Less is More: How to Scale Your Wardrobe Down to Six Items

Think of your stuffed jean drawer and packed-out closet. If you’re like most Americans you probably have a large percentage of clothing items that are forgotten on hangers or crumpled in your dresser that never get worn. Now try to imaging wearing the same six items day after day. There’s a global experiment going on at SixItemsorLess.com. They’re challenging consumers to scale down their wardrobes to just six items. Sound scary? Here are some tips for taking on the less is more mentality.

Purge Plenty
Filter your clothing collection by donating anything you haven’t worn in a year. You’ll feel good about supporting a charity and about having room to breathe in your closet. Find something that’s damaged or doesn’t fit quite right? Get rid of those items, too.

Go on an Apparel Diet
Go on a clothing fast by joining The Great American Apparel Diet. Dieters commit to not buying any clothing for a full year. You can get encouragement on the group’s website and read their inspirational stories about how they’re helping the environment, saving money, and cutting consumption.

Focus on Staples
If you really took a close look at your closet you’d likely see that there are some staples that get lots of use. Focus on buying quality and versatile clothing staples instead of trendy items. For inspiration check out New York Magazine’s list of affordable wardrobe staples.

Shop Consciously
We shop for many reasons including because we are bored or because we think we need something new. But in reality, there’s probably a good chance that you don’t really need new clothes—you just want them. Try to avoid impulse purchases on items that don’t fit perfectly right now. And don’t buy something just because it’s on sale—if you’re not willing to pay full price you probably don’t want it that bad anyway.

By Alison Storm