Dear children,

I wrote this entry some time ago and decided to publish it today as we had a conversation about clothes not too long ago.

Aim of a minimalist wardrobe? To look well pulled together very quickly!

I commented that day to you it’s no use having lots of clothes, whether it is neatly folded and categorized (or not) , if they can’t be be put together, in a jiffy, for going out.

Mum’s tip: The best way to know what your ‘minimalist’ wardrobe is to note what you pack when planning to travel overseas. On such trips, one ends up packing very mercilessly as everything has a function to play – one will not pack excessively; because just think of all those clothes you have to unpack, wash and iron after you arrive home (gasp!). So yeap, the ones you pack on a trip form the basics of your minimalist wardrobe.

What is a capsule wardrobe, you asked? Apparently, it is a personal wardrobe which limits a person to a certain number of pieces per ‘season’ or you only wear at a certain ‘time’ of the year.

Mum’s clothes are pretty pared down already: my ‘cold season’ meaning winter clothing for sub-zero temps are the only ones put away. I have mastered the fine art of ‘layering’ and ‘simplifying’ so my capsule wardrobe contains workout clothes, special occasion clothes as well as the daily wear aligned as one – because I choose to be a minimalist.

Also one of the things I do every year is ‘purge’ my wardrobe (meaning give away , donate or dispose for recycling). As I ‘change’ in my lifestyle, priorities and habits, year on year (as one gets older, one prioritises different things), there are certain clothes that are no longer good for me. I also purge items that no longer fit and poor quality pieces eg. made out of ‘not-so-good’ fabric that has undergone wear and tear after just one or two washings…

Whilst doing all the above, I am also taking note and making a list of the sort of clothes I will NOT buy in future:

’Any man can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his error.’ — Marcus Tullius Cicero

Some time back, I had also learnt from watching a drama, a lady executive would bring a picture of a clothes item and then show to the boutique assistant to help her find her something to match the clothing. So I guess if you have a favourite item in your wardrobe that you are loathed to part with, this might be something to do if you wish to keep that item and get fashion advice at the same time.

All these quarterly wardrobe ‘emptying’ allows Mum to see the final clothes I have and I just simply wear from this set – which is great because I am wearing pieces I like. At the same time, my constant ‘editing’ of my wardrobe lets me see where are the areas (of which I will note down/ take a picture) and do the necessary ‘follow-up’ action – not buying something from a sale, even if it is ‘really good buy’, buying clothes that can ‘go with’ at least 2 other items in my current wardrobe.

The greatest part of this resolution is I no longer spend time every morning mulling over what I should wear. My wardrobe ‘works’ for me – I can ‘mix-match’ something together very quickly because I have lesser clothes and they all have something to go with each other (colour matchy matchy) for the type of functions I need to attend.

One needs to aim for a ‘pared-down’ wardrobe.

Your loving mum