How to Have a Stylish, Minimalist Wardrobe Part III

Still have your moodboard and list? Perfect. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of translating that moodboard into your closet.

An excellent place to start is by finding your colors. Kali has a great post on why it’s so important to know your most flattering colors. In fact, she has several great posts on this topic as well. I definitely recommend heading over to her blog, The Nife en l’Air.

So take a minute and pick a handful of neutrals and a few accent colors. It’s important that all of them mix and match effortlessly. As you can see below, all of my colors can be paired with any of the other colors and look good (although the red and pink are debatable….)

How to Decide What Your Colors Are

If you don’t even know where to start, I recommend getting your colors done or referring to a color chart. If you take this route definitely check out The Chic Fashionista’s Guide to Color Analysis.

Or use your moodboard. The notes we took on the most dominant colors in our moodboard are a good place to start. I believe that there is no such thing as an unflattering color, just colors that you don’t feel comfortable in.

Another way is to pick out five of your favorite pieces that you wear all the time from your closet. What colors are they? This is a pretty easy way to tell what colors you naturally gravitate towards.

A Caveat About Accent Colors

Some people love to wear a lot of color, I personally don’t. If you aren’t comfortable with a lot of color clashing in order to maximize your closet, I highly recommend that you limit yourself to just three accent colors.

My Colors 

As you can see below I have all of my neutrals: black, navy, grey, camel and white. I could have also picked dark brown and steel grey, but I know that I look better in softer colors such as a camel and heather grey. Remember, you have to find your neutrals.

I also have my three accent colors: blush pink, cobalt blue, and a deep red. I picked my accent colors partially based on what I look good in (darker reds) and what makes me smile (pinks and bright blues) as well as what I already love to wear and the pops of color that always appear on my moodboard.

Now that I know my colors, my closet is much more streamlined.

I can scan through a rack of clothing in ten seconds or less because if nothing matches these colors, I know that it doesn’t belong in my closet.

Everything matches, so I can roll out of bed, get dressed in the dark, and still look pretty good.

I can buy less because I never have a piece of clothing that doesn’t “go” with anything else in my closet, requiring me to buy an entire outfit to be able to wear it.

Check out the rest of the series “How to Have a Stylish Minimalist Wardrobe” here.