Minimalism is having a moment.
Whether it's Marie Kondo teaching the world to keep only the things that "spark joy" in their lives or Twilight star Robert Pattinson's devotion to a nearly empty closet, ditching your extraneous stuff has never been cooler.
In our last post we talked about how living like a superhero requires a uniform. If you're ready to make the leap into sartorial greatness in a single bound, today's post is for you.
Before you can embrace the art of your personal uniform though, you'll have to declutter your old one. A word of warning: it requires a pretty ruthless sense of who you are as a person and the image you want to project to the world — and probably a few trips to the recycle bin, too.
Let's suit up!
Step One: Purge, Baby, Purge
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to empty your drawers and closets of anything that doesn't fit, feels uncomfortable, or you don't really like.
It's okay to admit you've moved on from something you bought; life's too short to waste time — and closet space — on stuff you're never going to wear again. No guilt, no blame: just bag it up and donate it to your nearest charity to make room for the clothes that will define your awesomeness from here on out.
Step Two: Practice Conscious Consumption
When it comes to buying new clothes, you need to bring your brain along for the ride. No more snapping up any old thing at the shops because you're bored.
Your new threads need to fit your style, and be high-quality so they look great and last longer. It's about buying less by buying better: only investing in items that adds value to your life, and that you'll love forever.
It even saves you money in the long run, because the more you wear something, the more value you'll get out of it. You'll even do you part to save the planet too by discouraging disposable "landfill fashion".
Step Three: Get Back to Basics
You know how James Dean had those white t-shirts and Katharine Hepburn had those wide-legged pants? They didn't mess around with other stuff once they found the shapes and styles that suited them best.
The foundation for every basic wardrobe starts with well fitting jeans, some T-shirts, a button-down and a great jacket. These are trans-seasonal garments that you'll wear all year round either on their own or layered with the weather.
Add some favourite sneakers and boots, plus a few sets of shorts or skirts for summer, then a signature item that's just so you, and you're pretty much set. The trick is to make sure these workhorse pieces fit well and coordinate with each other to give you maximum versatility.
Step Four: Select Your Colour Palette
The reason you can recognise your favourite superheroes even after a franchise reboot or change in art direction is because their uniform has signature colours. Your wardrobe should, too.
It's a solid idea to build your uniform around neutrals like black, white, grey, and navy to get the biggest bang for your buck. Add a signature colour — or perhaps a pattern/stripe — for fun, and stick with pieces that fit your scheme. When you have fewer pieces with more complementary colours and patterns, you'll never have to worry about a wardrobe clash again.
Step Five: Ignore the Seasons (Mostly)
All the glossy fashion magazines would have you believe that people need a separate wardrobe for each season, but that's the exact opposite of having a uniform. Your basics should transcend a simple change in the weather so you can wear them all year long. T-shirts that breathe, great denim, cotton drill pants are built for any temperature.
Cold outside? Add a layer or two. Too hot? Swap the pants for shorts in the same great fabrics and you're done. No need to restock your closet just because you flipped a page on your calendar.
Of course, the exact pieces you need and the styles you want are totally up to you. If you work in a formal office, you might need to give your uniform a boost with more button-downs and swankier accessories.
If you work at home, you might be leaning toward yoga pants instead of jeans. Those details are up to you, and you'll figure them out along the way as you design and experiment with your signature look.
All pumped up and ready? Citizen Wolf is standing by to be the Alfred to your Batman with Tailored Tees made just for you - you can even book a complimentary consultation to help you get started.
This is part two of a four part series on creating your personal uniform. We'll explore the above topics in more details with future posts - stay tuned!