Are you longing for a simple wardrobe? As a busy, professional you need a clothing formula that will work for you. Many successful businessmen and politicans have taken the step to simplifying their wardrobes so that it is one less thing for them to worry about in the morning. In some cases this became their “signature look”. For example:
Steve Jobs – Black turtle neck and blue jeans
Mark Zuckerberg – Grey t-shirt and hoodie
Albert Einstein – Grey suit & no socks
Barack Obama – Only grey or blue suits
Donald Trump – Navy suits with a red or pale blue tie
Michael Kors – Black t-shirt & black jacket
Johnny Cash – All black
In a Vanity Fair Interview Barack Obama once said –
“You need to remove from your life the day-to-day problems that absorb most people for meaningful parts of their day.
You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits; I’m trying to pare down decisions.
I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing, because I have too many other decisions to make.”
He also mentioned research that proved the simple act of making decisions degrades one’s ability to make further decisions…..
These men might have decided to limit their wardrobe choices because they want to be more efficient – not wasting time or brain power on having to select a new outfit every day.
They may feel comfortable in these styles. And if they work in the dress down culture of IT, jeans and t-shirts are probably fine. Because wearing these garments can make the CEOs appear more approachable.
Wearing the same clothes day after day also has the advantage of giving them a trademark look, and could make them memorable and distinctive.
How could you implement the positives of efficiency, comfort and a distinct look in your wardrobe?
As working women we have so many different options as to what is “acceptable” attire. This is mainly because there are so many different types of clothes that we can choose from.
If you think about it, men have the option of suits, trousers, jeans, shirts, t-shirts, knitwear &/or jackets. Although there are a variety of different style trousers they could choose from, and obviously different levels of quality, there is still a fairly limited number of options available to them.
Whereas for women we have all of the above options as well as skirts and dresses. And that is before we consider the different lengths, fabrics and cuts for all of these items.
Because of all this choice it is no wonder that we often feel overwhelmed and confused!!
Some women have adopted this simple wardrobe approach. For example Angela Merkel – buttoned up jackets and simple necklaces. Or Hilary Clinton – mainly trouser suits.
But both these women still wear a variety of colours, which will hinder their ability to make quick choices.
Many women when limiting their colour choices will just focus on black. This is not always the best solution because head to toe black can create a barrier and be very alienating. (Victoria Beckham uses this techniques very successfully!)
Black is also quite a hard, heavy colour and therefore isn’t flattering to all complexions.
The easiest way to create a simple wardrobe…
However, it is true that the ONLY way to successfully create a simple, workable capsule wardrobe is to limit your colour choice. And the most effective way of doing this is through an in-depth colour analysis.
You would then select a few of these colours as the basis of your simple wardrobe. When you work within a tight colour palette you don’t need different coloured shoes and bags (that only work with one outfit). All your clothes and accessories magically mix and match AND it makes choosing what to wear a breeze!!
After I have completed a wardrobe audit and started to implement these theories with my clients, they usually find that they have fewer clothes in their wardrobe but many, many more outfit options!
What would simplifying your wardrobe mean to you….??
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