<aside> 🌿 After hibernating in sweats and yoga clothes for the last 10 months, I recently realised that my wardrobe is pretty limited. This lead me to embark on a journey of finding my style - and what I found is much more.
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Clothes and Fashion have never really played a big role in my life. Growing up, my parents were pretty conservative and my mum had a clear sense of style and I didn't have a lot of room to experiment and find what I actually liked. This led to me not caring a lot about what I wear. Moving (across continents and borders) several times over the last couple of years as well as being on the road for a lot of time made me focus on minimalism more than on style which is the reason I ended up with very little clothing in my closet.
When I realised that I want more out of my wardrobe than just a few pieces that I can throw on every day, I knew I had to invest some time and energy. I care about sustainability and our planet and most of the fashion industry is not really contributing in a positive way. But before I could even think about what and where I wanted to buy new clothes, I decided to figure out what my style actually was.
I read several books and articles, watched youtube videos and masterclasses and tried on many different pieces (mostly from my family members' wardrobes, because shops are currently closed here).
I decided, that I want my clothing to add joy to my life. I want to feel comfortable in every piece I own and feel like my outfits help me express myself as who I want to be. I don't want to spend a lot of time choosing what to put on every morning but rather own only pieces that I really like, so that it is easy to throw something on and still feel awesome.
I want materials that don't itch, cuts where I don't have to constantly pull and where I don't feel like I can't eat or have to suck in my stomach. My outfits should help me be myself, rather than force me to be someone else.
Sounds good, right? But how do we get there? As a meditation and mindfulness teacher, I know and preach about the power of awareness all the time, and this is also true in fashion. The more we pay attention to how we feel in relation to our clothes, the better we can know what we want and what we do not want.
The fashion advice you'll get from me has nothing to do with patterns, cuts or matching colours, it is all about you taking time to actually feel what you like on yourself.
When we look at great minds like Steve Jobs and Einstein, we might feel like thinking about fashion is a waste of time. Both of them kept wearing the same uniform every day and while I am very tempted by this idea of keeping things as simple as possible, I also think fashion can be important and a huge act of self-care.
You are here to do great things, no matter what they are! To be able to live up to your fullest potential, you need to feel confident, strong and worthy. And what you put on your body can help a great deal with feeling that way.
By aiming for the perfect mix of minimalism and self-expression, we can create a mindful wardrobe, that can support our lifestyle and our life's mission perfectly. The best way to do so is to create a capsule wardrobe of pieces you love and that are easy to mix and match, so that you can create an abundance of awesome outfits.
While there are different concepts out there that tell you exactly which, or how many pieces you should own, I think it is way more important to figure out what works for yourself than to stick to the rules.
Minimalism is not about owning the least amount possible. It is about owning the exact amount necessary for you to feel as good as possible.
If you want to embark on your own journey of finding your style, I created a Notion Template that is a step by step guide to help with that. It contains a ton of questions and practical reflection exercises, resources and inspiration about capsule wardrobes, fashion and style as well as a resource library on how to shop sustainably and take better care of our planet while also being stylish. The template doesn't make you go out and shop for a whole new wardrobe but rather supports you in figuring out what to do with what you already have and consciously choosing what else you want to invite into your life.
Sign up for my Newsletter to be the first to receive my new Capsule Wardrobe Template.
Article by: Theresa Ungerböck
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