GUIDE TO BUILDING A MINDFUL WARDROBE
Article by Brenda Iris Rodriguez-Mendlik
Guide to Building a Mindful Wardrobe
Having an organized and less complicated wardrobe has quite a few benefits. It can help you feel accomplished and confident, and will definitely be much easier to navigate. Having the opposite can make you feel overwhelmed and like you have nothing to wear, uninspiring.
The goal to having a mindful wardrobe is to have one that organically represents your authentic self and personality while buying less and more consciously. In order for this to happen, we need to leave behind the traditional more-is-more way and stop going after the “seasons’ must-wears” and fashion trends that don’t align with our personality or lifestyles. In return, you will have fewer pieces but will be able to see and access your outfits with much greater ease.
Assess your closet and declutter
First of all, everything in your closet should only be related to your wardrobe and items you currently wear. If you have any boxes with memories, linens, old paper work, etc., take them out. Remove any clothing that is damaged, mismatched or no longer fits. I recommend the one year rule, if you have not worn it in a year, then it needs to go. For items that you are unsure off, try them on and look in the mirror and ask yourself, will I really wear this item? Does this really suit me? Does it help me feel amazing? I also suggest storing of out-of-season clothes so that they do not take up valuable space (some storage containers fit under beds).
Discover and understand your personal style
What do you want your clothes to say about you? Understanding and knowing your preferences like colors, patterns, materials, and other aesthetics is key to developing a mindful wardrobe and feeling your best. Look at the clothes you kept from your decluttering. What do you like about them and why? Look for fashion inspirations, those whose style you admire, a family member, friend or blogger. Knowing and using your body-shape and not your size as a guideline when choosing clothes is also fundamental.
Build YOUR essentials
Your essentials consists of foundation pieces that are functional to your lifestyle. For example, if you work from home everyday but do fancy dinners twice a month, then your wardrobe should be more casual than fancy. Make a list of the occasions you need to dress for and give it a percentage from 5 -100. For example, work at the office 50%, at home 25%, yoga 10%, daytime outings 10%, going out evening 5%. Now take this list and take a look at your wardrobe. Do they align? Is any area over- or under-represented?
Learning the art of shopping
Be selective, authentic and aim for quality over quantity. Your closet should only contain pieces that you 100% absolutely love, so keep this in mind when shopping—mindful over mindless. Also, it is important that you buy pieces that build multiple outfits, at least 3. This will avoid unnecessary impulse buys.
Finally, building a mindfully curated closet that tells the story of who you are is not something that gets done overnight or in a week, and it is something you really need to commit to. It can be an emotional process, but results are well worth it.
