Building a curated wardrobe

There were days where I used to shop for cheaper clothing. Back then, I think what really drove me was pure consumerism. Something like "The more I buy, the more complete my wardrobe will be". Though I try to keep purchasing within a certain style, I'd still buy something 'different' if it looked good and was considered affordable enough, without putting much thought into it. Remembering this makes me want to whack my head on the wall.

Some time ago I subscribed to this fashion website called Fashionising and read it whenever I had the free time (before work started). I stumbled across this post called The Curated Wardrobe, which proposes that customers should become their wardrobe's own curator. In other words, that every single piece in the wardrobe is carefully chosen to fit a person's own personal style, instead of merely spending and buying more when possible. Luxury, he suggests, is no longer about having more pieces of fast fashion and following the trend, but about having a refined wardrobe with quality pieces.


"The new luxury is a small wardrobe. Not necessarily an expensive one nor one filled solely with goods from only the world’s leading fashion houses. These are definitions of luxury fashion past. The new luxury is now to be able to live and thrive with a small, pleasurable wardrobe"


I believe this is not about spending more. It's about strategically allocating money on quality rather than quantity. It's about making sure that proper consideration is put into place prior a purchase so that the pieces go together and that they reflect a person's own style.

Part of the curation. Worth it? Yes. Most practical bag I've ever owned.

Since doing it all at once can be overwhelming, I've been slowly reducing the amounts of clothes I don't wear as often and have gradually stopped buying clothes like I used to, for the sake of being more minimal and for the sake of investing in better clothes (shoes and bags, too!). I'm just suggesting that we all seriously plan before making purchases by figuring out what we really want, minimize excessive shopping (buyer's remorse, too!) and start curating our wardrobes.

Interesting reads from Fashionising:
The curated wardrobe
Does your clothing represent you?
The curated wardrobe and the impact on retailers
Raising the bar on ethical fashion

A few blogs which focus on wardrobe organizing that are worth noting:
Off the Rail
Dead Fleurette