A Peek Into My Minimal Closet

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Minimal wardrobes are a thing nowadays. And rightly they should be. It’s truly one of the most impactful “decluttering” projects I’ve done.

I’ve wanted to write about my wardrobe for a while now, since minimizing it was partially what inspired me to start this blog. But with the upheaval caused by a growing pregnancy belly and many maternity hand-me-downs, I’ve been in constant transition for almost a year.

My various categories of clothes (this season and that, early pregnancy and late, favorites and backups, to be returned yonder-and-hither, etc.) prohibited me from fully establishing my wardrobe during that time.

Even now, only a few of my pre-pregnancy garments fit me. And that’s not going to change any time soon with my current “nursing figure” and related wardrobe needs.

However, in Day 12 of the Make Over Your Mornings eCourse, Crystal challenged us to identify areas of our day where we experience decision-making-related stress.

As I completed the exercises, I realized my wardrobe was one of these stressors.

Many of the things hanging in my closet either didn’t fit me or at least did not make me feel good to wear. This meant I had to sift through all the “no, not yet” options mentally before finding something I could wear, which is a lot of sorting. Not to mention the discouragement of seeing my pre-pregnancy clothes and not being able to wear them!

Talk about decision fatigue.

So, I accepted Crystal’s challenge to eliminate this stressor and went to work immediately. I removed the clothes that weren’t fitting or appropriate for nursing and left out only what I can and like to wear. I hung every one of these items, including t-shirts, women’s leggings, and shorts, so I could see it all clearly.

This is what I ended up with.

This has been a breath of fresh air! It has been so wonderful to simplify and de-stress my morning in this way.

In my closet I currently have:

• 2 Dresses
• 4 Cardigans/jackets
• 5 dressy shirts
• 5 tank tops (usually worn as undershirts)
• 7 v-neck t-shirts (my favorite for nursing)
• 1 pair of jeans
• 1 pair of leggings
• 3 pairs of exercise-type pants or caprices
• 1 pair of jean shorts
• 4 fun scarves
• 5 pairs of shoes

I also have a couple of special occasion dresses and high heels, but I wear these so infrequently that I removed them from my daily lineup.

While this quantity of clothing may seem low to some, this is a postpartum wardrobe, so I’m not investing money into it and it will likely grow when I establish a more stable size. Also, my needs in this stage of life are pretty basic. Yours may not be.

Each day I put on exercise-type pants or shorts, a tank top, a t-shirt and athletic shoes.

That’s my mom uniform! That’s what works for me as I chase my kids around and tend to the needs of our home. I wear dressier clothes to church and night-out things.

So, really, I don’t need or want much variety to clutter up my decision-making faculties and closet!

Whew!

Would minimizing your wardrobe de-stress your mornings? If so, grab a box and get going!

 

New to this community? Start here, friend.

 

**update: I’m not postpartum anymore, and while I’m still working on a minimal wardrobe, I’m taking a different approach now. Read about it here: