Living Off A Quarter Of Your Closet With Wool Sweaters

The lessons to be learned from having a wardrobe the size of a suitcase.

A Simple Life In Layers

Introducing the 4th blog in my 4-part blog series about the connection between slow fashion and sustainable living.

This blog is about the joy to be gained from simplifying your wardrobe and making outfit-repeating a part of your everyday routine.

• 5 Adventure Challenge
• Personal Uniforms & Simple Routines
• Hacking The Color Palette Challenge
• What’s Wrong With #Repeating?

----------

A year and a half ago, I was tasked with one of the greatest wardrobe challenges I’ve faced yet: packing up my entire closet to fit into a suitcase. I was traveling to France for 3 months, and I had to face the unfortunate reality that I couldn’t magically teleport all of my clothes to my new shoebox apartment.

I’d had experience packing up and moving the contents of my closet before. I thought that I had become somewhat of an expert in moving my life (and my clothes) from place to place.

But reducing my wardrobe enough to fit onto a plane to be transported across international borders proved to be a far more difficult endeavor than I could have imagined.

It was also an incredibly liberating experience, as I learned how little clothing I needed to wear to feel good physically and mentally. And even though I was living off a fraction of my former wardrobe, I didn’t even end up wearing all of the outfits I had meticulously picked out and packed up to accompany me on my European adventures.

So if you’re interested in the lessons I learned from converting my closet into the size of a suitcase, feel free to read along. But be warned, it just might convince you to downsize your wardrobe and head off to your dream travel destination.

The Connection Between Clothing And Creativity

When forced to simplify my wardrobe, I found my creativity to be enhanced when assembling outfits from the fewer items I had on hand.

While one might easily brush off this newfound inspiration as the influence of the chic street style of the Parisians whose community I was becoming a part of, I would argue that my closet played the most transformative role in the way I thought about my style.

While many assume that it’s more challenging to find novelty in the clothes you wear repeatedly, I discovered myself using my limited options as an opportunity to experiment more with layering, accessories, and my appearance in general.

When given fewer items to work with, I felt more compelled to style them in different ways or add something out of the ordinary to avoid monotony. This was an exercise I never really considered when I had a full wardrobe at my disposal back home.

I also found myself to be extra confident in my clothing choices on the days when I had been more thoughtful in the process of putting pieces together. I began to realize that there’s something so rewarding about conceptualizing an outfit and tweaking it until it is just right, a stark contrast to the ways of my former self who had been more inclined to throw something on and head out the door.

A smaller wardrobe made space for me to play around with styling skills I never knew I possessed, giving me a boost of confidence every time I crafted an outfit where I unexpectedly impressed myself or others.

Swapping Clothes For Savings

When you don’t have​​ the space in your closet to buy more clothing, then chances are that you probably won’t. I found this to be the case for myself on my months-long travels, as I realized I wasn’t buying nearly as much clothing as I thought I would be while abroad.

This appears to be an even greater accomplishment if you consider that I was surrounded by some of the best shopping while living in one of the most prominent fashion capitals of the world.

When I did invest in an item of clothing, I had to make sure it was something I would wear and, more importantly, which would fit into my travel capsule wardrobe. Each purchase forced me to consider if I had the room, and if I didn’t, if it was worth cramming into my closet or giving away one of my other belongings.

Less closet capacity led to more financially wise decisions, as there was quite literally no space for the question of whether to wear or not to wear.

All the money I refrained from spending on material possessions went toward experiences instead. With extra cash on hand, I was able to buy tickets to museums, foot bills at fancy French cafés, and cover travel expenses to visit nearby European countries with friends.

Looking back, I have no regrets about the shopping I missed out on, as it allowed me to fill my time abroad with unforgettable and enriching experiences that I would choose any day over a trendy addition to my closet.

A Capsule Wardrobe You’ll Actually Wear

When living off a quarter of your closet, it seems like a given that you would wear every item of clothing at some point, right? Wrong. At least for me.

Even though the task of making my wardrobe suitcase-sized should have forced me to pack only my most loved and easily repeatable staples, by the end of my time traveling I was surprised to find that there were pieces I had brought with me that I had never touched while living there.

How was this even possible? Unfortunately I, like a lot of people, am guilty of owning apparel that I like the idea of wearing more than the actual act of it.

Packing up my entire wardrobe should have theoretically made me bring only the items I would undoubtedly wear, but the truth is that even in situations such as this, there’s still room for wishful thinking and unrealistic expectations.

Limiting my clothing choices allowed me to realize which pieces I truly wear and gravitate towards, and which items I only like the idea of owning. I would argue that this is something that can only be realized in practice, as it is clear there’s often a discrepancy between which outfits we say we can’t live without and which ones this sentiment rings true for.

My suitcase-sized wardrobe forced me to see clearly how I needed to liberate myself from unnecessarily holding onto clothes just because of their associations with certain ideals or memories.

With less closet capacity, I realized I needed to rid myself of items that only served to take up space and to make room for a wardrobe designed for the person I am now instead of for some idealized version of who I wish to be in the future.

Simplicity Is In Style

Overall, a simpler wardrobe reminded me of the little joys in life. Despite my initial hesitancies, I found that I could easily dress myself with only a fraction of the clothes I would normally have access to. The biggest lesson I learned of all was one of gratitude, and how little I need in life to be happy (and stylish).

If you struggle with your clothes like I do, I would recommend decluttering your closet and your mind by creating a capsule wardrobe composed only of your most beloved staples you can’t live without. And if you want to go the extra mile, try and see if you can narrow down your capsule collection to fit into a suitcase. Or two, I won’t judge.

Finally, if you need some inspiration on where to find comfortable, go-to pieces perfect for repeated wear, you know where to look.

If you believe that every good wardrobe starts with owning less and owning better, consider buying yourself an OLIVER CHARLES sweater.