Whenever someone asks about my clothes, I joke that I wear basically the same thing every day. Still, after years of saying that — and even admitting I owned only one bra for a long time — a surprising number of people reacted strongly when they saw the hanging bar in my closet on Instagram. My inbox filled with DMs about my sparse, mostly-black wardrobe. One person called it “the wildest thing they’ve seen on the internet in 2018.” Considering 2018 also brought us Gritty, that’s saying something.
To be clear: I don’t literally wear the exact same pieces every day. I have a relatively small collection of clothes I genuinely love and wear frequently — similar colors, styles, and silhouettes — which I fondly call my “uniform.” Think Steve Jobs or Michael Kors, but with fewer turtlenecks and less billionaire energy.
We do laundry once a week at my house, which feels pretty average, so my wardrobe is built to get me from laundry day to laundry day. The goal is to have enough outfits you love to cover your life — warm days, dressy events, casual outings — without excess items that just take up space.
If overflowing drawers and closets stress you out, or you like the idea of a compact wardrobe filled with items you actually wear (and less money wasted on impulse buys), this post will walk you through my approach. There are people with even fewer pieces and many other ways to pare down; I’ll simply share what works for me. If you love a full, varied closet, this might not be your cup of tea — and that’s totally fine.
My plan is to take you through my closet and drawers, explain my process for keeping a minimal wardrobe, and demonstrate how I create many outfits — casual to dressy, warm to cold — using a pared-down selection of tops and bottoms I call my “uniform.”
This method is a formula you can adapt: plug in your favorite silhouettes, colors, and pieces to make it work for you. You can even dye items at home to fit your palette better.
Closet Video Tour
To start, I recorded a video tour of my closet, opening drawers (mine and John’s) and showing how I store items and why the system works for me. If you can’t see the embedded video in a feed reader, you may need to click through to the original post or view it on YouTube.
Update: A few people asked where my painting clothes are — I have a strange habit of painting in my PJs inside out. You can see an old post where I mention this from 2011.
Now that you’ve seen the space and heard about my uniform, I’ll answer common questions in a Q&A style below.
How Does a “Uniform” Work?
A uniform isn’t about identical skirts or shirts. It’s finding your personal “dress code” — the cuts, colors, and silhouettes that make you feel confident and comfortable. When you discover what consistently works for you, you naturally reach for those pieces more often. The trick is understanding why they work, so you can stop buying things that don’t match your preferences.
Once you know your formula, you can quickly dismiss items in a store or dressing room that don’t fit your criteria. That saves money, reduces clutter, and makes getting dressed simpler and happier.
There’s no single magic number of items for everyone — lifestyle matters. Athletes or those with physically demanding jobs will need more of certain garments. I use “uniforms” (plural) to describe different seasonal or situational wardrobes: casual weekend, workout, work, etc. The key is having enough of each to get you to your next laundry day without doubles or triples of everything.
This method worked for me even when I lived in NYC with an office job and a tiny closet. Layering was essential: a handful of tops plus several jackets or blazers multiply outfit combinations — five tops layered under seven jackets equals dozens of looks.
What Exact Items Are in My “Uniform”?
If you follow our content, my uniform is familiar: black v-neck tops, jeans, black scoop tanks, denim shorts, blazers, leather or suede jackets, and a black dress or two. I often wear a blazer to speaking events and signings because it’s my tried-and-true go-to — it makes me feel put-together and actually gets used, so it earns its place in the closet.
Living in New York for six years pushed me toward black. I do occasionally add navy or olive, but brighter colors tend to languish unworn because my black pieces are my favorites. Accepting that freed me from buying items I wouldn’t wear and saved money.
Over the years I realized I prefer slightly fitted tops — they flatter my 5’2″ frame more than billowy cuts. I also prefer shorter shorts because longer styles can look frumpy on my petite frame. Understanding these specifics helps me avoid unnecessary purchases that don’t work in real life.
If you lay your favorite outfits on the bed, you’ll probably spot common threads — certain colors, cuts, or silhouettes. Use those observations to define your own formula. Layering remains a powerful tool: a handful of tops and several jackets multiplied by several bottoms equals far more outfit options than you might expect.
How to Pare Down Your Closet
A simple exercise: pull your favorite outfits — the ones you wear most — and lay them on your bed. Count them. Those pieces might be all you need to get from laundry day to laundry day. The rest can go into storage. Try it for a few weeks; if you don’t miss the extras, donate or consign them.
If you only find a few favorites, identify the common elements you do love — color families, fits, and silhouettes. Create a clear set of parameters so future purchases align with what you genuinely wear rather than vague trends.
Calculating Your Closet Needs
Think in numbers: how many outfits do you need between wash days? We wash once a week, so I keep about 10 bottoms: 4 jeans, 4 shorts, 1 skirt, and 1 pair of yoga pants, plus a few dresses. I don’t wash denim after every wear, so a few pairs last through the week.
Count what you actually need for your lifestyle — work, exercise, kids — and compare that to what you own. If you keep repeating outfits in practice, consider storing the rest temporarily and see if you miss them.
Buying multiples of favorite basics can also help — I own three inexpensive black tanks because I wear them frequently and like them to stay fresh.
A Few Reasons We Buy Things We Don’t Wear
Common traps: aspirational purchases for hypothetical events, bargains that aren’t actually worn, or items bought to feel trendier but that end up uncomfortable. Being honest about what you actually wear helps end those cycles.
That One Colorful Item
I own one colorful dress that looks out of place in my black-filled closet. I wear it for photoshoots and promotional images where an all-black outfit would disappear. One “fake uniform” is enough to fill that specific need; you rarely need a whole set.
Shopping Tip: Protect Your Closet GPA
Think of your closet like a GPA. Grade each item on how much you wear and love it. Keep the A’s and let the D’s and F’s go. When shopping, ask whether a new piece raises or lowers your closet GPA. If it lowers it, don’t buy it.
You Don’t Have to Be Minimal Everywhere
Minimalism for me is selective. I embrace a small wardrobe but keep a larger jewelry collection — over 20 pairs of big earrings — because that’s part of what makes me feel like myself. The goal is ease and joy, not deprivation.
Does Owning Less Cause Faster Wear?
People ask if frequent wear means things wear out sooner. I do laundry weekly like most people, and fewer items actually encourage better care. Clothes aren’t crammed into drawers or hung haphazardly, so I’m more likely to treat them gently, fix small issues, and follow care instructions. I also wash denim and dark items inside out in cold water, and tumble dry low to protect them.
I have blazers and jeans I’ve kept for several years, so a minimal wardrobe doesn’t mean constant replacement. Buying a few multiples of inexpensive staples can keep things looking fresh.
How I Combine My Outfits
Outfit combinations are mostly about silhouette and accessories. My go-to formula for a dressed-up or meeting-ready look is skinny pants + fitted tank + jacket (blazer or leather). Shoes, jewelry, and a clutch or purse change the vibe instantly.
Left: jeans, heels, fitted top, leather jacket. Right: jeans, dressier shoes, striped tank, blazer, necklace, watch.
Summer combos follow the same patterns: tanks, shorts or skirts, sandals or flats, and accessories to finish the look. A tan crossbody adds a touch of color against my usual black base.
Minimizing Kids’ Clothing
To see what kids actually wear, check their drawers and the hanging bar on laundry day — favorites will be in the hamper. After a few weeks, items that never get worn will reveal themselves. Store those extras temporarily and donate what you don’t miss. This method helps avoid repeating patterns of buying things they won’t use.
That’s the long and short of my minimal-wardrobe approach. If simplifying your closet sounds appealing, try these steps and see how it changes the way you shop, store, and dress. It’s about clarity, fewer decisions, and keeping the things that genuinely make you feel great.
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