Meredith's Minimalist May Picks

I was slightly hesitant when my sister's post went live and it was all about embracing the capsule wardrobe for the month of May.  Minimalist May, we are calling it. I certainly do not have a TON of clothes but I fill a small closet nicely. Living in a country without a Target, Marshall's or even a store that sells pants in "American" sizes, really helps with the constant shopping trips and being pulled to the clearance rack but there is always online shopping. 

We got rid of A LOT when we moved to Japan back in October, 2016. It helped that I was also very large and very pregnant, so I didn't fit into a ton of stuff, which made purging it that much easier. Now that we have lived here almost two years, I have quickly found out that you have to keep purging in order to continue to fit comfortably in a smaller house. A good rule of thumb is that for every article of clothing that I buy, I get rid of two things that I no longer wear. It has worked well so far and honestly, it is not as hard as you think it would be. That being said, there is still quite a bit that I don't wear so I am hoping this challenge will weed out some more clothes.

My issue is not so much spending too much time deciding what to wear, but rather not getting "dressed" enough. School pickup and drop off is easier in workout clothes, soccer practice is more comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt. I don't mind the rude look I get from someone who asks if I just got done running and my response is "Nope, I'm just comfortable." To each their own. But, I can say that I find myself a bit more put together if I take the time to put on "real" clothes. And until you have lived in 150% humidity, coupled with 90°, you don't realize that polyester and spandex is less than ideal for hot climates.

15 items. Including shoes. All I gotta say is thank gosh for my birkenstocks, which I firmly believe can be dressed up for any outfit! I too have a few things going on this month that I need to plan for. MOPS is doing our annual Mother's Day Brunch so a nicer sundress for that and we have a few date nights planned throughout the month, including a day date. I have been trying to wear more dresses, since I find them super comfortable and I have way too many in my closet.  It is also getting HOT in Okinawa, so I have to include plenty of light cottons. I am going with two pairs of shorts,  one pair of cotton capris, four shirts, three dresses, one pair of causal wedges and my Birkenstocks. 

While picking out these items, I was able to donate over ten other items that I deemed unnecessary to keep. So, that felt super good! But, then I looked down at my very small pile of clothes and realized this is going to harder than I originally thought. Are you joining us for Minimalist May? I know it sounds crazy, but honestly I think it will be great way to kickstart the summer. Make sure to follow along our Instagram stories and pictures to see our daily outfits and how we styled them. 

Erin’s Minimalist May Picks

So it turns out picking items for a capsule wardrobe is a lot harder than I thought! Same for you? I follow a couple of minimalists on Instagram and they’ve never mentioned how hard it is to narrow down your wardrobe. It’s hard to pick staple pieces that will function in multiple capacities. For example, I love a good grey tee shirt but can I wear it to a brunch? Church?A meeting? The park? Maybe. Probably. But that requires a lot of thought into what I pair it with. Is that making sense? Instead of grabbing and going, I have to plan. A lot.

I think I’ve figured out why we overstock our closets, it’s so we don’t have to plan ahead. In this day and age, we are busy and on the go. Planning and piecing together outfits takes some effort and thought and frankly, it’s easier the more options you have. I have clothes for my stay at home mom gig, I have clothes for when I have volunteer or teacher meetings, I have clothes for date nights, clothes for church, clothes for girls nights, clothes for family dinners, clothes for….you get the idea! So if I am being real on this minimalist gig then I need to have one wardrobe that has many functions. 

I picked a couple of dresses, one pair of shorts, two pairs of jeans and some tops. I tend to wear solids but I did do some prints because even a loyal solids gal needs to jazz it up in once in awhile! I’m already anticipating some switches because I need a good, cotton sleeveless shirt and I haven’t found one in the abyss of my closet. I may be on the lookout for that this month or I may realize that I can live without it. 

As far as really committing to Minimalist May I have decided that I donate some clothes and shoes as well as just wearing limited clothing. I will spend the minutes, the many minutes, that I usually spend picking out outfits picking out clothes that can go. I tend to spend some serious time picking out clothes so I anticipate finding at least 15 items that need to go.

Are you joining me? Brave enough to pick just 15 items for 26 days? Let’s do it! Getting dressed could be fun again when you get to be a little creative and a little less overwhelmed. Minimalist May has begun!

Check out what Meredith chose for her 15 items later on this week and what was surprising to her throughout the process. And don’t forget to share on Instagram what you chose and how it’s going! 

May: The Month of the Capsule Wardrobe

You know the feeling…you’re standing in your closet full of clothes and you realize you have nothing to wear. There are so many clothes, so many colors and yet you see nothing you want. Has this happened to you? I know it has! It happens to me almost weekly. And so, I’m going to try an experiment. A minimalist May capsule wardrobe! Read on to find out what that means, how I’m going to do it and the details if you want to join me!

What is a capsule wardrobe?

It’s a wardrobe that consists of a certain amount of clothing that you wear for a certain amount of time. Some people do capsules for a season or for a month. It’s something that has gotten popular recently in our world of excess. The world where you can walk into Target or Old Navy and buy a shirt for $7. A world where we buy clothes not because we need them but because they are a good deal, we have an event or we just need a retail therapy. These habits lead to an overflowing closet full of clothes that we don’t really like and we don’t really wear. The hope of a capsule is that you wear clothes you actually like and make you feel comfortable, successful, capable, sexy – whatever you need out of an outfit. Personally, I’m hoping that I can start planning my summer wardrobe. These past few weeks I've been grabbing cheap clothes here and there because the weather is getting sultry (Mere and I both live in super humid climates!). I want to plan instead of grab when I shop for summer or maybe I will realize that I already have everything I need in my black hole of a closet.

My Minimalist May

I have decided that I am going to attempt 15 pieces of clothing for the month. This includes clothes and shoes and accessories. It doesn’t include workout clothes (can I get an Amen for leggings!) and pajamas. I have to think about the month ahead and some of the events when planning my wardrobe. We are going to see a musical  for our date night this weekend (I’m still I shock my husband agreed), camping next weekend, a couple of girls nights and a few family friendly barbeques sprinkled in. I’m a stay at mom with three kids so my wardrobe is mainly comfortable, modest clothing that I can chase kids around in. Clothes that I don’t mind getting applesauce, bodily fluids (gross but true) and so many other fun things on. I’m just now realizing how easy laundry will be! I will have do it more often but folding 15 things will be a walk in the park. Maybe the whole family should join me…

Join me!

Want to try? Come on! May already started but I say its completely fine if you join me starting this weekend! Cinco de Mayo can be your last day of freedom and start your capsule on the 6^th. I’ve already begun and will be showing you my outfits throughout the month but Minimalist May can start whenever! I’ve decided I’m allowed to switch items out if I need or want to meaning if I realize I am not wearing something then I can drop that (maybe even donate it) and replace it with something I might be missing. My plan is 2 pairs of earrings, one necklace, 3 pairs of shoes leaving me with 10 items of clothing. Wow! That’s not a lot…but come on, lets do this! Even Meredith has agreed to try out the Capsule Wardrobe, we will both be blogging our way through this experience all month. Minimalist May has a ring to it and we can  be Semibalanced Minimalist May Mamas!

A Little About Me!

Hi all, I'm Erin, Meredith's or how she is known on here The Semibalancedmama's older sister. I live in Texas with my husband and three kiddos. I love being outside, exploring parks with my family, reading and talking with my sisters! I stay at home which means I have my children best of times and worst of times all to myself. It's all about balance and here that makes sense, right? Like Meredith, I run and love to write so I'm so happy Meredith is letting me share some of that with you and I hope you will see more of me on here in the future!