The minimalist wardrobe : Support/progress thread

[mellecyn]

I think the fun and luxury of having a minimalist wardrobe is having less and buying less but having the absolute best quality you can afford. It isn't so much what everyone else thinks is trendy but about how you feel when you wear it.

True words. I find that online shopping is getting in the way of that, because I buy without knowing truly how its gonna fall on me, and have been disappointed 80% of the time when receiving the package, yet I keep it because It´s OK. And what you mean is OK isn´t good enough. I should just save for when i´ll go to Paris and shop there IRL.
I also question which items I want to keep after many years and which ones I want to sell (usually after 2-3 years), the ones I sell are inevitably bought online.
So, the best thing to do for sustainability is to buy less, high quality and keep it forever. The second best thing is the circular economy, and here we have a problem : buyers are only willing to buy the latest most popular styles on a ridiculous money that the seller won´t accept....Again, buying online from mostly crap photos and not knowing what it looks like. So I´m trying to "rent a shelf" at a consignment store. And again, nothing available until december!?! Maybe I should just show up at the local luxury consignment stores and sell for the same ridiculous fraction of the price that was happening online anyways...

 

[Mairaculi]

True words. I find that online shopping is getting in the way of that, because I buy without knowing truly how its gonna fall on me, and have been disappointed 80% of the time when receiving the package, yet I keep it because It´s OK. And what you mean is OK isn´t good enough. I should just save for when i´ll go to Paris and shop there IRL.
I also question which items I want to keep after many years and which ones I want to sell (usually after 2-3 years), the ones I sell are inevitably bought online.
So, the best thing to do for sustainability is to buy less, high quality and keep it forever. The second best thing is the circular economy, and here we have a problem : buyers are only willing to buy the latest most popular styles on a ridiculous money that the seller won´t accept....Again, buying online from mostly crap photos and not knowing what it looks like. So I´m trying to "rent a shelf" at a consignment store. And again, nothing available until december!?! Maybe I should just show up at the local luxury consignment stores and sell for the same ridiculous fraction of the price that was happening online anyways...

One thing that I recently discovered: buying high-quality second-hand items that need to be repaired. Often people try to sell “damaged“ items at a really low price (maybe not by the top 10 most hyped luxury brands, but by lesser known high quality designers), they either don't know how easy it is to get them fixed up or they don't want to be bothered. I think it's a really affordable and sustainable thing to get these kind of items and restore them. I recently saw the watch that I own offered online for 10% of the retail price because the wristband shows heavy wear. The watch itself looked like new. To order a new & original band and get it replaced is easy and not that expensive, I know because I had mine replaced a few years ago.

 

[Etriers]

True words. I find that online shopping is getting in the way of that, because I buy without knowing truly how its gonna fall on me, and have been disappointed 80% of the time when receiving the package, yet I keep it because It´s OK. And what you mean is OK isn´t good enough. I should just save for when i´ll go to Paris and shop there IRL.
I also question which items I want to keep after many years and which ones I want to sell (usually after 2-3 years), the ones I sell are inevitably bought online.
So, the best thing to do for sustainability is to buy less, high quality and keep it forever. The second best thing is the circular economy, and here we have a problem : buyers are only willing to buy the latest most popular styles on a ridiculous money that the seller won´t accept....Again, buying online from mostly crap photos and not knowing what it looks like. So I´m trying to "rent a shelf" at a consignment store. And again, nothing available until december!?! Maybe I should just show up at the local luxury consignment stores and sell for the same ridiculous fraction of the price that was happening online anyways...

I agree, that I am almost always disappointed shopping for new things online. If it is pre-loved designer or something I have been stalking, then I’m almost always happy with it. If you want the boots and the bag but don’t want to pay retail, you may be better off stalking them online pre-loved vs. buying a less expensive knock off. I just bought a $2500 short, sequined Wathne jacket from TRR for $45. Stalking a like new LV toiletry pouch on Ann’s. Etc. etc. I do buy most things new, but used is such a great resource. I’ve sold things thinking, Gosh they are getting such a deal! But we benefit when we buys things that way too. And, by buying designer (and taking care of it) you do always have the option of selling it later when you want something new or different, whereas with the knock off, it’s sunk cost.

Re: travel shopping. I heard a stylish gal say once that she only shops when she travels. I thought that was an interesting idea. You’re in a new place, it’s fun, and no danger of internet remorse.

 

[Etriers]

Just read this article about iconic fashion minimalists. My apologies if someone already noted it.

21 Women Every Minimalist Should Look to for Outfit Inspiration

From Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and Winona Ryder to Phoebe Philo and Diane Keaton, we've rounded up all the most inspiring minimalist style icons.

www.whowhatwear.com

 

[Etriers]

One thing that I recently discovered: buying high-quality second-hand items that need to be repaired. Often people try to sell “damaged“ items at a really low price (maybe not by the top 10 most hyped luxury brands, but by lesser known high quality designers), they either don't know how easy it is to get them fixed up or they don't want to be bothered. I think it's a really affordable and sustainable thing to get these kind of items and restore them. I recently saw the watch that I own offered online for 10% of the retail price because the wristband shows heavy wear. The watch itself looked like new. To order a new & original band and get it replaced is easy and not that expensive, I know because I had mine replaced a few years ago.

Great idea!

 

[jade]

So I´ve been watching "a small wardrobe" videos, and the video about the different archetypes of minimalists is very interesting, as I often see on fb groups, women saying they´re not into neutrals and jeans...and it´s not about style it´s about quantity and having few.
I myself am struggling with the boredom and neutrality of blue jeans and stripes shirts and beige blazer...it´s great you cannot go wrong, but what if you need more?
So her categories are :
the essentialists : owning the least amount of items possible.often practical.
the traditionalists : classic capsule, basic formula
the anti-fashions : inspired by original 80-90s anti fashion, mostly about shape, cut, material. Comme des garcons, maison martin margiela. expensive, each item being part of a story, extreme uniform dressing
the avant-garde : opposite to anti-fashion. currated wardrobe of only statement pieces. mix colors patterns, style persuasion of it-girls.

This has been an interesting thread. This year I set the intention with a couple of wardrobe goals:
1. purge
2. get more separates that I am happy with.

I am a dress person, and also skirts. But I have run into issues - lately I have been really excited about patterned skirts and I realize I have no tops to wear.

I also love patterns, 90% of my dresses have pattern. I have finally learned that the little black dress is not for me. It is just too plain and boring - no matter what I accessorize with.

And I do want an actual pair of pants, at least one, that isn't jeans or leggings or joggers. I do not do a lot of pants, but it would be nice to have the option. And then it went back to I do not have enough of the right tops. I had over indexed on tops for layering - the never to be seen layer or the it needs a cardigan/blazer/jaclet layer so my arms do not freeze. I have way too many sleeveless tops! And they are not always practical stand alone tops for my weather.

And having some solid colored clothing, to wear as separates, could be helpful - but they need to be the right colors.

The first few months of quarantine I wore a never ending rotation of my athletic clothes/workout clothes/lounging clothes. And I realized they were all grey and black - my neutrals that I have used for a while. But wearing all that grey and black ended up making me feel really depressed. So I started to dress up for working from home and start to experiment with separates. And incorporate some new colors in my palette. I am thinking that taupe may replace my friend light grey. And I need a new bright - yellow it is! And I already wear pink, and I do like pink and yellow together. I have had a color palette that has been pretty stable for a decade - I recently killed one of the colors, and yellows are the replacement. But I never had that many items in the color - just items I wore often.

So I have been working on the style goals of the year - but I still need to purge. And I also would like to see more examples of capsule an minimal dressing that doesn't rely on neutrals! Excited to check out these small wardrobe videos to see if it is a fit.

 

[jade]

Hi, I'm relatively new to this forum, but my minimalism / curated closet journey has started at least in 2013 if not a bit earlier but that was the year I really started decluttering, so I thought I'd share my experiences, too!

I started out with the Konmari method (never got completely through, but I managed to do clothes, it's the first on the list), then I did over two, maybe even three years worth of consecutive Project 333 capsule wardrobes. Afterwards I took a more relaxed approach, I have a tiny wardrobe so the limit for every seasons capsule (one spring/summer, one fall/winter) was that it had to fit comfortable in there (about 30 tops&dresses, 10 bottoms, 6-7 pairs of shoes depending on the sizes and so on), a bit more items than Project 333, but it worked better for me, the weather here is very unpredictable and I dress differently for work and casually.
During this time I was still reducing, and did not acquire many new things, then I did my master's thesis and relapsed a bit with a really well curated and affordable second-hand store that I found (“it's not bad, it's for a good cause“). Afterwards I tried a no-buy year, that didn't work at all (as soon as I decide on that, I'm hyper focus on everything clothing related, and just need to wait for the first really bad day to catch me online shopping like crazy) but I've successfully did several no-buy seasons or months.
Then I got into low buy, but it was never really tangible for me until I found the 5 piece french wardrobe. Currently I'm a big fan of this concept (not really the fashion magazine version, but adapted to steer a little bit more towards sustainability and building a wardrobe of pieces that last a long time). If you're interested in this concept, I started a separate thread. I didn't want to spam this thread (I really have a lot to say) and it might not be minimalist enough for some because it does not focus on decluttering but more on how to go on after you already paired down your wardrobe considerably.

5PFW - 5 Piece French Wardrobe

[Sorry, long post] My decluttering / curated wardrobe journey started over 7 years ago, I have tried quite a few concepts, like Project 333, One-In-One-Out Rule, the Konmari method, No Buy/Shop your own closet, but nothing really worked out in the long run, except 5PFW. It was popular a few...

forum.purseblog.com

I am intrigued by this concept - and evaluating if it works for me. I find that every few years either my shapes or colors are easy to find. Or for example, with skirts, I had been on a pencil and tube skirt kick for years, I started biking for errands and those were no longer practical. And the current midi moment, especially the pleats, are really bike friendly, so I should load up now. I also love puff sleeves, and I am looking for basics, so this is a good moment to get them. But I need to think about my building blocks. I have a decent idea, but they are also shifting. There are a few categories I can never seem to properly fill.

 

[Mairaculi]

I am intrigued by this concept - and evaluating if it works for me. I find that every few years either my shapes or colors are easy to find. Or for example, with skirts, I had been on a pencil and tube skirt kick for years, I started biking for errands and those were no longer practical. And the current midi moment, especially the pleats, are really bike friendly, so I should load up now. I also love puff sleeves, and I am looking for basics, so this is a good moment to get them. But I need to think about my building blocks. I have a decent idea, but they are also shifting. There are a few categories I can never seem to properly fill.

Yes, it can be quite hard to truly determine your basics. And if course it's not set in stone, it's slowly changing over time.

 

[mellecyn]

One thing that I recently discovered: buying high-quality second-hand items that need to be repaired. Often people try to sell “damaged“ items at a really low price (maybe not by the top 10 most hyped luxury brands, but by lesser known high quality designers), they either don't know how easy it is to get them fixed up or they don't want to be bothered. I think it's a really affordable and sustainable thing to get these kind of items and restore them. I recently saw the watch that I own offered online for 10% of the retail price because the wristband shows heavy wear. The watch itself looked like new. To order a new & original band and get it replaced is easy and not that expensive, I know because I had mine replaced a few years ago.

Thank you. What would be examples of lesser known quality designers? I know for coats that Carven will resell 1/2 compared to Prada.
I’m into simple aesthetics of Prada, Balenciaga, Marni, Proenza Schouler....

 

[Mairaculi]

Thank you. What would be examples of lesser known quality designers? I know for coats that Carven will resell 1/2 compared to Prada.
I’m into simple aesthetics of Prada, Balenciaga, Marni, Proenza Schouler....

With that I meant basically all designers and fashion houses that don't usually appear one any recent 'top 15 luxury designer brands' lists like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, YSL, Dior and so on. Maybe Marni and Proenza Schouler could already counts towards what I had called 'lesser known'. What come to mind are: Max Mara, Alexander Wang, Talbot Runhof, Isabel Marant, Ganni, MCM, Acne, Victoria Beckham, Dries van Noten, Phillip Lim, Baum & Pferdgarten... And then there are a heap of interesting Danish brands (I think they are often the right way to go if you want interesting but simple design with good quality materials), I guess nobody has heard of their name except people working in fashion or living in Copenhagen.
If you find a lets say Proenza Schouler bag with a broken zip, you can get a great discount. But any Chanel item that is completely torn apart still costs way too much due to the heavy brand name. I planned on buying an old canvas Gucci bag (frays, holes, markings all over, basically ready for the trash) at an ebay auction once, only take the good parts and resew it into a smaller bag. But the bag was sold at over twice as much as what I'd have paid for it, nearly 150€, I had stopped bidding at 60€.

 

[880]

One thing that I recently discovered: buying high-quality second-hand items that need to be repaired. Often people try to sell “damaged“ items at a really low price (maybe not by the top 10 most hyped luxury brands, but by lesser known high quality designers), they either don't know how easy it is to get them fixed up or they don't want to be bothered. I think it's a really affordable and sustainable thing to get these kind of items and restore them. I recently saw the watch that I own offered online for 10% of the retail price because the wristband shows heavy wear. The watch itself looked like new. To order a new & original band and get it replaced is easy and not that expensive, I know because I had mine replaced a few years ago.

ITA with this

 

[880]

Thank you. What would be examples of lesser known quality designers? I know for coats that Carven will resell 1/2 compared to Prada.
I’m into simple aesthetics of Prada, Balenciaga, Marni, Proenza Schouler....

DH used t buy Weston belts, but Weston is closed in NYC and he cannot order online. So, he buys from la flotte who sources their belts from Duret. Direct also has interesting bags that look classic and good quality. It’s more sartorial in a sense than fashion per se, but I’m considering it.

Black grained calf bag – Duret-Paris

duret-paris.com

 

[880]

i meant to add to above: vintage dead stock designers like Donald brooks, Adele Simpson, normal norell, galanos and designers for defunct stores often have beautiful coats and RTW.

 

[jade]

DH used t buy Weston belts, but Weston is closed in NYC and he cannot order online. So, he buys from la flotte who sources their belts from Duret. Direct also has interesting bags that look classic and good quality. It’s more sartorial in a sense than fashion per se, but I’m considering it.

Black grained calf bag – Duret-Paris

duret-paris.com

Oooh! I like this one. Out of my budget and not practical for my life, but so pretty! I like the contrasting thread details. P.S. I also had a cheap bag like this back in my early 20s from Jones New York! It was like that with buckles.

Duret Paris - Sellier d'art et maroquinier de luxe sur mesure - Ceintures

Duret Paris est le sellier d'art et maroquinier de luxe sur mesure de Paris. Ceintures et objets de maroquinerie en cuir rare et exotique.

duret-paris.com

 

[mellecyn]

With that I meant basically all designers and fashion houses that don't usually appear one any recent 'top 15 luxury designer brands' lists like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, YSL, Dior and so on. Maybe Marni and Proenza Schouler could already counts towards what I had called 'lesser known'. What come to mind are: Max Mara, Alexander Wang, Talbot Runhof, Isabel Marant, Ganni, MCM, Acne, Victoria Beckham, Dries van Noten, Phillip Lim, Baum & Pferdgarten... And then there are a heap of interesting Danish brands (I think they are often the right way to go if you want interesting but simple design with good quality materials), I guess nobody has heard of their name except people working in fashion or living in Copenhagen.
If you find a lets say Proenza Schouler bag with a broken zip, you can get a great discount. But any Chanel item that is completely torn apart still costs way too much due to the heavy brand name. I planned on buying an old canvas Gucci bag (frays, holes, markings all over, basically ready for the trash) at an ebay auction once, only take the good parts and resew it into a smaller bag. But the bag was sold at over twice as much as what I'd have paid for it, nearly 150€, I had stopped bidding at 60€.

....or people living in Denmark as I do Your brands are also on my radar. And for coats and tailoring : Joseph and Carven resell way lower...
Actually just got sucked into the rabbit hole of Vestiaire Collective again...as I´m trying to keep my wardrobe minimalist I am also shifting my style, or trying to close the gap between real and imaginary!
I have a list of items to purchase and it´s hard not to get side tracked, VC became my way to get high designers/quality items while supporting the circular economy (same price I would spend on brand new items from regular high street)
I managed to resist a Jil Sander pencil skirt, but totally bought a statement YSL blazer today for 130 euros.
I was listening to Camille Charriere´s Podcast and even her says fashion is a waste of money and most high Designers are ridiculously overpriced.