Getting Started

"Ah, I'm going to be late again!" That morning, I once again found myself stuck in decision paralysis in front of my closet. Hangers were filled with various clothes, drawers were stuffed with colorful T-shirts, yet I couldn't find anything I wanted to wear. After agonizing over it, I ended up putting on that same old black T-shirt again.

I had experienced this countless times, silently vowing each time to properly organize my closet, but it was always all talk and no action. Until that day, when I came across a video about minimalism on social media. The blogger's elegant style and well-organized closet completely won me over. I decided to make a radical change and begin my closet transformation journey.

Misconceptions

I used to be a "shopping addict," wanting to buy every piece of clothing I liked, often attracted by promotions like "buy three get one free" and "limited time offers." I naively thought that having more clothes would make it easier to create stylish outfits. However, reality proved this was completely wrong.

Researchers at the University of Michigan conducted an interesting experiment, finding that when choices exceed 7 options, decision-making efficiency significantly decreases. This reminded me of my own closet - I specifically counted and found I had 27 T-shirts alone, not to mention other types of clothing. No wonder I spent so much time in front of my closet every morning, yet still felt like I had nothing suitable to wear.

Impulsive shopping and scattered purchases led to my closet being filled with various styles of pieces that were difficult to coordinate. For example, I had a beautiful floral top that I thought looked great when I bought it, but after getting home, I realized I had no suitable pants to match it. As a result, this piece hung in my closet for an entire year, tags still attached.

Letting Go

After deciding to make a change, my first step was to do a thorough closet cleaning. Honestly, this process was really difficult, especially when facing clothes that I thought "I've already bought" or "might need someday." But I steeled myself and took out all my clothes, laying them out on the bed.

During the organization process, I noticed an interesting phenomenon: I was always wearing the same few pieces, while other clothes were basically "zombie clothes" - either worn once or twice and never touched again, or bought and just hung there. This reminded me of the famous 80/20 rule: we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.

I followed a very practical method for organizing: dividing all clothes into three categories. The first category was "immediate action," including clothes that no longer fit, were outdated, or damaged; the second category was "pending," needing careful consideration whether to keep; the third category was "must keep," these were the clothes I wore most often and liked best.

During the organization process, I encountered many "old friends." Like those jeans I bought thinking I'd wear them after losing weight, that formal dress bought for a friend's wedding, and various impulse purchases. Facing these clothes, I asked myself three questions: Have I worn it in the past year? Does it fit? Do I still like it? If the answer to any of these questions was negative, that piece would go into the "immediate action" box.

In the end, only one-third of the original clothes remained in my closet. To be honest, looking at the empty closet made me feel a bit reluctant to let go. But when I saw those neatly hanging clothes that were all my favorites, I felt particularly comfortable.

Color Revolution

After cleaning out my closet, I began to seriously study which colors suited me. It turns out that through a simple skin tone test, you can determine what color palette suits you. The specific testing method is: under natural light, hold a white paper next to your face and observe your skin's undertone. If it appears yellow or golden, you have a warm undertone; if it appears pink or blue, you have a cool undertone.

After testing, I discovered I have a warm undertone. This explained why I always looked sickly in cool-toned clothes, while warm colors like camel and apricot made my complexion look rosy. This revelation was an eye-opener - no wonder those grey and pure white clothes I bought before were barely worn after a few times.

Basic Coordination

In studying outfit coordination, I encountered a particularly useful concept: the capsule wardrobe. This concept was first proposed by American fashion designer Donna Karan, who believed that just 7 basic pieces could create 28 different looks. This idea really interested me, so I decided to build my wardrobe in this direction.

After repeated selection, I finally determined my seven basic pieces: a white shirt, black dress pants, dark blue jeans, a camel cardigan, a beige trench coat, white sneakers, and brown leather shoes. These pieces look basic, but each one was carefully selected in terms of fit, material, and color.

The white shirt took me the longest to choose. I tried many pieces before selecting a slightly loose fit in cotton material, which is both formal yet not too serious. For the black dress pants, I chose a high-waisted straight-leg style that both flatters the legs and is versatile.

Dark blue jeans are my essential piece - I chose dark blue because it's the most versatile color and doesn't go out of style. The camel cardigan is my layering essential, suitable for pairing with both shirts and T-shirts. The beige trench coat was my investment in outerwear - I chose this color because it brings out elegance without being too showy.

Shoe selection was also crucial. A pair of simple white sneakers can make the overall look young and energetic, while brown leather shoes can handle more formal occasions. These two pairs of shoes can cover almost all my daily activity needs.

Practical Experience

Through practice, I learned an important lesson: buying right is more important than buying more. I remember once seeing a discounted jacket that was very cheap, but something felt off when I tried it on. I still bought it, thinking it wasn't expensive. As a result, this jacket was barely worn and ended up hanging in my closet because I was never quite satisfied with it.

Later, I used the total cost of these cheap jackets to buy one good quality camel coat. Although it was expensive, I felt especially elegant every time I wore it. Most importantly, this coat could perfectly match with other pieces in my closet to create various different looks. This made me realize that instead of buying many cheap but unsatisfactory clothes, it's better to buy one more expensive piece that I truly love.

Investment Advice

After this period of practice, I developed a new understanding of clothing investment. I now use 70% of my budget on basics and 30% on trendy pieces. This ratio ensures my wardrobe is both practical and not too boring.

Investment in basics mainly focuses on versatile pieces, like the basic items mentioned earlier. Although these clothes have a higher unit price, they're actually cost-effective because they're worn frequently. For example, that 500-yuan white shirt I wear several times every week, and because of its good quality, it still looks crisp after more than a year. In comparison, those 100-yuan fast fashion shirts I used to buy would become misshapen and yellow after just a few wears.

Maintenance Tips

After carefully selecting the right clothes, maintenance became particularly important. Through this period of learning, I mastered many professional clothing storage and care methods.

First is the storage method. Different materials need different storage methods. For example, wool sweaters are best folded because hanging can cause them to lose shape; while suits and coats need to be hung to maintain their shape. I fold jeans inside out to prevent the front from wearing and fading.

Washing is also particular. I now decide on washing methods based on the material and degree of soiling. For example, I send wool sweaters and silk clothes for dry cleaning, while cotton clothes are hand washed or machine washed with mild detergent. Drying is also important - I hang clothes inside out to prevent direct sunlight from causing fading.

Through attention to these details, I found the lifespan of my clothes significantly increased. Those quality basics still look new after more than a year of wear, which further confirms the investment value of quality clothing.

Sharing Results

After three months of transformation, my closet underwent a complete change. First in quantity, reducing from completely full to well-organized, decreasing clothing by about 60%. But interestingly, my outfit choices actually increased. Because now all the clothes are carefully selected and can be freely mixed and matched, I can create different looks every day.

New Thoughts

This closet transformation gave me a lot to think about. I discovered that when we reduce unnecessary choices in life, we can actually gain more freedom. Just like my closet - while it seems like I have fewer choices, because each piece is carefully selected, my outfit coordination has become more effortless and natural.

This principle can actually extend to all aspects of life. Whether in work or life, rather than being troubled by too many choices, it's better to calm down, carefully consider what's truly needed, and then focus energy on these important things.

Now, every morning when I open my closet and see these clothes full of stories, I feel a sense of satisfaction. This feeling comes not only from simplified dressing but more from finding a lifestyle that suits me.

If your closet is also full of unworn clothes, why not start a major transformation today? Remember, simple doesn't equal boring - finding what suits you is most important. Believe that after the transformation, you too can experience the joy that minimalism brings.