4 Tips to Select Your 15 Essential Clothing Items.

Fashion is what’s put out every season. Style is what you choose to wear.

Clothing is essential the skin we choose to wear. It’s how we communicate ideas of who we are, what we want to be, and how we want others to see us.

As a society we purchase 400% more clothing today than we did just 20 years ago.

Yet, we’re wearing only about 20% of what’s packed in our closets. The increase in our consumption patterns has had a massive impact on the people who make our clothes, our shared environment and equal opportunity for prosperity for all of us.

But there is a solution!

And it starts with our mindset. If we’re wearing only 20% of our clothing, why buy the other 80%? By having a better understanding of what you love to wear and why, you’ll end up buying fewer, quality items, wear them more, and make an effort to keep them in great shape. Especially, when you only buy what you really love. #lovedclotheslast

At the base of any great wardrobe are a few essential pieces. These are the building blocks of a great outfit, and they’re typically the pieces you reach for week after week, because they’re comfortable, versatile, durable, and make you feel great (and look great!) when you wear them.

They’re your essential pieces.

Dress for the life you have.

Investing in your 15 essential anchor pieces should match the way you spend the majority of your time. If you love maxi dresses, but can’t wear them to work, and find yourself throwing on jeans, “because you don’t want to be too dressed up. Then a maxi dress should not be in your essentials list.

2. Shop with Intention

You don’t have to spend a fortune to find you essential items, but you might spend more than you’re used to. The difference is knowing what pieces you’ll wear all the time, making sure that you really love the item, and then taking good care of your clothing. #lovedclotheslast

3. Know Quality Indicators

The biggest markers of a quality item have nothing to do with cost, although often they can cost more. Instead, it has more to do with the fabric used, and the quality of the stitching.

4. Don’t Be Basic.

Find items that make you smile when you see them, and that joy will shine through when you wear it. Look for classic silhouettes that have a little something playful or unique about them. Maybe it’s the type of material, a fun pattern, a unique hemline or neckline.

By having a better understanding of what you love to wear and why, you’ll end up buying fewer, quality items, wear them more, and make an effort to keep them in great shape. Especially, when you only buy what you really love. #lovedclotheslast

Check my guest blog, Loved Clothes Last: 15 Essential Items Worth Investing In on Volk Magazine’s Blog.

A St.Paul-based fashion magazine that talks beauty, fashion, and mental health while raising money for Threads for Teens.