When you imagine minimalist fashion, chances are, you picture a wardrobe filled with monochrome shades, possibly with some nude hues thrown in if the individual is a little more experimental. But, you might not know that minimalist fashion isn't limited to black, white, and gray — a minimalist closet can contain whatever colors you fancy or even a rainbow of shades if you desire!
Minimalism is a lifestyle movement that can affect all areas of a person's life if they so choose. It's a mindset of paring back all the junk and debris in your life and living with belongings that you love or that you find useful. Instead of being surrounded by clutter that could be having a negative impact on your stress levels, clarity of mind, or emotional wellbeing, minimalism helps people to clear out everything that's in the way of you living your best life.
Rather than spending your precious time cleaning your vast array of stuff, you could be doing exactly what you love. If you're hanging on to nostalgic relics that harbor distant memories (good or bad) you could be stuck in the past and unable to move on with your life. Or you may be defining yourself by the things around you, in the hopes they paint a picture of your personality, when it may be more beneficial to work on a specific trait or part of your character you'd like to improve or help to grow.
Fashion is just one stream that flows into the wider ocean that is minimalism. You might have seen folks on Instagram wearing minimalist clothing that is, for the most part, black, white, and gray; it appears that these three hues make up the main color palette of the average minimalist's wardrobe. Whether people are wearing these particular shades because they think it's trendy or they actually like wearing them is beside the point — having a limited palette to work with can make your life simpler.
When it comes to creating outfits, a monochrome color palette makes things super easy because literally everything you own works together. You needn't worry about complementary or contrasting colors and clashing patterns with a typical minimalist wardrobe and it's a great way to get the most out of every garment you own.
However, this doesn't mean you have to have an entirely color-less wardrobe to be a minimalist. YouTuber Rachel Aust — who makes videos predominantly covering lifestyle, health, and minimalism — discusses how to curate your own fashion color palette in her video on how to create your personal style.
Aust says, "I'd suggest one or two main colors, two to three secondary colors, and up to three accessory or accent colors." Aust's main colors are black and white, her usual secondary color is gray, and her accent color is gold. But your own palette could be bursting with colors — Aust's helpful method can carry up to eight shades, although for simplicity and versatility with other pieces, you might want to work with less.
Minimalist lifestyle blogger and vegan food vlogger Jenny Mustard, explains the importance of a simple color scheme in her video, "How To Dress Like A Minimalist."
Mustard says, "It goes without saying — pieces in the same color scheme are easier to match up with each other. That way, we are creating a wardrobe that is more versatile, with fewer pieces. The classic minimalist way to go is of course, within the gray, white, black area, but whatever you like will look amazing. If you're more into warmer colors, try the beige, burgundy, maroon family. Or perhaps you like a special color — try the forest green, denim, and navy style."
Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, otherwise known as The Minimalists, explain that minimalism is unique to the individual, "There are many flavors of minimalism: a 20-year-old single guy’s minimalist lifestyle looks different from a 45-year-old mother’s minimalist lifestyle. Even though everyone embraces minimalism differently, each path leads to the same place: a life with more time, more money, and more freedom to live a more meaningful life."
When discussing the favorite clothes of a minimalist, Fields Millburn says, "Simply, a minimalist wears their favorite clothes every day."
A life filled with much more of the important stuff and getting to wear your favorite clothes (no matter their color) every day? Sounds like a pretty great way to live!
Images: Alexa Mazzarello (1), Brooke Cagle (1) /Unsplash; KoalaParkLaundromat (1) /Pixabay
