Yes, I’m aware of the irony. There are ads here and shopping recommendations- and still, here I am preaching about mindful shopping and creating timeless wardrobes.
A timeless wardrobe is classic and versatile. You can wear it to all occasions, and it will never go out of style. It makes you feel confident and comfortable because you know that your outfit is perfect for the occasion. It of a variety of classic pieces that can’t be boxed into a single fashion trend. It should seamlessly take you from day to night, and also from season to season. You should have basics in your wardrobe that you can mix and match with other items.
Granted, there are no rules for what constitutes a classic, timeless wardrobe. However, it should be made of a few different colors, fabrics, styles, lengths and shapes. But before we get into the principles of creating a timeless wardrobe, why should you create one?
Why You Should Create a Timeless Wardrobe
Saving Money
Today, the average person spends about $161 monthly on clothes, without counting shoes and accessories. Women generally spend $200 to $400 per month on cute outfits. This is the same amount an average household spends on food.
Why is this? Because the clothes we buy are fashionable today and useless tomorrow. You must keep buying new clothes to keep up with the ever-rising trends.
This is money that could be spent on investments and other important things.
Saving the Environment
But money isn’t the only thing we are wasting in fast fashion. According to The True Cost, the average American throws away 82 pounds of clothes yearly. Add this to the 13 million tons of textile waste fast fashion manufacturers are adding to landfills, and you can see why global warming is inevitable.
By buying higher quality and more long-lasting clothes, we won’t need to throw away clothes every season. A timeless wardrobe means your current clothes serve you for years because they are always fashionable and in good condition.
To Have a Sense of Order
I know I’m not alone in this. You go to your closet, look through your million and one clothes and find absolutely nothing to wear. It seems the more clothes we accumulate, the worse our mornings get. No matter how big your house is, organizing clothes that increase every week is impossible, hence the issue of finding something to wear. But if you have fewer but classic pieces, it would be easier to organize them both physically and mentally.
Convinced yet?
Awesome. Now let’s begin building this classic wardrobe.
Ignore Trends
Now, the secret to a classic and timeless wardrobe is not succumbing to trends. Your social media feed may be full of one thing- a fringe dress, biker shorts, sequin dress, or tattered denim pants. But we know that these trends are here today and gone tomorrow. Fast fashion is how you ended up here in the first place.
That doesn’t mean you can’t buy into a trend if you really like it. For example, the unfinished jeans trend was awesome, and I picked up two beautiful pants. The point is to keep it to a minimum and not change your entire wardrobe to fit that trend.
Minimize and Organize
In my journey to live a more mindful life, one of the things I had to do was cut down on the number of clothes I was buying. But simply stopping to shop won’t solve your late-mornings dilemma. You must also know what’s in your closet and find out if you have everything you require.
This calls for an open closet. Take out everything from the closet and dump it on a clean floor. You will take each piece of clothing and throw it in one of these three piles- keep, maybe, out.
The ‘out’ pile is for anything you haven’t worn in the last six months unless it’s an event gown. Anything that you don’t like and things that look too old, big or small, also belong in this pile.
The keep pile is every piece you wear regularly. If you love it and you wear it, keep it. And of course the maybe pile is those items you are torn about. After that, you have to sort your keep pile into seasonals and purposes. For example, heavy coats for the winter season and flowery beach outfits should have their own space.
As for purpose, it’s good to divide your clothes into work outfits and casual wear for everyday wear. This organizational process will help you notice a few pieces that need something else to be completed. I found out that I own quite a few official pants and very few blouses to go with them. You will find a dress you love but haven’t worn in a while because there was no shoe for it.
Have You Seen It Before?
So, what do you buy if you ignore trends? My rule of thumb is to buy things I’ve seen in the past. Some silhouettes, fabrics, and designs never go out of style. If we are talking about dresses, a pastel summer dress without prints, a white maxi dress, or anything deep blue are things we have seen time and time again for a long time.
Personally, I try to stick to a fashion persona known as classic, preferably with the same body shape as me, and ask myself, “would she wear that?”
Know Your Taste
Being classic and timeless is not enough reason to buy an item of clothing. You must also love it and feel good in it. This means wearing items that match your personal taste and look good on you.
I personally only wear flat shoes. Even my bridal shoes were flat because I cannot stand high heels. While a good black stiletto is the ultimate classic fit, it is not my style, and I would not enjoy wearing it. This applies to many other classic and timeless looks, but I wouldn’t pull them off.
If you know what looks good on you, what makes you feel comfortable, and stay true to your personal style, it will be easier to pick items you love to wear repeatedly. This also means knowing your body type so you can buy items that accentuate your shape and height.
Buy Quality
Again, creating a timeless wardrobe is a form of mindful shopping. You have to pick high-quality pieces that will last a long time, so you don’t have to replace clothes every month. Although a quality dress may cost a little more, its versatility and durability will make it worthwhile. The high cost of one item will also deter you from mindless shopping.
How do you know something is high quality, besides the price? You can tell from the stitching and the fabric. Even if you buy from a second-hand store, the quality of the fabric remains the same. But for these pieces to last a long time, you’ll need to take good care of them. Learn how to wash, dry and iron quality clothing like organic cotton, wool, cashmere and silk.
Stick to Simple Shapes and Neutral Colors
Last but not least, choose clothing with simple shapes and silhouettes. High-low, asymmetrical, frills, and all these weird shapes may look fun, but they are not versatile. The idea here is to stick to basic pieces that you can mix and match with other items and create a completely new outfit every day with the same pieces.
For instance, you can wear a pair of black dress pants with different tops and blazers to break the monotony. Sometimes all you do is change up the jewelry and the shoes, and you have a new outfit. This applies to basic pencil skirts, A-line dresses, and tight denim pants. The versatility allows you to have fewer clothes that can be used for much longer.
Neutral colors are also the backbone of a timeless wardrobe. You want your basic pieces to be black, gray, beige, navy blue, and white. This makes it easy to match them with other items and add a touch of color. Think about how many colors of tops you can wear with black pants, as opposed to a pink pair.
When it comes to clothes, you want versatility, long-lasting wear, and elegance. You will get all this if you stick to simple shapes and neutral colors, as long as you are true to your sense of style.
Does this mean you can’t buy that colorful, frilly dress you saw at the store? Absolutely not. Sometimes summer calls for fun-looking items that don’t do much for your classic wardrobe but will be very useful every summer. What we are saying is that the vast majority of your wardrobe should be items you have thought through and curated for that timeless look and not things you bought on a whim.
pieces that will really serve you. After all, this is an investment you are making in yourself, and you should not rush it.
When you are done, you will have fewer clothes but feel better about what you own. Each piece will be there for a specific reason, and you will know how to style it in different ways. As your wardrobe becomes more timeless, your mornings will become easier, and getting dressed will be fun again. You will also save money in the long run because you will no longer be buying clothes unnecessarily.
FAQs
A capsule wardrobe is a collection of timeless pieces that can be mixed and matched to create multiple outfits. A timeless wardrobe is a capsule wardrobe that is always in style and does not go out of fashion.
There is no set number, but a good rule of thumb is to have around 30 pieces in your wardrobe, including shoes and accessories.
Yes, a timeless wardrobe can be affordable. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on clothes to create a timeless look. Stick to simple shapes and neutral colors, and buy quality pieces that will last you a long time.
Some tips for creating a timeless wardrobe include decluttering your closet, choosing versatile pieces, and sticking to simple shapes and neutral colors.