I know, did I just say limit your clothes? As in, the opposite of what lots of people do who go to the malls and retail stores and shops for clothes, even if they don’t need it?

Yes, yes I did. A minimalist wardrobe is an easy wardrobe to maintain. How do I know? Take a look at this picture:

And yet how do I still manage to go to work without someone possibly noticing that I wear the same shirts/tops and pants each week? (Maybe they do but don’t say anything. That’s okay, because I really don’t care.) It’s because the shirts (and the rest of my clothes) are clean, of good quality, and most importantly, I am confident in who I am.

I do not dress myself in order to please others or fit into a certain image that others have set for me. That would only set myself up for disappointment.

Instead, I opt for choice and freedom in how I choose to live, which includes my minimalist wardrobe and style.

Why a minimalist wardrobe? For multiple reasons:

1. Having only a choice few articles of favorite clothing means you can afford to spend a little more on better quality items than having 5 mediocre kinds of the same variation.

Example: Instead of 10 pairs of jeans, which almost always looks the same anyways, have 1 or 2 favorite pairs at the most that make you absolutely feel and look fantastic. And if you like jeans from a particular store though it’s more expensive, go ahead, because that’ll be the only pair you have and you needn’t use the rest of that money towards 4 other kinds of okay-looking and not-so-great-fitting jeans. Get my drift?

2. Having less clothes means you have freed up closet space.

BUT not to be filled with more new clothes or additional clutter! More space means it’ll be easier to clean, manage, and you are able to find things right away. How many times have you had a closet where you dread opening it, for fear of being buried alive under the massive amount of clothes just waiting to burst out? I know many people’s closets that are like that.

3. Limiting your clothes reduces the complications of deciding what to wear.

Example: If you only have 5 dress shirts, then your decision-making is simplified. You choose 1 out of those 5 great dress shirts instead of the 30 you used to own. If you only have 1 belt, you wear that belt. So much easier to decide what to wear when there aren’t a hundred choices laid out in front of you.

4. Limiting your clothes simplifies your overall wardrobe.

There’s no need to follow seasonal trends that inevitably go out of style in a few short months. Having a few, classic staples in your minimalist wardrobe is all you really need.

So, if you’ve been wanting to clear out your closet now for a while, consider getting rid of multiple items. Reduce your clothes by half. Ten t-shirts now become 5 or less. Twenty ties now become 10 or less. Five belts now become 2 or 3. Choose the better-quality clothes or the clothes that you really, really like, and get rid of the rest.

Donate to a local shelter or pass it along to a friend or family member who’d love to have whatever you’re giving away. I do that a lot and no one seems to mind. Host a clothes-swap party with your friends. The possibilities are out there.

Want to learn more about having a minimalist style? Come back on Thursday, July 1, for the launch of my first ebook, The Ultimate Minimalist Style Guide, yours to download for free!