The Pareto principle, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes, is applicable to everything in life. When I switched to a nomadic lifestyle with only a backpack, I found out this also works for my wardrobe.
You need less stuff than you think. Living out of a backpack forces you into being a minimalist and critical about the things you need.
When I cut down my stuff to make it fit into one backpack, I found out that I actually was wearing about 20% of my clothes for 80% of the time. So I gave away the other 80% and am wearing these 20% now for 100% of the time.
10 style commandments:
1) Get in shape
2) Find clothes that fit
3) Spend $$$ shoes
4) Buy fewer pieces of higher quality— WellBuiltStyle (@WellBuiltStyle) September 2, 2017
To get to a minimalist wardrobe you have to think ahead before you buy stuff. I’m following WellBuiltStyle for style advice on Twitter. This is great account that gives advice (for men) and the examples below are from his Instagram page.
With his help, I came to these 5 basic rules:
- Simple style is winning style. There is no need to use all types of prints or walk around like a billboard for brands. Use neutral clothes with no prints and make sure they fit well.
- The amount of muscle you have will make a big difference in fit and style. Clothes will look better when you are in good shape.
- There is no need to buy seasonal clothes, except for coats. All buildings have air conditioning and heating nowadays.
- I now possess 4 t-shirts, 4 long sleeves, 2 pairs of trousers and 2 pairs of shorts. This makes 8 x 4 = 32 combinations, enough to wear something different every day for an entire month. You have to make sure that all items will match each other.
- Washing machines are everywhere. If you wash your clothes once a week, there is no difference between traveling one week or three months or four years. So eight pairs of underwear is enough.
Wardrobe items
This is an example list of how you can construct your minimalist wardrobe:
- 4 t-shirts
- 4 long sleeves
- 2 pairs of trousers
- 2 pairs of shorts
- 8 pairs of underwear
- 3 pairs of socks
- 3 pairs of low socks
- 1 pair of sneakers
- 1 spring coat
- 1 winter coat
- Gear
- 1 cap
- 1 pair of sunglasses
- 1 watch
- 1 belt