My Minimalist Wardrobe

Hey everyone.

As I write this, the whole world is dealing with Covid19. Here is Australia, we aren't in complete lock down, but laws are getting a bit more strict, as there are still too many people who think this whole thing isn't a big deal and that they should just go about their day like nothing is happening. This really annoys me. Our town has a population of 52,288 (as of February 2020) and only 8 cases confirmed so far, which is almost nothing, but I keep in mind that these are only confirmed cases and who knows how many people are walking around town with the virus in their system with no real major symptoms (and they don't even know it) . I think this is the way people should be thinking, just to be safe. I know that in my own family alone, 3 out of 4 of us have asthma, my husband and daughter suffer the most and I hate to think what would happen if they caught Coronavirus. So we stay at home as much as possible, only to go out to get food and supplies, maybe the odd drive through Hungry Jacks and eat in the car park with the windows up (car picnic, I've started to call it) and then go home.

I have also realised that I am writing this 2 weeks after I posted my last video. This is a bit later than I expected but I have been feeling very uninspired. Even though our lives haven't changed too much since Covid19, there are simple things we can't do that has changed. We can't take the kids to the playgrounds and any of the usual places of interest.  Despite only starting his new school 6 weeks ago, Henry was only there for 3 weeks and then got a cold. He had to have his 4th week off, and then we decoded to self isolate to be safe. The schools are basically closed (except for those who work in essential jobs, like health and supermarkets etc) so after the Easter Holidays (started this week) the schools should be doing all online learning until it is properly safe to go back to normal life. And who knows when that will be!

Claire has been realising that she won't be able to go to the community playgroup for sometime. So I am finding myself to been feeling bored and lethargic and I bit run down as well.

My Minimalist Wardrobe 

When I made this video, I was unwell too. I was coughing a lot and I found it hard to talk and make my voice over. I decided to go with music and text over the video and I really like that way it turned out. Right now, I don't have the best filming devices, so I use my phone, and I  think that it is better than nothing, a kind of # real life sort of deal. I am looking at getting a small point and shoot camera in the near future.

As I started to declutter our room a little more, I realised there were things in my wardrobe that I no longer wore, or needed to be thrown out due to wear and tear. In the small pile was one skirt that I have literally own for over 20 years and another I got from the op shop b(thrift store) 3 years ago. I haven't replaced them yet, but as the cooler months come I am sure that I will need to get new leggings. I also had a pair of  boots, that I bought last Winter, but I found that I didn't wear them often as I think they were a little too tight. Unfortunately I have wide feet and always have a hard time finding shoes that are comfortable. My current sneakers look like Converse All Stars (but are not) and are starting to wear down a little, but I have really enjoyed wearing them, so I would like to get myself a pair of Converse or similar.

This is a list of the things that I have in my wardrobe. I won't be adding any pictures, as you can go and see then in the short video. However I thought that I would talk a little more about them here.

I currently own 28 items:

1x   3/4 sleeve top (black and sparkly).

3x   Plain tees (2 black and 1 coral colour).

1x   Pair of black denim shorts that I only wear around the house.

1x   Long black skirt.

3x   Dresses (2 for going out, 1 for around the house)

2x   Semi Formal dresses (barely worn).

1x   Pair of bike shorts (for around the house/ sleep wear)

3x   Singlets (or tank tops worn around the house)

1x   Little Mermaid tee shirt (around the house/sleep).

3x   Bras (2 sports crop top style, 1 underwire).

5x   Pairs of underwear.

3x   Pairs of black socks.

1x   Pair of black and white Converse style sneakers.

For the 3/4 sleeve top, I wear this usually around Autumn and Winter and as it is a little sparkly, it is something  that I might wear out to lunch or dinner. We rarely get a chance to go out to dinner these days, but it is nice to have something a bit fun to wear on such occasions. (or maybe lunch with Kyle or a friend).

Unlike some people when they say they had a capsule wardrobe or a minimalist wardrobe, they sometimes don't count the underwear or the sleepwear. However, as you can see I do. As a stay some mum, (especially during this whole Covid19 pandemic), I don't go out all the time. I don't work either, so a lot of the clothes that I wear all the time, can be worn as sleep wear, and I just change it around when it suits me. Some days I will wear the bike shorts with a singlet, and that's fine. It is far from sexy or glamorous, but it is comfortable and as I am doing housework or something around the house I am ok with wearing what I have. We don't get visitors,  so it is not like anyone (other than my kids or husband) will see me.

I am really into the 1940's and what it was like on the homefont, both in the UK and in Australia during World War 2 and I think in general, housewives tended to wear houseclothes, but cloths that were presentable, incase they were to receive visitors. Most of them needed to go to the grocers almost every day, so I think that they often stayed in their clothing from their trip into town and maybe had worn an apron the protect their clothes. I really admire that, and it is something that I would like to incorporate into my own wardrobe.

I would like to "dress up" a little more around the house, but I am currently just going with what I have and will see what happens over the next few months.

I find that the weather really plays a big part in what kind of clothing I wear. We live in an older 'Queenslander' home, with no air conditioning, and being in Queensland during the middle of Summer, no one really wants to wear much clothing. So that is one of the reason's why I don't have many clothing. They are simple tops and a couple of bottoms.

Another reason, I don't want a lot of washing. I wash clothes for all 4 people. And with that, and having to wash sheets every few day's (children's accidents) it gets too much. So if I can try and keep the children's wardrobe (and my own) smaller, then that will be less work.

I think one of the biggest things about choosing to have small wardrobes is the desire to have fewer items and wearing them more. I like to get as much wear and use out of things as I can. The 2 items that I have that I really don't wear are the two semi formal dresses. The dusty pink one was my wedding dress back in to 2018, and I chose that style so that I could wear it again. So far, I have not worn it as I simply have not been anywhere that would require me to wear something nice like that. The other is a nude colour dress with black lace over it. I bought it from a friend who had not yet worn it and I intend to wear it as my bridesmaid dress at her wedding (unless I find an all black dress). That too I have not worn yet, and other than her wedding, it may end up being a dress I will rarely wear. And may possible sell in the future.

And that is it really. I know that a lot of people might think that I have too little, and I admit that now it is starting to get cooler I need to add a couple of items to my wardrobe. But right now this is what I have and I am happy that I don't have too many clothes. The only thing that I need to do, is remind myself that when they get dirty, they need to be washed asap. I can't just let then sit in the basket for a few days, as I do find myself with almost nothing to wear. But that is a small price to pay.

As we come into Winter in a few months, I will come back with a wardrobe update and make a new video.

Thanks for reading!

B.