Men: How To Build A Minimalist Wardrobe

Written by Marc | 27/05/2019

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How To

Ever heard yourself saying “I have nothing to wear” whilst looking at a wardrobe with clothes filling every space possible. You are not alone; most people do not wear at least 50% of their wardrobe. You have too many choices of clothing, resulting in having “nothing to wear” and therefore buying more clothes that you don’t really want and don’t really need. This vicious cycle can be very frustrating, especially on your wallet. The answer? A minimalist wardrobe.

Okay, so we’re not saying go full-on Marie Kondo and empty your wardrobe completely, we all need that 3-Piece Suit for the occasional wedding that pops up. But by having a more minimal or capsule wardrobe can help those early morning panics when you have nothing to wear. But how do you have a minimalist wardrobe? Here we do the hard work for you and build you one from scratch.

A capsule wardrobe

The main points of a capsule wardrobe are:

Versatility – the pieces in your wardrobe need to do two or three times.
Colours – choose solid and neutral colours: black, white, navy and khaki. Stay away from graphics, logos and wild prints. It’s easier to get away with wearing similar outfits if you have 5 solid colours, people will start to remember that one graphic t-shirt you always seem to wear.
Appropriateness – your wardrobe needs to match your lifestyle, there’s no point in having a wardrobe of t-shirts, jeans and over-shirts if you work 9-5 in an office.
Quality over quantity – pay more and invest in higher quality items, you’ll be wearing them most days so make sure they’re going to last a while, especially your jacket and shoes.

“Help me build a minimalist wardrobe.”

A simple minimalist wardrobe we’ve worked out for you has just 14 pieces. 2 jackets (1 blazer, 1 casual), 8 tops (a mixture of t-shirts, polos and shirts), 2 pairs of pants (1 pair of chinos and 1 pair of jeans), a pair of shoes and a pair of trainers. With these 14 pieces you can mix and match and give the appearance you have more clothes than you do.

Obviously, this collection will need more adding to it, depending on your lifestyle and the season. You won’t need your shorts and scarves in your collection all the time. So, it might be handy to have mini capsule wardrobes to incorporate into your main one for each season, again we’ve done the work for you (you’re welcome).

Winter add-on collection

As winter is all about keeping warm, layering is the key. Here are the pieces to add to your wardrobe in winter. Darker colours work well in winter and good sturdy boots to keep your feet dry in the unpredictable rain. Layer up your shirts under jumpers or swap out your short-sleeved polo for a long sleeved one. Get a good thick coat that will keep you warm and one that can be easily layered with a jumper and scarf for extra warmth.

Ralph Lauren Jumper| Barbour Coat | Pretty Green Hat & Scarf | Fred Perry Polo Shirt | Luke 1977 Jumper

Summer add-on collection

You will also need a few extras for those much-loved heat waves. But unless you’re on holiday, you probably won’t need flip flops and swim shorts, keep these in your suitcase. Having a good pair of chino shorts and light chinos are perfect depending on the weather. Swap out your shoes for some boat shoes, they’re versatile and look smart. Short sleeved shirts work better in summer, especially under a light denim jacket, if it’s a bit breezy. Add in lighter, brighter hues of blues to your t shirts for summer.

These capsule wardrobes won’t work for everyone but we hope they have inspired you to declutter your wardrobe and have a go at selecting a view choice pieces that you can mix and match.