The minimalist's wardrobe

[McGovLau]

got some nice pics of minimalism, im very interested now after reading this hahah

 

[Little Star]

Minimalism: black and white/cream, sharp lines, minimal detail...
style.com

 

[Little Star]

Perhaps not such a typical view...but i think colour (in blocks) is an element of minimalism

 

[lalablossoms]

i'm becoming more and more of a wardrobe planner than spontaneous shopper, i used to have tons of stuff but it never lasted more than a year, i'm 26 and i feel like i'm finally getting a clear vision of how to shop, what looks best on me, and how to be true to my libertine/hipster spirit while embracing classic silhouettes, i'm not an expert ( yet ) but i've learned alot working in boutiques and just through personal experience and these are my tips:

-find your favorite stores, this helps so much to prevent time wasting and if you are lucky you get to know the staff, my favorites are screaming mimis for affordable vintage, rampage and arden b. for pretty blouses, urban outfitters and h&m for trendy basics, joyce leslie for dressy basics, buffalo exchange and beacon's closet for great deals on current used items, any place i work for the discount, trash and vaudeville for skinny jeans, zappos for shoes, ebay for random stuff, i shop other places too but these are my holy grails... but i hope in the near future more comes from my sewing machine, "designer" vintage boutiques, and barney's

-i do the lookbook thing as well and it really is very revealing

-clean those closets, two days ago i did this and removed 3/4 of my wardrobe, i went shopping yesterday and realize i should probably get rid of more lol

-make lists, i've always been into list making but now i apply it to my wardrobe and break it down by season, very mathmatical, and it helps you focus on pieces you really, like instead of looking for "blouses" if you realize you need one long sleeve, one short sleeve, and a cami for spring/summer and fall/winter you really get great ones and spend more wisely plus consider how it matches with everything, also consider budget for each item

-find a color palette that suits your skintone and haircolor, once i had alot to spend on clothes and i made the huge mistake of buying lots of brown, but i'm black and solid brown really washes me out but i can do brown in a print blended with a lighter color ( which is why i do like leopard print in moderation ), now i realize my best colors are black, white, grey, and cream for neutrals, soft muted tones of rose, green, blue, merlot, and violet, and gold for accents

-be conscious of fabrics and care, i cant afford to buy a completely synthetic free wardrobe but i do the best i can to get nice cottons, cashmeres, and silks and take care of them, i dry clean as lil as i can get away with, and i plan on investing in really good silk lingerie maybe 4 sets of bras and panties that i will hand wash cause i'm tired of nylon undies

-know your figure, i have an unusual shape, i'm 5' 0", weigh 95 lbs, and i'm skinny but have curvy hips, with a full but still petite butt and chest ( how that happened i dunno but i'm happy ), the problems are barely any pants ever fit me right in the waist or butt, i realize i have to hem everything but very few brands fit so i found jeans that work and focus more on skirts and dresses, hopefully one day i'll be able to afford nice slacks that fit but for now i give up, in shirts i must try for sure cause sometimes im xs but because of a slightly larger chest than most xs girls i sometimes need s if its a more fitted shirt, hemlines and layering must be paid extra attention to so i dont look like i'm playing dress up

-pre-shop to know whats out there and you wont buy the first thing you see, this can be difficult if you go into stores where employees are commission based ( trust me i know and those "i'm just looking"s make my heart and wallet sink ) but in those cases check online to see the inventory, and again magzines are great for this

happy outfitting

 

[GabiChic]

^^^^^ OOOhhh, good advice, especially the part about knowing what stores work for you as to not waste anytime.

 

[jpolla]

Also, look at raf simons' collections and his work at Jil Sander. He does minimalism at times well.

 

[cheiby11]

and Narciso Rodriguez as well

 

[kissablekae]

i wear a lot of tanks, jeans, & flip flops.
i love basic tops but in pretty colors. jeans - skinny flare or boot cut, length andr rise is very important. i dress up my outfits with jewelry or nice shoes.

 

[heykitten]

lalablossoms great advice! i like the idea of a lookbook, i do this with clothes i *want* which is another temptation altogether. but it's good to reflect on my own style and addictional* outfit ideas.

personally, i think one needs to cater to their own sense of style--look at the clothes you so far, what do you wear the most? what have you bought and not touched? what are your vices? i know buy a lot of shoes i never wear for the sake of aesthetics.

it's best to prune what you have than to go out on a whim on unnecessities this is only from my own experience i.e. i'm waay too impulsive for my own good, so it may not apply to you. i feel for those on a budget, as an art student, everything goes towards art supplies etc now.

* oops freudian slip.

 

[SophieKawaii]

Thank you for the great advices lalablossoms!!!

 

[lalablossoms]

thanks hey kitten and midori, i'm still learning but i think i'm headed in the right direction

 

[ultramarine]

Hum .. one of the MOST valued attributes on a really smart shopper is to be able to tell apart those pieces that you'll love forever .. it's the shopper holy grial .. finding the PERFECT pair of pants and buying 4 pairs right away so you can wear 'em for a loong time.

 

[SophieKawaii]

thanks hey kitten and midori, i'm still learning but i think i'm headed in the right direction

Don't be so modest, you are way closer to the right direction than me..

 

[lalablossoms]

thanks gabichic as well, missed your post

 

[gracey]

my version of minimalism is to have a color palette that I stick to - for my coloring it's whites and creams, pale pink to deeper pinks, even some red to burgundy, and some browns. I remember reading that you should stick to three colors. I can't do that but this works for me because it's a range of tones that all work well together, it's an individual look that suits my skin and hair tones (pale skin, dark red hair). This way I don't have a lot of mismatched clothing that I can't wear, which used to be the case when I just bought something because it's pretty and I like it. My system may not work for everyone but it works for me.

ETA I just went back and saw my same advice contained in another thread! I guess I'm seconding what she said, in part. ;-)

 

[jpolla]

i wear a lot of tanks, jeans, & flip flops.
i love basic tops but in pretty colors. jeans - skinny flare or boot cut, length andr rise is very important. i dress up my outfits with jewelry or nice shoes.

Thats not really minimalism per se. More sort of wearing basic items. If you see what i mean?lol

 

[june gloom]

I'm seventeen as well and this is one look that I've started to really get into over the months. I've always been the most-daring fashion-girlfriend out of all of my friends, and even though I've found some things in my closet, wondered what the hell I was thinking, gave it away, I'm glad I experimented around. I don't go after clothes with those bright pinks or crazy purples anymore. I've played around to see what colors work for me - whites, browns, reds, blacks.

This summer, I've been slowly coming across those pieces that are staples in my wardrobe. Things that are not just this season's trend and something you know you can wear repeatedly and still love it just as much. A trenchcoat was my first big staple. Especially if you're outdoors, it's almost an outfit itself. Nobody can tell what you're wearing underneath. My usual uniform is a plain white t-shirt (little boys shirts from Jockey or something like that are really cheap and a nice fit, my favorite is the Summer Shirt from American Apparel), a pair of skinny jeans or Johnson shorts, and really just one gold necklace. I have a long locket that I love and also a gold necklace with a leaf on the bottom. Those two are the ones I use the most. Other than that, I wear some finds that I got out of my great-aunt's jewelry box. And for shoes, black flats or plain black heels. I've yet to find a pair of black flats that I actually like. I have one pair of dark brown knee-high boots that I wear with absolutely everything. My friends refer to them as "the Boots".

I've been searching awhile for an inexpensive plain button-down collared shirt and I found one at H&M for about $26. It's one of their LOGG shirts. I really love long white tank tops, I try to buy all of my tops rather long because I have long legs but a pretty small torso. I've also found a plain black cardigan I had in my closet from who knows how long ago, but it is the simplest cover-up that I use. It can go with just about anything. Instead of buttons, though, they use the bra-strap like clasps. I'm still on the hunt for a pair of flats that I love, and some kind of pants. I really want dark gray, but I haven't found anything that fits my body the right way.

 

[melt977]

June Gloom, you have quite a mature wardrobe (and train of thought) for such a young person... I like how you are conscious of the staples that are necessary in any wardrobe and I admire you for this...

I just hope that by minimalistic you don't refer to minimalism as a fashion "statement", since, according to my experience ,your age is the perfect one to experiment and try all different trends and frivolities of fashion so as to be able to find your personal style as the years go by, through the process of trial and error

Yours is a great age to experiment with fashion since possible mistakes are easily forgiven and even cheap quality clothes can look good on your young self... (compared to looking just cheap on older people )... I just hope you enjoy it to the maximum, because I did and I feel great about it - and even more confident about my present choices ...

 

[Bluestar07]

Hum .. one of the MOST valued attributes on a really smart shopper is to be able to tell apart those pieces that you'll love forever .. it's the shopper holy grial .. finding the PERFECT pair of pants and buying 4 pairs right away so you can wear 'em for a loong time.

That remains elusive for me

 

[shadow]

Ultramarine, sooo right. I recently bought 6 v-neck long sleeve cotton/lycra t-shirts from Massimo Dutti in different colours and this transformed my wardrobe instantly.