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A list of 20 Wardrobe Essentials

03/06/2016 Tanja Vaillancourt

Could you live with just 20 pieces of clothing? Yes, you read that question right and no, I am not crazy! I think, I might just be able to do it.

Let me reassure you that these 20 pieces do not include: underwear, coats, sports clothes, garments for special occasions, accessories or jewelry.

Are you still breathing?

There are two reasons why I want to reduce the contents of my wardrobe, even if I am crazy about shopping. First, I only wear about a quarter of my clothes - a quarter! If I saved all that money instead, I could finally go to Capri or renovate my ugly bathroom.

Second, I would like to spend less of my free time shopping because there are better things to do on a Saturday afternoon than going to Zara (Ouch...I’ll admit, writing that last sentence really hurt).

I noticed that when you step into your forties, you also step into your true style (at least that’s what happened to me). It took me years to develop it. Before I would copy the style of girls that I thought were cool, but their styles did not fit me necessarily. Now I know what I really like to wear: Jeans, a nice top and sneakers. I also like to add a bold accessory like a flashy lipstick. It’s very simple, but it works for me.

When you have found your signature style, you need less. Your signature style becomes your uniform and uniforms are less expensive, right?

There are of course days where I enter H&M and all my resolutions get broken. And those days when I find fashion pictures like the one below (even if it is men’s fashion), and I want to buy all the accessories in the world, and roll myself in them all while screaming of joy.

But slowly, I am starting to behave and I am not buying clothes only because they are on sale, and I am not buying items I don’t need or wear like blazers and dresses. It’s a small change, but it’s still significant.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that I have reduced my wardrobe to twenty items, but I do have a plan. I always need a plan to start something new. Even if it takes me 5 years to reach it.

Here’s a list I created of 20 wardrobe essentials :

1. Light blue jeans

2. Dark blue jeans

3. Coloured jeans

4. Another pair of coloured jeans

5. White jeans

6. A white blouse

7. Another white shirt blouse

8. A coloured shirt

9. Another coloured shirt

10. A white t-shirt

11. Another white t-shirt

12. A grey t-shirt

13. Another grey t-shirt

14. A beige sweater

15. A black sweater

16. A coloured sweater

17. A dressy blouse

18. A dress

19. A skirt

20. A cardigan

Are you up for the challenge? You can start with 40 pieces and reduce every season until you reach 20.

Have fun with your clothes and whatever you do follow Iris Apfel’s advice: “Life is too short to wear boring clothes!”