Home » Blog » Behind the Scenes: A Minimalist Wardrobe Tour (Video)

Behind the Scenes: A Minimalist Wardrobe Tour (Video)

Do you ever wonder what a decluttered closet really looks like? Are you looking for realistic examples to inspire you? I thought so—which is why I filmed this minimalist wardrobe tour for you! ?

I hope you enjoy a behind the scenes look inside my closet and if you’re feeling inspired, make sure to check out my simple guide to a simple wardrobe!

(Video should display here—if not, just wait a minute for it to load!)

If you don’t like video or you can’t turn the sound on right now (the video has limited captions), keep reading for photos—although I definitely recommend the video for more details!

MINIMALIST WARDROBE TOUR

Before we get started with my minimalist wardrobe tour, I want to make one thing clear:

Minimalism is personal.

My idea of a minimalist wardrobe might be bigger or smaller than your’s and that’s OK. In fact, I’ve definitely gotten by with fewer clothes at other times in my life but right now, this is what feels good for me.

Minimalism is not a competition—OK? So let’s get started!

MY MINIMALIST CLOSET

a tidy, minimalist wardrobe hanging in a closet

What you see hanging here is about 70-80% of the clothes I own. Here’s a breakdown:

4 skirts — Yes, three out of four are black! I love black because it’s so versatile, I can easily mix and match with almost everything else in my closet.

6 pairs of jeans/trousers — This is most I’ve owned in six years but I’m OK with that. When I was younger, I only wore skinny jeans (which I still love!) but now I’m also really enjoying a more relaxed fit.

A good number of tank tops and short sleeve shirts — I don’t bother to keep count (because really, the number doesn’t matter!) and there are a few not pictured because they’re in the wash.

I own a lot of tank tops because I live in a subtropical climate so they get worn all year. Even in the winter, a lightweight top is usually enough during the day and when it’s cold, I just add another layer on top.

A sweatshirt and a blazer — I lost my favourite denim shirt while travelling this year, so right now the only long sleeve tops in my closet are a grey sweatshirt (my favourite) and a black blazer. (I own a few sweaters too but I don’t hang up my knitwear.)

5 dresses — My favourite is a little black dress that can be easily dressed up or down by switching out my shoes and bag. The rest of my dresses are less versatile but I’m OK with that. I enjoy them and I get a lot of use out of them because of the weather.

SHOES

Next up, my shoes!

Now for a little background, at the peak of my shopaholic days, I actually owned more than a hundred pairs of shoes! These days, I own a LOT less but I’ll admit I still love having a few options to mix and match.

2 pairs of ankle boots and tan brown wedge sandals

2 pairs of boots — I have two pairs of ankle boots. The tan ones on the left are my “go-to” winter shoe and I’ve had them for seven years now. They are super comfortable and I’ve worn them all over the world. The grey pair have a higher heel and are a dressier option.

tan wedge sandals — These are my favourites and I have had some version of this style in my wardrobe consistently for the past decade.

5 pairs of shoes (3 pairs of heels and 2 pairs of flat sandals)

3 pairs of heels — I’ve had the pair on the far left for as long as I’ve known my husband (I bought them in Italy the week after we met) and honestly, they are the only pair of heels I really need. I think I’ll probably let go of the other two pairs soon … just not ready yet.

3 pairs of flat sandals (one not pictured) — I live in the black Birkenstocks on the left.

Plus I have a pair of trainers (sneakers) plus a few pairs of flip flops, also not pictured.

COATS + BAGS

an image collage with coats in a closet and multiple handbags in a plastic tub

winter coat — I must admit I love this coat even though I don’t wear it very often (it rarely gets cold enough in Brisbane). I keep it anyway because I know I will use it whenever we travel, plus winter coats are expensive to buy!

On a side note, I had wanted a vintage coat like this for years but they were so expensive online. Then I randomly found this one in a thrift shop in Hawaii of all places!

two trench coats — I’ve had both of these (one beige, one black) for at least fifteen years. They are lightweight and they go with everything.

raincoat — You can’t really see it but in the back of my closet is a practical black raincoat.

2 tote bags — Both of these (one tan, one black) were gifts from my mother and the tan bag is almost 20 years old. They both work well as a nappy bag (diaper bag for my American readers!).

3 clutch bags — I am really particular about matching my shoes with my bags, which is why I have a tan and a black clutch. The red one is for a bit of fun 🙂

two over shoulder bags — Again … tan and black! (The black one is my current everyday bag and not photographed.)

EVERYTHING ELSE

an image collage: on the left, white plastic storage tubs on shelves, on the right, a whicker basket with clothing.

I don’t have a dresser so everything else is kept in baskets.

In the photo on the left, the top four baskets belong to my husband and the bottom four are mine. The top right basket is actually my self-care basket with journals, books, etc. and in the others, you’ll find:

bras and underwear — Not much to say here except that I’m very boring and almost everything I own is black!

sweaters and shorts — In the next basket are my sweaters and shorts, which might seem like a strange combo but there’s a logical reason. I don’t store off-season clothing because of our mild climate but in the winter, I move my sweaters to the top of the basket and my shorts to the bottom. Then, in the summer, I do the opposite. I have 5 pairs of shorts and 5 sweaters.

swimwear, etc. — In the last white basket is my swimwear and other miscellaneous items (like my summer hat, beach coverup, and hiking socks).

Finally, the photo on the right is of my bedside table. I have a big wicker basket where I keep all my loungewear, workout gear and PJs. I know there are 2 pairs of leggings in there but other than that, I don’t keep count!

And that’s it! All of the clothes I own except for one bin of maternity/postpartum clothes (not pictured but you can see it in the video). I’ll hang onto those for a few years just in case.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I hope you enjoyed this tour of my minimalist wardrobe!

I must admit, I feel a little bit shy about sharing it because I know my closet isn’t very “insta-worthy” (I’m not sure if you noticed the wrapping paper hiding in the back of my closet or if you realised my shoe rack in on top of an unused baby bassinet!).

But that’s actually part of why I wanted to share my closet with you. Despite what you might see online, minimalism is NOT about perfection. You don’t have to live in a showroom or have an all black and white wardrobe to enjoy the benefits of living with less.

Did you enjoy this behind the scenes look at my life? Would you like to see more videos? Let me know in the comments! x

Sharing is caring!

16 thoughts on “Behind the Scenes: A Minimalist Wardrobe Tour (Video)”

  1. Thank you for showing a real closet! I’m glad it’s “not insta-worthy.” You are very organized and yet the closet looks like something I can do. At least once I get my wardrobe smaller.

    Reply
  2. I enjoyed looking round your closet. It was great to see how you organise your things. I am trying so hard to let go of my stuff. Thank you for the inspiration.

    Reply
  3. Thank you so much, this is super helpful! Especially in combination with your post about letting go off expensive items you regret buying, and figuring out what kind of clothes you gravitate towards. One of the silver linings of this past crazy year has been having the time to reflect in a deeper way on what I own and why I own it, and figuring out what ‘enough’ means to me. Clothes are a big part of that.

    Moreover, my weight has fluctuated over the years so I have different sizes in my closet. As you can imagine that takes up so much more room! I’m now letting go of the clothes that currently don’t fit me, unless they’re ones I really, REALLY love. Those I will pack away to revisit a year from now. If they don’t fit at that point, I will let them go.

    Reply
  4. Thank you for sharing your wardrobe, I have been reading your posts over and over and have now finally taken the plunge to sort out my clothes.
    I have around 28 hangers with 4 sweaters, 3 cardigans/pashminas/scarves on the top shelf. All my clothes go together now, many I have had for ages and were bought in charity/thrift shops. Like you, I have a “thing” for shoes, more so boots, although I do wear all of my shoes (ok well most of them).
    Living in the UK, we can have four seasons in a day, so I also have coats- winter coat, parka, raincoat, snow jacket and a black pea coat. I think maybe the snow jacket can go, along with the ski gloves (I have never been skiing on snow in my life, although my experience at the artificial ski centre I went to many years ago was interesting to say the least, haha). Stay safe.

    Reply
  5. Your video was very helpful, it was great to see how you’ve organized all your clothing, and I agree with another poster that it was nice to see clothes that I could see myself owning as well. I’ve had 3 moves during the past year and with each move I downsize but I still have clothes I don’t wear that much or don’t coordinate with many items. I am inspired by your video to plan my wardrobe to get out what I have and further downsize. My clothes shopping will be more purposeful instead of just buying random pieces. I loved that black cabinet to the side of your bed (four drawers and 2 baskets) – can you share where you purchased it? Thanks for your video!

    Reply
    • Hi Patti, I’m so glad you enjoyed the video! The black cabinet is from Ikea (it’s the “Kallax” unit and the drawers are an extra accessory, along with the baskets). Good luck with your downsizing and take care!

      Reply
  6. Thanks for sharing your history, method of reducing your clothing and your closet. It’s hard to visualize and that was helpful! I’m just learning and getting started. I want to live simpler and am on the path! Thanks again, Sarah

    Reply
  7. Thank you for being brave and showing us your closet! I love that your things are “real”. Sometimes I am turned off of minimalism style blogs that have so many gifted items or expensive clothing. I understand the value of quality, but most women cannot afford to have what I have been seeing lately online. I think blogs like yours help inspire women that what we have is already good enough.

    Reply
    • Hi Jamie, thank you so much for this comment. This is exactly why I decided to share my closet. I definitely believe in quality over quantity but when I first started learning about minimalism it was really hard for me because it made me feel like I had to have the best of everything before I could declutter. It was a huge hurdle for me and to be honest, something I still struggle with. (I have to be really mindful of how much time I spend on Instagram for exactly this reason.)

      I’m also mindful of the privilege of having a lot of the expensive minimalist items we see online. More than half of my items are secondhand and I’m planning to talk about this more in the future because I want to show people than minimalism is accessible for everyone, not just for people wth the budget to buy the “best” things!

      Thanks again for your comment 🙂

      Reply
  8. I loved this post because it is so relatable…..which most ‘insta-worthy’ closets are not!

    This could be my closet! I always describe my lifestyle as simple and intentional rather than minimalist because I feel like that’s something more extreme.

    Seeing this post, maybe not! 😉

    Reply
    • Thank you Angelina! This is definitely one of my goals for Simply + Fiercely—to spread the message that minimalism is for everyone and it doesn’t have to be an extreme lifestyle. In truth, I actually think it’s more about mindset and how you make choices moving forward. For me, this matters more than what you have hanging in your closet. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Thank you. Very practical and inspiring! This is motivating to clear out all those things that I really do not wear.

    Reply

Leave a Comment