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It’s been said that we wear 20% of our clothes for 80% of the time.

I used to shop a lot, and because I posted content on social media, I also got sent a lot of stuff. I know it’s a privileged position to be in. But the truth is I didn’t wear a majority of those items. Not because I didn’t like them, but because it was simply too much.

So, I decluttered about 80% of my closet. I let go of all those clothes I never wore. And with each bag I took out, things felt a bit lighter. I started opening my wardrobe with a smile on my face. I was truly excited to pick an outfit combination for the day. 

In this article, I am sharing with you some simple style habits that got me my clutter-free wardrobe that I truly love. 

Keep reading below or watch the video:

1. Repeat shamelessly

Someone asked me on Instagram the other day if people notice that I repeat outfits a lot or if they comment on that. And I think they meant more in real life rather than online. 

I used to think this a lot too, that people notice or judge what I wear.

I used to struggle a lot with the fear of being judged—whether it was about posting online, what people thought of me, or what I was wearing. Over the years, I’ve realised that most people don’t pay nearly as much attention to our outfits as we think they do. They’re often focused on themselves and how they’re perceived more than on judging us or noticing if we’re wearing the same outfit we did three days ago.

I also realised that actually, there’s nothing wrong with repeating an outfit that I love wearing and I feel comfortable in. Because if I have an outfit that I really love, I am going to repeat it a lot. 

That’s also more sustainable in the long run because I don’t feel a constant need to buy new things. Since I already have pieces I like, I’m okay with people seeing me repeat outfits. I think we really need to shift this idea that we always need something new and that others are constantly judging us for it.

2. Simplify accessories

I like to keep things simple with just a few pieces I genuinely love wearing. And I repeat them often, because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

And I try to be more mindful when I do shop, looking for jewellery that’s made to last and comes from brands that care about sustainability and ethics. I really appreciate pieces made from quality materials, like sterling silver or recycled gold, rather than the fast fashion jewellery that tarnishes or turns green after a few wears.

I also gravitate towards simple, fine jewellery. They go with so many of my outfits and feels true to my style—minimalist, timeless, and easy to wear day after day. A delicate necklace or small pair of studs can add just the right touch of sparkle without ever feeling too much.

3. Wear my wardrobe

My next style habit that I’ve been working really hard to incorporate is to actually wear my wardrobe, meaning making sure I actually wear the pieces that are in my wardrobe. 

About a year ago, I created my digital wardrobe on the Indyx app. It’s free to use and I’ve been tracking my outfits ever since. And it’s been really interesting for me to see exactly what I’m wearing and what I’m not. 

Keep in mind that we wear 20% of the items in our wardrobes for 80% of the time. This means there’s 80% of our wardrobe that we do not wear and it just stays in there, gathering dust. Those items aren’t serving anyone. And that was me a few years ago. 

So I decided to declutter, because I was done with having so many items that I loved the look of—or had bought on impulse—only to get home and realise I wasn’t that excited to wear them anymore. You know that dopamine rush we get from making a purchase? It fades quite quickly, and then we feel the urge to go find something else to buy.

By tracking my outfits on Indyx, I realised that over the past year I’ve worn 91% of my wardrobe. I think this is a really good step forward in actually wearing what I own. But I can tell there are still a few pieces I don’t wear regularly. So I’m going to keep an eye on those. I’ll see whether I want to try styling them differently or if it’s time to declutter them.

Funnily enough, when I’m putting outfits together in the morning, I actually find it easier with less. The pieces I do have are ones I love—they look good on me and work well together. It’s so much simpler to create outfits and mix things up when most of the pieces complement each other and make me feel good. Who would have thought?

4. One-in, one-out

You knew I was going to say this, didn’t you? This is something I’ve been trying my best to practise over the past year or two. Basically, whenever I buy a new item, I look through my wardrobe and declutter something. Because if I keep buying more without letting anything go, things are just going to pile up. It’s basic maths, really.

However, this is something I didn’t realise for the longest time. I kept buying or receiving new items, but I was not decluttering the old ones. I was holding on to everything. I’m not sure if it came from a bit of a scarcity mindset, feeling like I needed to accumulate more, but it’s actually so much more freeing to let go of what I don’t wear and keep only the pieces I truly love.

The “one-in, one-out” rule has been really helpful for me. It’s helped me stay in check with my wardrobe and stopped it from piling up again.

5. Keep a wishlist

My next style habit is keeping a wishlist—because honestly, I’m like a kid. I started making wishlists with my children for toys. Because you know how it goes: whenever you take them to a shop, they always find something they want. Which is fine, but obviously, I don’t want to buy a toy every single time we go out. So, we started taking photos of the things they liked and keeping them in a “wishlist” album on my phone. And it worked brilliantly.

Then I thought, ‘Why don’t I do the same for myself?’ I used to really struggle with impulse buying. I’d go to the shops and, just like a kid, always find something I liked, something on sale that I had to get because of FOMO. I’d convince myself that I needed it in my wardrobe. But, just like a child with a new toy, once I bought it, the novelty wore off quickly. And the item would end up sitting in my wardrobe unused.

Creating a wishlist has been life-changing. It sounds so simple and basic, but it really works. It gives me a little bit of that dopamine hit—I still get the satisfaction of “having” the item in some way. And it also helps me pause and slow down, which is so important when it comes to fashion.

I either take a picture of the item, like I do with my kids, or add it to a list in the notes app on my phone. Then I give myself time to think about it. It also allows me to check what I already have in my wardrobe and how I’d actually style it.

It’s been so helpful for reducing impulse purchases. If you also struggle with that, I’d highly recommend giving it a try.

6. Timeless over trendy

I’ve found that whenever I’m scrolling on social media—maybe not so much now, since I’ve curated my feed a bit more and unfollowed accounts that were really influencing me to buy things—I would always come across something I wanted. In the past, the moment I saw an item I liked, it became this arbitrary goal in my mind: I need to buy that one trendy jumper, and then I’ll finally feel happy with my wardrobe.

So, I’d buy it and get that quick dopamine hit. But soon after, it would fade and I’d start looking for the next thing. Often, it wasn’t even intentional; just being on Instagram or TikTok meant constantly seeing new items. Every season brings something new, and it becomes this never-ending cycle.

Eventually, I realised I needed to take a step back, because it wasn’t doing me any good—not for my budget, and definitely not for the clutter in my home. Now, I try to focus on more timeless pieces. There’s nothing wrong with a trendy item. But if I do buy one, I make sure it fits my wardrobe, goes with plenty of other things, and is something I can see myself wearing often.

7. Have a colour palette

Having a colour palette has been really helpful. In the past, I’d buy the same item in three different colours, thinking I needed variety and options. And I’d usually end up wearing just one of them—the ones I liked best. The others would just gather dust in my wardrobe.

Now, being more intentional with what I buy and keep, I’ve realised that most of the items in my wardrobe are in simple, plain colours—neutrals. I love a good neutral like black, white, denim, blue, some pink, grey, and beige. Those are the shades I tend to stick to.

So I find it really helpful to have a solid neutral base palette and then a few accent pieces on top of that. Of course, that’s personal preference! You can be as colourful as you like. Being minimal or having a clutter-free wardrobe doesn’t mean you have to banish all colour. It’s just about being intentional with the choices you make.

8.  Have good basics

This habit is something I used to completely ignore because I thought the basics just needed to be cheap. Plus, honestly, they didn’t seem very interesting to shop for. When we go into a shop, those aren’t usually the items that catch our eye; we’re drawn to the colourful, trendy pieces instead.

But when I started curating my wardrobe and making sure I had really good basics—and that doesn’t mean expensive, just well-fitting, good-quality pieces in colours I like, made from fabrics that are easy to care for and comfortable to wear—it was a game changer. No itchy, scratchy, too-tight, or easily wrinkled items.

Having those solid basics really helped me slow down my impulse to shop. I can create outfits I genuinely like and enjoy wearing, so I don’t feel the need to buy as much as I used to. 

I hope my 8 simple habits for a clutter-free closet are helpful or inspiring, and I’d love to hear how your wardrobe declutter is going, so leave a comment below.