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Every morning, I used to open a bursting wardrobe and stare at all the stuffed clothes, feeling like I had nothing to wear. The truth was, I had many options—probably too many. But most of them didn’t really feel like me.

It wasn’t until I massively decluttered and became more intentional with my closet that this all changed for the better. 

Figuring out my minimalist wardrobe formula helped me to finally put my outfits together easily. And it still helps me reduce the decision fatigue and makes me feel put together more effortlessly. 

Keep reading below or watch the video:

The 5 steps for the minimalist wardrobe formula

Step one: Define your characters

This might sound a bit silly, but I have found that the more I can make this decluttering process more fun and easier, the more likely I am to actually do it and to follow through. 

Of course, everybody’s different, and we all have different lifestyles. For myself, though, I have found I have three major categories of outfits that I wear.

One is “The Soft-Play Mom.” This is a very comfy outfit, and it’s a combination of leggings and a sweatshirt. It doesn’t always mean I have to go to a soft play to wear this outfit. It’s just the very comfy style I go for. 

Another category is just “The Everyday Mom.” These are outfits that I wear on a regular basis if I’m going to run errands in town or just doing normal things in my day-to-day life. If I’m filming for my YouTube channel, I’ll do so in an “Everyday Mom” outfit. 

And then my third one is “The Slightly Dressed-up Mom.” I say slightly because I don’t dress up often. I don’t wear many fancy outfits, but sometimes I like to be slightly more dressed up. And this is where I might wear a full-on dress. 

When I think about my characters and the kinds of outfits that I like to wear, there are a few words that I like to use to describe my outfits. This is so that when I go shopping or I’m thinking of changing things in my wardrobe, I am more intentional and keep in mind what is something I enjoy wearing and what would describe that. 

Those words for me would be:

• Minimalist – I do wear quite minimal stuff.
• Classic – I like classic and really basic items.
• Comfy – I feel good in comfy outfits as well.

And I really challenge you to have a think about what some of your characters are. Maybe you have an “Office” character, or an “Out-and-About” one. Just think about the different things you do in your day-to-day. Figure out your characters, and your words. 

Step 2: Look at your accessories

One of the best things that I’ve done for my minimal wardrobe is to make sure that my accessories are really versatile and they go with a majority of the outfits that I have in my wardrobe. 

Choosing pieces that are simple, timeless, and made with quality materials means they last longer and can easily elevate any look.

I also like accessories that can be worn in different ways—like a bag with adjustable straps or jewellery that works both for casual days and dressier occasions. That kind of flexibility makes getting dressed in the morning so much easier because I don’t have to worry about whether my accessories will match or fit the vibe I’m going for.

Investing in versatile, durable accessories means less clutter, fewer impulse buys, and more confidence in what I’m wearing every day.

Step 3: Pick your colour combinations

This doesn’t mean you won’t be able to wear colours outside these combinations. That’s not the point of this. But the reason for picking a few colours that you love to wear is to make it a lot easier to have those go-tos that you pick every single morning. 

This way, when you open your wardrobe, you already have in mind a few combinations that you like to wear. The decision process becomes easier. Let me give you some personal examples.

I really like to wear an all black outfit with a pop of colour. For example, I will wear black leggings with a black T-shirt or top, and then my pink jacket from Sezane.

I also really feel good wearing white and cream. So, for example, I might combine a simple white top with cream jeans or wide-leg trousers.

Another colour combination I like is black and blue, like a blue sweatshirt and black leggings. And then I might add a black jacket on top if needed. Or maybe I’ll wear a black top and jeans. Or I even like something like this that I’m wearing today, a navy top and jeans. 

I also love the combination of white and denim. That’s such a simple staple that I think suits a lot of people. White top, denim jeans, and then any sort of layer on top goes perfectly. 

Light grey with denim blue or light grey with black are other favourite combinations for me. 

And I also like wearing beige and olive green, though I don’t have many outfits in this combination. But this is one outfit that I do like to wear sometimes. 

Step 4: Find your characters’ uniforms

After having a rough idea of the colour combinations you like to wear, you can think about each of the characters you decided on at step one. 

For myself, when taking this step, I also kept in mind the base layers and the layering pieces that I like to wear, and the outfit proportions.

I do like to balance outfits. For example, I prefer wearing something slightly fitted on top and wide-legged bottoms, or the opposite, tight leggings and then a slightly oversized sweatshirt or jumper. 

Using my characters as an example, for the “Soft Play Mom,” I like wearing a sweatshirt, a jumper, or a very loose top with a pair of leggings, usually in black. And depending on the weather, I might add a jacket on top, to maybe match the leggings. But this outfit combo is simple and perfect for soft play days, for rolling on the floor with my toddler, and just when I want to feel very comfy.

For my “Everyday Mom” character, I have three outfit combinations.

One is a simple T-shirt or a fitted top with straight jeans. And then, as an option, I might add a blazer, a jacket, or a coat, depending on the season.

My second outfit combination is a T-shirt or a fitted top with wide-leg trousers. And with this combination, I will usually wear my white trainers because they go really well. 

And then my third outfit combination is a simple cardigan, straight-leg jeans, and trainers, which is what I’m wearing today. 

For my “Slightly Dressed-up Mom” character, I have two outfit combinations that I like to wear. They’re both very simple.

The first one is a dress, and I will wear it with either sandals or trainers, depending on how dressed up I want to feel that day.

And the second combination is a T-shirt or a fitted top with the skirt that I have. I only have one skirt, and it’s a pink one. 

These outfit combinations don’t mean that this is it, I can’t wear anything else. Absolutely not. It’s just about giving me an idea of what combinations I like wearing and I feel good in. 

This way, when I open my wardrobe in the morning, I have fewer decisions to make. I can see what’s in there, and if my favourite white T-shirt is there with my favourite wide-leg trousers, that’s a combination I can straight away go for.

Step 5: Experiment with a digital wardrobe 

This is something I didn’t do for the longest time, but starting it last autumn was a game-changer. I have this article on creating your digital wardrobe, and in it I go more in-depth about this.

I created my digital wardrobe by putting all of my wardrobe items into the Indyx app on my phone, as it’s so easy to use. 

Now, I can simply use those items to create daily outfits and track what I’ve worn in calendar form. When I look at the past month, I can see exactly what I’ve worn every single day.

This is what actually helped me create my style uniform—all of these characters—because I realised which outfits I gravitate toward, and what I tend to wear most of the time.

Having a digital wardrobe also helps me be really intentional when shopping, because I know exactly what I like to wear and how I like to combine things. 

Also, before I buy anything new, I first look in my digital wardrobe and consider: “Does this new item go with a lot of the other pieces I already own? Can I build different combinations with it?“

Because one trap we can easily fall into is what is called the “Diderot effect”. This happens when we get excited and buy something new, like a new T-shirt. We’re happy with the purchase, but then we realise, “Actually, I need a new pair of trousers to go with that T-shirt.” And then once we have that outfit, we think, “Hmm, maybe I need a new pair of trainers to complete the look.” So one purchase leads to another and another, and suddenly that one item ends up costing a lot more because of all the add-ons we need to make it work.

To combat this, I always try to pause and look at my wardrobe—especially my digital wardrobe—and ask myself: “What would I actually wear this with? Do I already have trousers, denim, or layers that would go with this item?” If I can’t think of several ways to style it, then maybe it’s not the right piece for me.

I really hope you found this article helpful. If you’re currently figuring out your own style formula, your characters, and your go-to uniforms, let me know where you’re at in the process—I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.