Leaning into less
I've found having less in my wardrobe is lighter in so many ways.Fewer clothes means less impact, less washing, and less decision fatigue. If you nail it, you end up with a simple, curated selection that you always feel good in.
Here are a few of the things that have helped me lean into less when it comes to what I wear.
Getting to less:
It's estimated that we only regularly wear 20-30% of the stuff we have in our wardrobe. It's the stuff we feel good in, the favourites we always reach for.
Getting to less is embracing that 20-30% that you love, and passing on all of the other items that tend to just be 'noise'.
I spent a few hours trying everything I owned on, and was brutally honest about how it made me feel. If I didn't love it, off it went to find a new home.
Or maybe try a challenge like Project 333 where you only wear 33 items for 3 months to get a feel for the things that you love.
Or you could try removing one item from your wardrobe every day. If it's too much to get rid of things straight away, you can always box them up, and see if you miss them, before passing them on.
Staying at less:
1. Love it:
For things to make it into my wardrobe, I need to love them. The average age of stuff in my wardrobe is 8 years. So for something to be let in, I need to feel like I'll be into it for ages.
It can also help to know your style - what colours, cuts, and styles suit you? If you're not sure, you could always ask for a style consult for your next birthday present!
2. Avoid temptation:
If you're constantly tempted to buy clothes, see if you can avoid the source of temptation. Unsubscribe from marketing emails or unfollow relevant social media accounts. If you're a frequent 'go-to-the-mall-for-a-browse' type, maybe find something else to substitute the activity with - roller derby, rock climbing or macrame are 3 ideas that spring to mind.
3. The Spotlight Effect
Whenever I start worrying that people are judging me for wearing the same thing all the time, I remember the spotlight effect. It's a legit cognitive bias where we think that people notice us (and what
we wear) way more than actually do. Turns out we're all way too busy focusing on ourselves.
