Less Clothes, Better Wardrobe?

[Mikevigar]

Reflecting on how my style and related purchasing has developed over the years its definitely getting to the point where I'm buying a lot less frequently/a lot more carefully and spending a lot more time in just the clothes in the small wardrobe rather than the huge built in one in my bedroom.

I used to feel like I wanted to wear different things all the time (i.e. didn't like wearing the same thing too often), but the clothes were more obviously noticeable (slogans and so forth). In my small wardrobe now I probably rotate three or four long sleeve tops/knits and a few different pieces of outerwear and I guess its partly because I just feel totally comfortable in the pieces physically and also it feels like I can dress a million different ways by just layering differently/combining differently and so on.

I'm restricted by money to some extent, i bought relatively regularly from Darklands and SZ/sufu until a few months ago. I do feel pretty satisfied with what I've got now though despite the longing for a few big wants that at the moment I can't get my hands on/bring myself to spend the money on because I know how much my gf loves a vacation). I don't get as many cravings anymore either - just the "oh I want that - contemplation - longing - hour later not fussed" going through classifieds and websites every day.

I think on reflection my pursuit of a decent pair of trousers says most about how things have changed for me, I'm refusing to take any chances buying online or buying something I'm not totally in love with, so I'm saving/waiting until I get a hands on opportunity at Darklands in January, and i'm fully prepared to come home empty handed.

To the throwing things out issue - I just can't get into the idea of throwing stuff out, even stuff I never wear, maybe its the money I spent on it initially, maybe its some part of my brain convincing me I might get use out of it. There are some things I've repaired too many times to remember, when I was 15 I got a pair of d&g trousers with sleeves for a belt, I've sat repairing the hem for too long to mention over the near 10 years I've owned them, and I probably wouldn't throw them out until my ass is showing through the seat (that point is approaching but I haven't worn them for a while). I can't even contemplate what I'll do when my Doma trapeyoid cardigan falls apart, I think I'll have a full blown funeral given how much I wear it.

I guess it'll always be hard to be totally sure whether I'm happy being as restricted as I am with my buying and my wardrobe, as until I'm rich enough to have that ability to buy everything I fancy I can't honestly say how pure I'd be. Reading through feels like I've gone a bit off track at times, i guess what i'm saying is I have a huge wardrobe, but only wear a small amount of stuff over and over within it and some stuff is totally neglected and probably will be forever, so maybe smaller is better for me.

[PaintedBlack_7]

I tend to wear or rotate small number of clothing, only recently have i began slimming down the wardrobe. i purposefully use the smallest closet in the house.

I actually do appreciate items more if i have less of them, sort of like a "i only have one of these right now, and i really don't want to take time out of my day to go get another" mentality.

i have about 7 suits and 14 days of casual wear in a small closet with minimal outerwear. trying to keep a theme of minimalism going since i life wide open modern living spaces. i subscribe to that aesthetic, i love how sparse Rick owens, KK attachment and MMM boutiques look. and i try to emulate the lookin my home, it seems clean and simple.

[messenoire]

kuriz,
i think if you focus on the pricetag of garments it will sour your perception of style. if a garment really speaks to you and makes you "" don't write it off because of the pricetag. you asked why buy one lux item vs. 3 semi-expensive items. people definitely are not flying to luisaviaroma in g6's. people, on this board, make what some would consider severe sacrifices to procure garments but to someone who really appreciates the craftsmanship & thought that goes into these garments the ends justify the means and then some. the point of the thread is buying what really speaks to you personally & stylistically rather than buying things from a consumer standpoint. a deeper connection with what you wear turning it into an extension of all things throughout your life. think of describing your personality through your personal style. if your clothes could describe who you are then would you want then what would you want them to say? less is more and a smaller refined warddrobe will always be volumes louder than having a large amount of clothing that dont really speak to personally but just "look cool". if you are approaching "avante-garde" as a trend of the moment, re: "swagged out", then you're going to be for a financial awakening after all is said and done with this venture. just read as much as you can and immerse yourself to garner a deeper appreciation for the garments you're desiring and the people who create the ideas that inspire them. i am rambling.other people have said this far more eloquent and gentle. i did not check for grammar/spelling. my apologies.

[CherryRed]

I definitely know some people who would give up a trip for a pair of boots any day of the year. It's hard for me to pick though, usually I save up enough so I can get both, lol.
Somethings in my closet come and go like the expendables, they are usually things I buy from a buzz or an impulse. But when it comes to garments I bought after an inner battle or some time of thought, I'm a hoarder. I won't sell, won't trade, even if I don't get much use out of them any more; even if I'm selling fruits down the highway, I still hoard them like a starving chipmunk before an eternal winter. So when it comes to wardrobe size vs. quality, I honestly don't think it's smaller = better for my case. However spending my money on fewer but finer stuff do seem like the wiser thing to do, but I still get these uncontrollable urges to buy stuff that I don't really need when they have a big ass SALE sticker on them. sigh.

[Faust]

Well said, messenoir.

[kuriz]

kuriz,
i think if you focus on the pricetag of garments it will sour your perception of style. if a garment really speaks to you and makes you "" don't write it off because of the pricetag. you asked why buy one lux item vs. 3 semi-expensive items. people definitely are not flying to luisaviaroma in g6's. people, on this board, make what some would consider severe sacrifices to procure garments but to someone who really appreciates the craftsmanship & thought that goes into these garments the ends justify the means and then some. the point of the thread is buying what really speaks to you personally & stylistically rather than buying things from a consumer standpoint. a deeper connection with what you wear turning it into an extension of all things throughout your life. think of describing your personality through your personal style. if your clothes could describe who you are then would you want then what would you want them to say? less is more and a smaller refined warddrobe will always be volumes louder than having a large amount of clothing that dont really speak to personally but just "look cool". if you are approaching "avante-garde" as a trend of the moment, re: "swagged out", then you're going to be for a financial awakening after all is said and done with this venture. just read as much as you can and immerse yourself to garner a deeper appreciation for the garments you're desiring and the people who create the ideas that inspire them. i am rambling.other people have said this far more eloquent and gentle. i did not check for grammar/spelling. my apologies.

Sorry for the very late reply, I only accidently saw this thread again. The thing about making sacrifices makes completely sense but when that is said its just really hard for me to quite understand this whole 'what I want my clothes to say about me'-thing. Well I do understand the meaning of it, but what is this deep thought? I am wearing clothes primarily because I think it looks good and the different look from what everyone else wears. But what is this deeper meaning; is it that I like to support the environment and buy local (Denmark/EU) or is it that I like supporting people that treat their workers good or what is it ...?
I really am not trying to be argumentative mood just being 'against' but I really do have a hard time figuring out what this deeper meaning is.
To give me an idea, what do you think when buying an expensive Julius, RO or whatever you wear that you think will fit into your 'less is more' wardrobe?

[morsto]

What he said is simply that you should consider if the clothes is really you before buying into it; you say that you are switching from a "swagged out" (...) wardrobe to an "avant garde" one (both are terrible terms), but then what about next year when the tides change and the flavour of the month is strawberry instead of chocolate?

[kuriz]

What he said is simply that you should consider if the clothes is really you before buying into it; you say that you are switching from a "swagged out" (...) wardrobe to an "avant garde" one (both are terrible terms), but then what about next year when the tides change and the flavour of the month is strawberry instead of chocolate?

Yes, what about next year? Hopefully I will still like the things but how on earth will I know this no matter how much thinking there is to it. Daily I see people here in classifieds and on sufu selling things they bought at high prices because 'it was just not them' or 'they bought it but are never wearing it'. There are no rules but in my head but in my world grown up men do dress formal (shirt and a tie or something similar). Nobody says that this cannot be from an exclusive brand but then again I wouldn't even consider right now buying something 'formal'.
My point is: we all have periods and I'm sure that no matter what taste will change. Maybe not next month or next year, but as time passes and we get older taste just changes - and this comes from a 21 year old (^^).

So just to be sure; if I get this right the 'deeper meaning' should be, or atleast that is his advice, to not be an impulse buyer or have the 'consumer' way of buying these things when its this type of garment, but instead sit down and carefully pick a few 'specials' that I think will fit me, yes?

[morsto]

Don't compare people selling a piece of clothing to replacing an entire wardrobe with something that is from another world; all I tried to convey is this forum is (originally at least) for discussing and appreciating designers visions and not about how to fashionsta it up most effeciently.

[t-bone]

Kuriz, I think you are ignoring the larger issue of the development of a personal aesthetic and the appreciation for clothing that speaks to that aesthetic, regardless of price or provenance.

Since it always makes sense to me, I'd like to make an analogy to culinary appreciation:

Say you decide you enjoy drinking wine, that would be step one in the process of pursuing a more advanced appreciation: identifying the desire and setting out to satisfy it. You have already decided to refine your wardrobe in a similar way, so consider that step out of the way.

Step two would probably be to try as many different varieties of wine as you could at a reasonable price, perhaps grouping by country, then region, then varietal. It has been suggested on here by some (and dismissed by others) that in developing your style, it may help to buy some less expensive pieces that may approximate some finer things that may be further up the ladder on your dream wardrobe list. This might help you to come to some realizations about your aesthetic before you are fully invested in certain pieces. I realize that this is counter to the original premise of the thread, but who says you can't get to the "better wardrobe with less clothes" in any number of ways?

Back to the analogy and on to step three: once you know what you like you can then begin to further examine the intricacies of a single type of wine by delving into the more thorough artisanal producers. It is here that you will begin reading, researching, and learning about wines that may be out of your fiscal reach currently, but eventually once you know what you like and will most enjoy, you can occasionally splurge on something without the fear that it won't be pleasing to your palate. This is how I eventually came to make some larger clothing purchases as well, after much careful consideration and allowing for enough time for my feelings on the aesthetic values of the pieces to become cemented.

That is not to say that I don't still make impulse purchases and have things in my wardrobe that I might not wear as often, but I have been pruning very heavily as of late, refining my color palate, and deciding to finally give up on things that have not worked out. In any aesthetic pursuit you must eventually learn to trust your developing sense of the thing, even though you may find that it changes over time.

And as to the question of "next year"... well I still love and enjoy the wines I was obsessively learning about last year, although I tend to buy and drink those that are most pleasing to me currently. As a smarter woman that I once said "seasons change, mad things rearrange..."

[Ochre]

Many good points. That is a nice, linear way of articulating a common narrative I think many of us here have experienced (or are very much in the throes of).

It has been suggested on here by some (and dismissed by others) that in developing your style, it may help to buy some less expensive pieces that may approximate some finer things that may be further up the ladder on your dream wardrobe list. This might help you to come to some realizations about your aesthetic before you are fully invested in certain pieces. I realize that this is counter to the original premise of the thread, but who says you can't get to the "better wardrobe with less clothes" in any number of ways?

I did want to comment on this real quick because I don't think what you're saying is counter to what I intended. I never meant to say that someone in pursuit of the "perfect wardrobe" (if that exists) can't pick up some ultimate toss-aways in-between. There is good reason for this in many cases whether it is the financial inability to dive right into a serious collection, or like you said, a careful process of wading into the aesthetic, making sure it is what you want before you fully commit. I say this because I am certainly one of those people who will wear Julius and Uniqlo in the same outfit not only out of financial necessity but also because I still consider myself very early in the period of understanding how I want to look.

[525252]

^I don't know, that how-to-get-style guide is a bit weird for me. I mean, does anyone ever "decide" to enjoy drinking wine?

I don't think it only comes down to aesthetic preference. Clothes are just clothes but people get attached to them emotionally. Personally, I find the process is as important as the product. You can have mass-produced clothing that are at a good quality but the process of it all is rarely as "rewarding" (I can't think of a better word) as the "more expensive clothes" (can't think of a better phrase)

For me, the process is embedded into my subconscious- made in a factory by underpaid overworked people vs. made with care by a skilled worker
Also the designer- high-street knock off vs. inspired creativity
Its quite difficult to have an emotional attachment for something produced with so much insincerity.

But of course, the aesthetic should suit the tastes of whoever's buying.

[kunk75]

i've paired down to probably 30 pieces for each season after this weekend. we will be moving soon so I want a fresh start and I want to cast off the stuff I don't need. I get too sentimental about things so throwing out and donating stuff actually felt good, like some kind of growth/cleansing I guess. I hope the needy person doesn't find the raf sweaters too scratchy.

[CUTUP]

Over the last 6 months I have probably halved my collection, and I have never felt better about the direction I am taking. Hopefully if the remainder of what I have up for sale goes, I can use the funds to snag a few more items I have had my eyes on, and then I will probably be at around a 3rd of what I owned

I have noticed my problem over the years is I have been trying too hard to embrace a particular estethic that doesnt really work for me, instead of using differant pieces to create my own.

ie The piece(s) I fantasized about looked great on those with the right proportions, but I was blind to think the same look would work on me. My wardrobe began to consist of all knds of pieces that didnt work with one another

I firmly believe as the years go by, people begin to be more and more picky over what pieces they choose to buy. At least thats what has happened to me. That and a far greater appreciated over the blood sweat and tears that go into the works we covet

[525252]

I hope the needy person doesn't find the raf sweaters too scratchy.

that actually made me laugh