go. You can always do rates and then decide later on to pay back everything that's left at once, but the longer you wait the smaller the amount you save in total, obviously. And with current financial politics you get very little interest on savings...

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