MINIMALIST AUTUMN WARDROBE: HOW TO GET YOUR WARDROBE READY FOR AUTUMN
In this article we look at some simple ways to get your wardrobe ready for autumn and how to create a minimalist autumn wardrobe that works for you and your life!
THE BENEFITS OF A MINIMALIST WARDROBE
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my own wardrobe and how to get the best use out of a smaller range of clothes. I’m in a busy season of life and I don’t have time, energy, money or motivation to be thinking about what I want to wear each day. I just want to be ready, comfortable and up for whatever my day throws at me – the good and the bad!
A minimalist wardrobe has many benefits. It’s quicker to find clothes, create your outfit, know that everything you own feels good and looks good, and it makes shopping easier too. In fact, there are many good reasons why Steve Jobs and other successful and famous people choose to wear the same style every day. It’s good for reducing stress, avoiding decision fatigue and it’s better for the environment too.
If you’re interested in learning more about creating a simplified wardrobe, you might enjoy these capsule wardrobe tips to help you build your own capsule wardrobe and this article on how to stop buying clothes you don’t need.
REVIEWING MY WARDROBE AT THE START OF EACH SEASON
Although a minimalist wardrobe is definitely easier to work with, I do still try to regularly review my clothes and check they’re working well for me. Our bodies, style and lifestyle all change and so too do our requirements for our clothes. One of the ways I make sure I review my own clothes regularly is to do this at the start of every season.
I share some ideas in my article on how to do a seasonal clothes declutter if you feel that might be helpful to you.
Autumn is a good time to declutter for many reasons. However, in today’s article, I wanted to share some thoughts on how to get your wardrobe ready for autumn. I’m in the UK, so autumn for me is the time to get cosy as the weather turns colder and the colours change from the hot brights of summer to the more muted oranges, reds and browns of the autumnal falling leaves.
MINIMALIST AUTUMN WARDROBE TIPS
Here are some tips on how to create a minimalist autumn wardrobe and get your wardrobe ready for autumn!
1. Clear out your wardrobe
Start the season with a blank canvas and take everything out. Give your closet a clean and wipe down. Remove anything from your wardrobe that’s not clothes or clothing-related items. Find alternative storage for these things. Your wardrobe is not a general storage space!
2. Remove out-of-season clothes
If you like to store out-of-season clothes in a different place than in your regular wardrobe, remove all the warm weather, summer season clothes and put them away in a box, bag or other wardrobe or drawer. You probably won’t need summer shorts on a cold autumnal day. Removing out of season clothes gives you more space and stops you having to sift through clothes each morning that just aren’t going to be appropriate for your day.
3. Bring colder weather clothes out of storage
Dig out your colder weather clothes from storage. If they’ve been sitting in a box or bag somewhere they might need a quick wash or de-crease to get rid of any crumples or smells. I’ve heard that storing clothes in vacuum pack bags helps reduce the chance of smells and damage. Let me know in the comments if you have any experience of this?
4. What clothes can transition from summer to autumn?
Think about what clothes from summer you could transition through into autumn. Autumn can be cold but there can be warm and sunny days too. They can take us by surprise if we’ve been too hasty and put all our warm weather clothes away!
5. Consider layering
Having clothes that we can layer up is a good way to make your warm weather clothes usable in autumn too. For example, as I’m writing this, I have a short sleeve t-shirt on underneath a long sleeve t-shirt underneath one of my favourite sweatshirts. The sweatshirt isn’t made of very thick material but wearing multiple layers under it (that no-one but me can see) is a way I can enjoy wearing it for longer into the colder autumn months.
Another way of layering is to wear tights under trousers, or leggings under dresses. What other creative ways can you think of to make warm weather clothes transition longer into the colder autumn?
6. Putting your clothes back
Put the clothes you’re keeping for this season back in the wardrobe. Hang what you can and won’t be damaged from the hanging. Fold whatever is best stored flat.
As you’re putting your clothes back in the wardrobe, assess each piece. If you know you wear it and enjoy wearing it, put it back. If you’re not sure when you last wore it or you’re not sure if it feels comfortable still, try it on. Wear it for a while, a whole day, and notice how it feels. If it doesn’t feel right, are you really going to be happy wearing it? And, if you’re not going to wear it, do you need to keep it?
Capsule wardrobes only work if every piece you keep is there based on its own individual merit. If you don’t wear an item, it doesn’t deserve a space. Maybe somebody else could wear and appreciate it more than you can right now?
7. Dispose of clothes that you don’t want to keep
Get rid of clothes that don’t fit, you don’t love anymore and which you don’t wear. Donate, recycle or sell them according to your preferences.
Pop a box in the bottom of your wardrobe. As you wear your clothes through autumn, if you don’t like the feel or look of something, drop it into the box to deal with every now and then. Don’t just hang the item back up as it will take up space even if you never wear it again!
8. Dealing with sentimental clothing items
Sentimental items that you don’t want to let go of because they remind you of a person, place, event or experience in some way may be worth keeping if they mean something special to you. But, if you don’t actually wear them, do you need to keep them in your wardrobe? For example, could they be kept in a memory box instead or could you use them in a different way?
I have an old t-shirt which I bought on holiday once. I love it because it reminds me of that holiday but it’s seen better days and I don’t want to wear it out and about like a regular item of clothing. So, instead, I wear it at night in bed.
9. Organise your clothes
With the clothes you’re keeping, maybe you’d like to organise them in some way. I like to group my clothes by category – jeans, trousers, T-shirts, blouses, jackets, dresses and so on. Within those categories, I arrange them in rainbow order. Not only does this make it easy to find things but it looks great when I open my wardrobe doors! How would you like to organise your clothes for ease and design?!
10. Be inspired by autumn colours
When I say ‘rainbow order’ I actually mean a very limited colour palette of greys, blacks, burgundy and the odd navy blue or khaki green! I’m not very exciting when it comes to colours but I know myself and what I feel comfortable wearing. I’ve experimented with different colours over the years but always go back to my tried and trusted but well-loved neutral palette.
Autumn has some beautiful colours that could influence your own wardrobe colour palette if that’s something you’d like to explore this season. Could you draw on inspiration from nature to inject some fall colour, maybe for accessories, if not for the wardrobe staple pieces. Choosing accents of colour for accessories such as scarves, hats, belts or bags is a great way to update a minimalist wardrobe without spending a fortune.
11. Notice any gaps and add to your shopping list
Another way to get your wardrobe ready for autumn is, as you hang and maybe organise your clothes, do you get a sense of anything that might be missing? Are there any gaps? Too few pieces of knitwear? Room for another pair of warm trousers? Worn out but well-loved jeans that might need replacing before long? Spend some time working out what gaps you have and what you might like to look for in the shops. Here are some tips on shopping intentionally.
12. Looking after your clothes
I noticed for myself that with my own more minimalist wardrobe, I’ve become much more choosy about what I include. I prefer natural fabrics such as cotton and wool and avoid man-made fabrics such as acrylic and polyester. I hate how they feel next to my skin, and they make me too hot and sweaty! I’d rather have fewer sweaters but that are better quality than several cheap ones that make me feel yuck. However, I have to be careful how I look after these items and put them on a delicate or wool cycle through the laundry.
13. Get your accessories ready
Autumn can be cold so make sure you have those hats, gloves and scarves handy instead of tucked at the back or bottom of your wardrobe. Use drawer dividers, boxes or other organisation solutions to keep them easy to find and reach for.
14. Don’t forget your underwear!
Don’t forget about your underwear too. Maybe it’s the season to dig out those warm pyjamas or thermals. Thermal vests are another way to keep wearing your favourite lighter tops and blouses longer into autumn.
Not only is Autumn a great season to play around with colour, but texture too. From tights with skirts and dresses to the feel of velvets, lambswool, leather, fine weave to chunky cable knit and more, you can create contrast and individuality with different fabrics. This is especially great if you want excitement from your minimalist wardrobe but don’t want to express this through bright colours and different shapes.
15. Coats and outerwear
Another way to get your wardrobe ready for autumn is to sort out your outerwear! Cold weather usually means that an autumn wardrobe must-have is a coat or two. I have a waterproof coat for those really rainy wet days (which I layer sweaters or a gilet underneath for added warmth) and my big padded coat for when the weather is really cold. Check your coat(s) fit, is clean and don’t have any holes that need repairing so you’re ready to reach for it when you need it.
16. Footwear
Don’t forget to think about your footwear too. This may be the season for wellies and boots so make sure they still feel comfortable and don’t need repairing.
17. Assess your autumn wardrobe at the end of the season
At the end of the season when it becomes time to review your seasonal wardrobe again, make a note of which clothes from your autumn wardrobe you never got around to actually wearing. Was it because you didn’t like them, always passed them over in favour of something else, had multiples of the same item, or just didn’t get the opportunity to wear them?
I find this is a good litmus test for my clothes. If I thought I’d wear something this past season but didn’t, depending on the reason, it may be that it’s time to let that item go. Maybe somebody else could get more wear and enjoyment out of it than I!
18. Use my Simplify Your Wardrobe workbook!
To help you create your own capsule wardrobe based on your personal style and individual lifestyle, I’ve created a workbook to help you brainstorm and build your own minimalist wardrobe. You can use it throughout the year and/or at the start of each season to make sure your clothes are working for you in the best way possible and even get your own wardrobe ready for autumn!
Click here to learn more about Simplify Your Wardrobe.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
I hope you enjoyed this article on how to get your wardrobe ready for autumn. Do you have any thoughts or ideas to add? I’d love to hear from you so please leave a comment below!
Here are some more resources to help you declutter clothes and create your own minimalist wardrobe.
- How to Declutter Clothes in 10 Easy Steps – Having a simpler, decluttered wardrobe full only of clothes that you love to wear can reduce your time and stress and make getting dressed a much easier and more enjoyable experience! Create space in your closet and more time for yourself with these tips on how to declutter clothes in 10 easy steps.
- Which Clothes to Declutter? Simple Questions to Help You Decide – Decluttering your clothes can make life easier and help you find what to wear with more ease and less stress. The question is though, how do you know which clothes to declutter? Here are some simple questions to help you decide.
- How to Purge Your Closet Quickly – If you’d like to declutter your clothes but struggle with deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, here are some ideas on how to purge your closet quickly. Create space in your closet and make getting dressed each day quicker, easier and more enjoyable.
- How to Simplify Your Wardrobe – Check out this post for 20 tips on how to simplify your wardrobe. Declutter and streamline your closet and save time, money and stress without compromising on looking or feeling good! Simple tips for a simple wardrobe.
- 16 Spring Wardrobe Tips to Get Your Closet Ready for Spring – In this article we look at some simple ways to get your closet ready for spring. 16 simple spring wardrobe tips that work for you and your life!
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I’m Antonia and on this blog I share practical inspiration to simplify your home, time and life. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest! You can also subscribe to Balance Through Simplicity and receive regular simplicity tips straight to your inbox for free. Make sure you never miss an article plus you’ll get a copy of my free Declutter Starter Kit as a welcome gift!