F/W MINIMALIST WARDROBE: THE 32 NECESSARY PIECES (+ a free printable checklist)

photo from here
photo from here

Many have talked on the purposes and benefits of having a capsule wardrobe. A lot of them have suggested particular ways to achieve it yourself; Caroline from Unfancy shared all her journey to possessing only pieces that she absolutely loves to wear and Joshua from BecomingMinimalist revealed his insights on how to own fewer clothes. 

Minimalism is not the lack of something, it’s the perfect amount of something

REASONS TO DEVELOP A MINIMALIST WARDROBE

  • you’ll save time: chances are that every morning you spend too much time deciding your outfit
  • you’ll save money: even if you buy only costly pieces, you’ll find yourself saving money because you’ll buy less often and spontaneously
  • you’ll gain confidence: since your clothes will be chosen one by one, based on what is flattering your body so you will never have to worry again in the middle of the day whether you dressed nicely or not

BASIC RULES / GUIDES

  • buy only what you really love: G O L D E N rule. Guys I mean it. Don’t ever buy something just because it nice, or you like it, or it looks ok on other people. Spend money only on stuff you fall in love with. The ones you cannot imagine your life (outfit) without. 
  • choose quality over quantity: of course we all have bought the 5$ t-shirt we randomly found at the market, but when it comes to basic pieces that you’ll want to keep for years, it is better to choose the best you can find. 
  • go for flattering not “in fashion”: the core of a minimalist wardrobe is exactly that the pieces are neutral, more or less monochromatic – so if you mix them all up you’ll still look pretty amazing – and basically and most importantly s u s t a i n a b l e. So, it is way better to invest in things you look confident wearing and buy fancy accessories and jewelry to spice up your outfits and feel “trendy”. 
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I, on the other hand, have always struggled with giving away my clothes. Maybe because my mom’s wardrobe was as big as an actual shop (btw she recently got rid of more than 2/3 of her clothes and donated everything to the refugees from Syria — Kudos mom!!!) or maybe due to my step mother’s actual clothing shop. About 8 months ago, when I stumbled upon a series of posts on developing a capsule wardrobe, I started thinking it was high time to actually follow that path myself. So, I gave away half of my clothes. And yet, my closet wasn’t where it should be.

A couple of months later when it was time to move to Rotterdam a second wardrobe purge took place and basically I was left with only the clothes I would bring to the Netherlands (minus the really summery ones – damn you cold weather!). Guys, believe it or not I’m in the  middle of a THIRD clean up! 

I have to admit I really love my clothes and I’ll try really hard to reach the state where I’ll actually own only 32 pieces. This post is the beginning of my personal effort to own less clothes by the way. And below are the pieces I plan on wearing the most. I narrowed them down for you because I’m pretty sure that these pieces are what you need too to built a strong, stylish and minimalist fall/winter wardrobe.

Below I’ve listed 32 pieces I own (the exact same or similar for older pieces) so you’ll basically take a look at my wardrobe – which means that this is a sneak peek of what I’ll wear on my outfit posts. If you want to buy or check any of them, just click on their photo. 

Also…make sure to download the free printable checklist if you want to streamline your wardrobe too πŸ™‚ 

TOPS

BOTTOMS

KNITWEAR

DRESSES

OUTERWEAR

SHOES

GET YOUR FREE CHECKLIST HERE !https://mylifebox.leadpages.co/leadbox-926.js


So, what do you say? Will you jump on the capsule wardrobe wagon? 

WEAR ME #4: ANIMAL PRINT VIBES

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Today I’m clearly inspired by wild life. I feel that the MAASTRICHT necklace is simple enough to let a distinctive pair of shoes stand out, don’t you think? I never thought that a pair of snake skin booties would catch my eye so wildly but I really think these are something special and each outfit including them would get elevated in an instant. 

Also, these no frame sunglasses…I’m seriously considering to buy them, aren’t they amazing? I only wonder if they would feel weird on your nose considering they don’t have a frame. But I find them beautiful anyway.

Where do you stand on animal prints? Would you wear an outfit like that?  

MY #1 OUTFIT: EMBRACING FALL WEARING MY “UNIFORM”

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my blog’s identity and focus. For more than two years I’ve blogged about DIY projects and recipes (and a bunch of other random stuff) things I really enjoyed back at the time. For some reason though, I’ve grown out of them and different things have triggered my attention. Nevertheless, I really like blogging. In fact I would love to develop this space into something more mature and professional. Having in mind the blogging journey I’ve made the last two years, the launch of my Jewelry Shop on Etsy and the lessons I’ve learned from both these ventures, I’ve come to realize the things I enjoy and excite me the most. And one of them is fashion – clearly. 

If you’ve been reading my blog you’d have noticed that I’ve already introduced you to two new post series, the “Wear Me” -where I share ways to style my jewelry- and the “Friday Bits” -where I share interesting links I’ve stumbled upon the past week, along with anything else that caught my eye. Today is the day that I’ll introduce you to a another new category of my blog *boom*. So, like maaaaany other bloggers out there, I apparently enjoy sharing my outfits too (spoiler alert: you’ll see a lot of stripes and black & whites!). 

For my first outfit post I deemed appropriate to wear my everyday “uniform”. Meaning, these are the pieces I wear the most – excl. the shoes which are new but I totally aim to incorporate them in my every day outfits. Basically since I was a little girl I had a thing for stripes. I think it comes from my mother who always said that the “navy look” will always be “in” and that we all need to invest in several good striped tees. Over the years I’ve realized that I couldn’t agree more with that statement. 

Same goes with the coats. I really believe that having a couple of good quality coats that will last for years, is one of the first investments one has to do when it comes to building a consistent and ever-green wardrobe. But I’ll elaborate on that “how to build an ever-green wardrobe” subject in another post. One of my staple pieces is this coat, which although a bit pricey, was totally worth it. 

Lastly.. don’t get me started on the importance of a good black pair of jeans. Just one guys, buy it and keep it for ever. You only need one – or two πŸ˜‰ 

top: Zara (similar here)
jeans: Diesel (here)
coat: Loft 
shoes: Forever 21 (here

THE PERKS OF BEING AN EARLY RISER

photo found on Cultiver
photo found on Cultiver

– early riser is a person who gets up early in the morning –

Well, let’s talk about sleep, shall we? Or rather not sleeping in. It is wide known that many people enjoy staying in bed forever. Also, many people are night owls, meaning that they prefer staying up late hours rather than waking up early in the morning. Despite of being productive though or just enjoying the feeling of your bed linens, there are several benefits of being an early riser. Let’s narrow down the reasons you should become an early riser yourself. 

THE NOT SO IMPORTANT BUT YET FUN REASONS

  • you get to see the sunrisewell that is romantic, right? who doesn’t love the magic sky colors of a beautiful sunrise?
  • you get to eat two breakfasts(!): since you’re waking up really early, around 3-4 hours later it will still  be morning but you’ll most probably be hungry. SO…who forbids you to have a second breakfast? After all breakfast is the most important meal of the day -LET’S DOUBLE IT *win*
  • you get to have your house for your own: at least for a few moments. If you are the early riser of the house you get to spend some quality time with your precious self without worrying about __________ (fill in your situation, i.e. kids, husband, boyfriend, parents, roommates etc)

THE HEALTH RELATED REASONS

  • you will have more time to exercise: studies have shown that people who exercise after work are more likely to skip workouts. Therefore waking up early gives you time to workout before starting your day
  • you will improve your quality of sleep:  early risers usually have a very healthy and well established sleeping routine, fact that leads to resting better while sleeping. Studies have shown that night owls need more hours to actually rest.

THE PRODUCTIVITY RELATED REASONS

  • waking up early gives you a head start: If you wake up earlier than the majority of people you have plenty of time to schedule your day, get informed properly and therefore be more forward thinking and proactive than your colleagues/classmates/coworkers. 
  • you’ll be more productive all day long: the aforementioned head start leads to the need and urge to keep your productivity flowing throughout the whole day
  • you’ll never be late again: waking up early will make you schedule your day better

After all, waking up early lengthens the day πŸ™‚

What do you think? Would becoming an early riser be something that you’d be interested in? 

WEAR ME #3: INDIGO VIBES

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Putting this Wear Me collage together made me feel a bit home sick, I have to admit. All the blue hues remind me of the sea and the Greek islands I really miss lately. Although I’m really into winter and I’m very excited that Christmas is around the corner, for some reason when I think of Greece in the summer I can’t resist but sigh.. 

Anyway, summer or not, blue indigo is one of my favorite colors and especially when it is casually combined with gold, right? These earrings are a new feature on the shop and their name is Blue Kithira (named after a beautiful Greek island). 

However the most interesting part of this new series I’ve developed lays in the fact that I get to discover new shops and talented designers. I always had this false impression that behind brands there was no particular person (!) and only after I launched my own collection I realized the effort, courage, energy and talent that is needed to make your work speak for itself, be liked and appreciated by others, and bottom line, have a successful and profitable business. 

That being said, I might admire brands such as Acne Studios and Maison Martin Margiela, because of course they are top at what they offer. I also enjoy wearing and buying clothes from brands such as Zara, because most of the times they have value-for-money pieces. But the satisfaction I get when I buy something from an Etsy seller, that I know that has worked on the item I bought with his soul fulfilled with positive energy and creativity, is priceless. 

Oddly enough, all this long speech derived from the fact I found Cole Hands on Etsy. Check them πŸ™‚ 

Read other Wear Me posts here

FRIDAY BITS #2: GREAT WEEK

well I cannot believe that it is Friday! No way. This week literally flew by. I had a tone of things to do (and still so much more to do) BUT it was a good one guys πŸ™‚ On Monday and Tuesday I worked at the architectural office I’m collaborating with, on Wednesday my mom came in the Netherlands to visit me so today we went to IKEA and I bought a whole bunch of stuff for my studio! I’m so excited! I’m thinking to do a post about it…but we’ll see πŸ˜‰

Meanwhile I’ve been totally smitten by:

  • the Define Magazine – I got my copy and it is lovely
  • this interior – I wish I had a house like that
  • this COS photo shoot – makes me wanna live on my couch forever 
  • these table settings – I’ll be staying in the Netherlands for the holidays and I plan on throwing dinners and gatherings so this is great inspiration
  • this GIF by Cocorrina

have a great weekend! xx

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WEAR ME #2: THE BLACK, THE BAG AND THE FLOWER

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Has anyone else been having that feeling that the weather should become easier to us? Like letting us wear whatever we want without super-freezing? i don’t mean discarding seasons completely. I really love all four seasons. But just making winter a bit gentler – meaning not needing a huge coat, beanie, scarf, gloves and boots to get through a normal day. I really love this dress from Naftul for example – and yeah it is in their winter collection. But here in the Netherlands I would probably “loose” my ankles if I wear something like that. *bummer* 

Have you checked this amazing perfume & body care LVNEA shop on Etsy yet? Doesn’t it look amazing?

Friday Bits #1: Let’s Do This

happy friday everyone! Well this week has been super-crazy. Actually last week I stumbled upon ThriftsandThreads and all the useful tips Brittany shares on blogging and instagraming. And that was it. I got so inspired by her blog and tips that I immediately got down to business, worked hard on developing an aesthetic I want to promote through instagram along with the subjects I want to talk about here on the blog. Phewwww, a lot of work, many hours in front of my laptop and iPhone but I think it was totally worth it. I managed to write, design and schedule more than five posts for the blog, post 2-3 times per day on Instagram and create a couple of new designs for the shop as well.

In addition to that I’m working on an Architectural Competition which is due early November. Because don’t forget I’m an architect too πŸ˜‰ Not bad, right?

Meanwhile I’ve been totally smitten by:

How was your week? Anything amazing to share? 

PS: Have you signed up for our Newsletter yet? If you want to receive -occasionally- recent updates from myLifebox, make sure you subscribe through the newsletter form on the right πŸ™‚

WEAR ME #1: ODE TO GRAY

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Over the past few weeks my spare time was basically devoted in shopping for renewing and expanding my seasonal wardrobe. My recent move to Rotterdam demanded a focus in basic, staple pieces that would get me through the colder days ahead with style and comfort. Due to that process I had the opportunity to shop around the web and collect a few I-wish-I-could-buy-them-all pieces.

That being said, I present you my new column, called “Wear Me”, showcasing ways to style myLifebox jewelry with amazing pieces from amazing brands. 

Something Amazing

Good news: Yesterday I received a lovely message containing the photo you see above. Around six months ago one of the Etsy admins reached out to me asking for one of my designs for a photo-shoot they were putting together for an Etsy Campaign. Of course I was thrilled and super excited to send it. A couple of months later I received the necklace back with no notice if they did use it or not. So I assumed they didn’t. 

But no! Yesterday was the day that proved me wrong. And I couldn’t be happier. Not only the result is amazing but also I was over the moon when I heard who the stylist and photographer were. Thomas Vermeer (with whom I happen to share a last name, wtf?) and Sabrina Bongiovanni  worked together for Etsy and made all this magic happen!

And I’m so glad they did πŸ˜‰