5 Piece French Wardrobe Experiment

Since 2014 is the year for me to start minimalizing my life, one of the biggest projects I've been tasked with is my wardrobe. My closet is literally busting at the seams, and I'm lucky enough to have a walk-in in NYC. It's gotten totally out of hand. I can't even walk in it never mind find something to wear each day. Back in 2011, I had done an experiment called the 30 for 30 challenge, and it really made me re-think what I wear. For 30 days, you only wear 30 pieces of clothing, shoes included. In the end, it was actually quite liberating. It takes a lot of the guess-work out of what to wear when you select only 30 pieces and are sure everything matches. I'd like to get back to that being it was so easy and effortless. While I don't necessarily want to do another 30 for 30, I was looking for more inspiration to streamline my wardrobe, and came across the 5 Piece French Wardrobe concept on Pinterest. It's the strategy French women take to shopping and is how they stay effortlessly stylish and afford really high quality pieces. Here's how it works: Every season (i.e. 6 months, spring/summer and fall/winter) you only purchase 5 wardrobe pieces. So that's 10 pieces total for the year.

• Fabric quality is more important that quantity
• Basics don't count and are always allowed
• Accessories don't count, unless they are pricier than usual
• Shoes DO count
• Socks and underwear don't count
• Everything else counts

Your 10 pieces a year are chosen to follow trends and keep your wardrobe fresh and up to date. In order to do this effectively, you need to have a solid basic wardrobe foundation. I used to have a great one, but a lot of my pieces are on the older side and need replacing, so I'm currently working on that. Here's what's considered a basic:

Tops

• Black, grey and white tee shirts
• Black, grey and white tank tops
• White or cream blouse, silky/dressier texture preferred
• White or light blue oxford shirt
• Black dress
• Black blazer
• Neutral color cardigan
• Neutral color sweater

Bottoms

• Black trousers
• Well fitting, dark denim jeans
• Black skirt

Jackets

• (Faux) Leather Jacket
• Trench coat
• Good quality, dressy winter coat

Shoes

• Black pumps
• Ankle boots
• Summer sandals
• Sneakers (like Converse)

Accessories

• Gold or silver watch
• Black (faux) leather bag

To start, since basics don't count I've been working on upgrading a few of mine, including tees and tanks, getting myself some slim black trousers, and a new oxford shirt. All in all, my goal is to update my basics and reduce my current wardrobe to just 50 pieces, including shoes. From there, I'll then shop for just the 5 pieces a season per the French strategy, trying to focus more on quality fabrics and materials than anything else. I'm also starting to plan my Spring/Summer '14 purchases now. Since I only get 5, I have to be really specific and know I'll get a lot of wear out of them. Here's what my list looks like so far:

1 / Classic Trench Coat

I've been eyeing this Zara one on eBay. Though it's a basic, I'm including it as one of my five since it's pricier than what I'd usually spend on clothing.

2 / A Black or Gray Jersey T-shirt Dress

I've always wanted one being it travels well and you can dress it up or down. Most "minimalist" styles are boxy which look horrible on me because of my curves. I'm excited I actually found and decided on this great, hip hugging Alexander Wang T one I scored on eBay. Also, since this is technically a basic and I got a great deal on it, I may give myself an extra purchase for spring.

3 / New Sandals That Follow a 2014 Trend

I hear plastic is a trend, so I may go with these from Melissa, though I'm still deciding.

4 / Black Ankle Boots

I have a few but none with a mid-size heel that are plain, which I feel I'd get more use out of. I recently purchased these Jessica Simpson Ankle Boots

from Amazon (which are all man-made materials) and have been wearing them non-stop. I adore them.

5 / To Be Determined

Not sure on my fifth yet, but it most likely will be new swimsuits being my current ones are several years old and pretty beat. Though we're a long ways off from spring and summer, I'm starting to pick up a few items early being I'm headed to Brazil and Argentina later this month. In particular want to have the dress for this trip. So that's my wardrobe strategy for 2014. I'll keep you posted how it's working out.

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