July 14, 2025

Clothing Conundrums, Minimalist Wardrobe Problems, and Shopping IRL.

There was a recent Best of Both Worlds podcast guest who was a "wardrobe expert".  Last year my goal was to only own things I love and wear, and I am like 85% of the way there.  However, one of the problems with a "minimalist" wardrobe is that my stuff gets used A LOT and some of the things I own are starting to wear out.

I also try not to own a lot of stuff I don't often wear.  For instance, it's usually not hot here, so I only own 2 sleeveless shirts for hot weather.  

When it is hot, I think I might benefit from another sleeveless shirt.  

I decided to try and find the following pieces which will help my wardrobe situation:

A pair of shorts. Buying another pair of shorts was a 2024 goal and I did not succeed.  I have two relatively unflattering target pairs, 1 awesome denim pair which I bought seocnd hand 15 years ago, and 1 long cargo pair also secondhand 15 years ago.

A dress. I have about 5 dresses but all of them are work dresses and I wish I had a fun dress I could just throw on when it's hot.

A jumpsuit/playsuit.  Some people look soooo put together in these and I would love to have a simple thing that makes me look put together!

A sleeveless shirt.  I have this shirt and I love it and I wish they made it in another color

A denim Jacket in not blue I have a blue denim jacket but now I also have mostly blue denim jeans and I want a different jacket to wear.  Also I have heard that a denim jacket can make "worky" clothes more casual, so maybe my "work dresses" could become casual dresses with the right jacket.

I ordered a pile of clothes from one of my favourite brands and when it all arrived I didn't like ANYTHING.  

One of the comments the podcast guest made was that it's important to feel how things feel and see things in a shop.  Half the stuff I ordered I wouldn't have even tried on in a shop because I could see immediately it was a weird cut or I didn't like the fabric.

I realized that while it seems "easier" to order online I basically spent 30 minutes putting the order together, 15 minutes trying stuff on, and probably 20 minutes returning it all later.   Almost an hour to buy... nothing.

I think I'm going to have to go to a store and look for clothes.  I don't love the idea, but overall it seems it will be quicker than piddling my time ordering on the internet.  Alternatively, I may have to just frequent the local charity shops more and hope that one of the above items shows up in my size... but that seems improbable.

Also, there is a mexican restaurant in town, so at least if I figure out a time to go shopping I can also get mexican food.

Do you shop in real life or shop online? Are there any "wardrobe staples" you're after at the moment?

2 comments:

  1. My body type is so hard to fit so I really need to try clothes on. I hate clothes shopping in retail environments, but I feel like it's less pressured in thrift stores, so that's where I buy most of my clothes. I buy almost nothing new and couldn't imagine buying clothing online because my sizing is so all over the place (smallish waist, but giant hips and it makes it soooo hard to know how things will fit IRL).

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  2. I can relate! Part of my issue is that I've gained weight in the past few years, so the brands/sizes that worked before stopped working and I had to figure everything out all over again. I did exactly what you did: ordered stuff and sent most of it back, then repeated until I found what works now. Most of my clothes shopping is online.

    I'm not sure if I qualify as a minimalist. I don't have a ton of clothes but I have enough to everything so that I only have to do laundry once a week.

    I don't think you'll ever regret having an extra pair of shorts, short sleeve/sleeveless tops, and a few simple summer dresses. The tops and dresses can be worn year round with an extra layer on top. Personally a jumpsuit would be my last choice - it's too hard when the top and the bottom are the same piece and it all has to come down to use the bathroom.

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