The Key to a Minimalist Wardrobe

Love Birkenstocks!

Thank you! I appreciate such a detailed listing of the clothes to keep. I will practice the same.

Nice

Background music is loud. Otherwise like this video very much

What's the brand of the chinos and trousers

Does anyone know where I can get these shirts? Struggling to find the same colors online

So beautiful

My work clothes, easy. I get a clothing allowance, that I don't even use every year.

For the last 17½ years:
1.) Socks - police issue
2.) Boots - police issue, hard wearing and last between 5-6 years, currently on pair 4, pair 5 is in waiting till my current pair are done.
3.) Police pants - Field dress (male and female pants precisely the same. Okay older and from the smallest size to two sizes bigger. I was a skinny 110Lbs at 5'8½ and gradually gained weight over the last decade. Pants size increments are 2", so from 72/79, 77/81, and now 82/81 (didn't realize the pants lengths were an option, okay and my legs love the extra inch), and I'm only 42 years old at currently 145Lbs, but was a heavy 150Lbs. Okay, I was a leggy 80-90Lbs prior to my police career.
4.) Police shirt - Field dress (dark blue /grey colour)
5.) Police baseball cap.
Weight about 20Lbs.
In winter and colder times my options are:
1.) Police jersey / wool v-neck pull over, almost no extra noticeable weighted
2.) Police Bunny Jacket (yes that is the name, basically a material jacket with fleasy center and 3 pockets, and a removable inner with an extra pocket), extra 2Lbs
3.) Police coat, which I call a blanket. Too hot and cumbersome with a firearm, and the hoody isn't good for anything. And weighs a good 30-40Lbs when you soaked in the rain. Extra 10Lbs dry.
4.) Rain coat, also useless, as it only keeps you dry for the first 2-5 minutes in heavy rain. Basically no weight and polyester.
Kit:
Firearm with extra magazine, 2Lbs
Holsters, extra 1Lbs
Bulletproof, extra 20Lbs
Handcuffs, extra 0.5Lbs
Torch, extra 1Lbs

When I wear civilian wear, my outfit comes down to 2Lbs in Spring and Summer, Autumn and Winter it goes to a max of 5-7Lbs because of my trenchcoat.

Civilian wear:
Heavy leather trenchcoat
Material trenchcoat
Both in a classic design
1 pair mustard formal pants
2 pairs black formal pants
3 long sleeve sweaters in different colours to go with almost anything.
5 pairs long sleeve pull overs in different colours to fit my formal pants and jeans
4 pairs of jeans, (1 soft formal pants material, almost like a tights skinny fit, 1 button up 501 Levi - hey it was and always be my go to Levi jeans (boyfriend straight cut, 1 bootleg, 1 skinny leg hugging)
2 Jackets, one mono tone, other multi tonal jacket with lots of purple in it.
4 bags (1 so small only my cards, money and keys fits in it and purple (got to love it, and in a squeeze my phone), one oversized brown bag, one pistachio colour bag that fit my purse, purple wallet, 2 cellphones, keys, pens, router and 20000mAh powerbank, or just the purse and a full size firearm), 1 black clutch bag (tissues, 1 cellphone, router, and nothing else but a lipstick or lipgloss)
2 Backpacks, one completely purple, the other purpler with white polkadots.

So, I'll grab either the pistachio or purple bag for my daily duties.

And for 5 days of the week, I don't need to think of what I'll be wearing unless I have something to do.
2 weeks worth of underwear
1 weeks worth of socks with my civilian wear.
Need to acquire a new track pants or two, my booty isn't fitting in my old ones anymore, and I get all my jogging and steps in on a daily basis, with a good few kilometers (10km+ a day). So do I call it resistance working with all that weight on me.

Good video overall. Have to say though, the trainers and no socks thing is not aesthetically appealing. Personally, I only think that looks good with a pair of classic Vans and shorts, but in the winter, particularly, it seems incongruous with heavy jeans and jackets. Like, adding a summery touch to an otherwise cold weather outfit. I'm not really sure why the look took off although it seems to be much more of a 'lad' thing now, which hopefully means it will soon fade out.

Also, I think that jeans or trousers look better when more of a relaxed fit. Perhaps it was spending months at home during lockdown, but skinny jeans and chinos now seem uncomfortable and awkward looking and, dare I say it, rather cheap. Looser fitting trousers in a heavyweight 100% cotton - no awful stretch please - will look a lot more expensive than the drainpipes that have predominated for the last 15+ years.

Something I've noticed as I get older is only really feel comfortable in a small collection of clothes. A few t-shirts, plain sweatshirts, selvedge jeans and some quality trainers. Whenever I try deviating from that, the item will only get worn a few times, before sitting in my cupboard gathering dust.

You do not have enough high quality holes in your clothing! One must always have clothing with high quality designer holes.

that was helpfull

So informative video, very useful tip, but ... what about the keys?

If those of you are looking for a direct number of things you need:

3 basic Tee shirts of varying colors (black, white, pop of color of your choice

3 pairs of long pants (chino, jeans, khaki dress pants)

3 pairs of shorts (chino, gym, one more of your choice)

1 parka/winter coat/cardigan (depending on climate)

2 button up shirts (short sleeve, long sleeve, comfy fabric, not a suit shirt)

3 Polo/sweaters

1 suit (full with tie, button down, vest, pants, and sport coat)

3-4 shoes (slides, sneakers, boat shoes, dress shoes)

Adequate number of socks and undergarments

Reason I’m qualified: I’m into fashion, and if you have these clothes, you have enough of a variable closet to wear you won’t get sideways questions such as “why are you wearing the same clothes” or “didn’t you wear that shirt yesterday?” As well as it will make you (men that is) look more cohesive and put together.

Hi Daniel! Will you make a Canada-based version of this video? I think it’s interesting to know how your wardrobe had adjusted now that you live in a different climate.

This is one of the most practical minimalist wardrobe videos I have seen so far. There is just so much that actually works for me. Thanks for this video man Love from India

The best way to do this is to look at all the clothes you have and think am I gonna wear this if you know it’s just gonna be sitting in your drawer for years on end then get rid of it like me I only have three outfits and all because those are the only clothes I really wear

Daniel: “Don’t look too deep into this list”
me: *watches this video for the nth time

It’s not just inspiring, but very satisfying to watch how smartly versatile and minimalist this wardrobe is.

Barely 3 minutes in and this is not a minimalist wardrobe

While it's important to remember that this video is less of a definitive list of specific items and more of a guideline, I've included a list (not meant to replace the video) below for those who want one:

Tops:
- 10 T-Shirts (pastel and muted, to go with anything)
- (specifically: white, a kind of muted salmon/pink, muted light blue, olive/tan, light heather gray, olive green, forest green, dark red, navy blue, dark gray)
- 4 Button-downs (white, light blue, light blue (denim), black)
- 2 Polos (tan and white)
- 3 Sweaters (black, dark navy blue, dark red)

Bottoms:
- 1 Pair black jeans (cold weather)
- 1 Pair casual black trousers (when black jeans are too casual or in the wash)
- 2 Pairs of chinos (gray and navy, warm weather)

Outerwear:
- 1 Black overcoat
- 1 Wool jacket (dark gray/to seem smarter/more serious/more fashionable)
- 1 Black bomber jacket (gets the most use)
- 2 Hoodies for lounging (1 black, 1 gray w/ zipper)
- 1 Rain jacket (gray)

(Note: Layer the above sections for colder months. For his example, Daniel layered a white t-shirt, a black sweater, a black hoodie, the bomber jacket, and the rain coat.)

Shoes:
- 1 Pair black chelsea boots (great during the winter months, can be easily styled up or down)
- 1 Pair black trainers (get the most use, for workouts/gentle hikes/almost anything else
- 1 Pair birkenstock sandals (for around the house and the beach)
- 1 Pair high-quality white trainers (sponsored, but he does genuinely seem to like and use them)

Accessories and Underwear:
- 3 Watches (white, steel, black)
- 2 Black hats (1 black ball cap, 1 black beanie)
- 1 Black belt

Athleisure:
- 2 Pairs of shorts (black or navy)
- 2 Pairs of black sweatpants
- 2 Weeks worth of underwear and socks

Formalwear:
- 2 Suits (gray and navy because black is harder to dress down)

Mentioned but not shown, possible due to being in a dedicated box:
- Sportswear
- Scarves
- Thermals
- Gloves

Example outfits:
- Light gray t-shirt, black trousers, white trainers
- Black hoodie, gray chinos, white trainers
- Wool jacket, white t-shirt, black trousers, white trainers
- Navy sweater, black trousers, white trainers, watch
- Light blue button down, navy chinos, white trainers, watch
- Bomber jacket, white t-shirt, black trousers, white trainers, black watch
- Bomber jacket, black hoodie, black trousers, white trainers, black watch


Daniel has links to the exact products he used in the description, if you're so inclined. However, he specifically states that an item that fits well will always be better than one that's branded and doesn't fit correctly, so please consider making your own choices based on what fits in-store or by taking your measurements before you shop online.

Absolutely loved this video.

u have a lot of clothes

u got too much posesions

I find whenever I want to commit to a style, something gets in the way. (e.g. I "recently" updated/adjusted my button-down shirt collection so I could wear them at work...and then covid happened and I'm just wearing shirts at home :D)
My main issue is that I do like buying new things every now and then, but have a giant issue with putting things away that I still like well enough, so I end up with items that fit fine and look okay, but aren't quite as nice as other thigns I have... I really need to sort them out at some point...

Does anyone know what North Face jacket that is?

Please. I need to know

I have been using Oliver Cabell for 2 years now and everytime I'm wearing it I realise how UNCOMFORTABLE but fashionable they are. I almost think these pair of shoes are just like bras for women. Really really don't like them but they look good. I think next I will go with something else, that still looks good but also comfortable.

I started watching videos like these 5 yrs ago to build a travel wardrobe capsule that would cover most situations. I narrowed it down to 15 items as folows:

5 performance polo shirts (Black, 2 Navy, Charcoal, Maroon) 👕

1 white oxford shirt

1 jeans, medium wash 👖

1 Navy chino pants

2 chino shorts (khaki, grey)

2 drawstring nylon workout shorts (can double as swimming trunks)

Black captoe oxford shoes

Grey Yeezy 350’s

Brown leather bomber jacket

This covers you for everyday casual, business casual, the beach, exercise, and date night.

Great wardrobe but what about woman's close?

Funny that there are literally no Wardrobe Minimalists, who like to go Skiing, sometimes not even need Swimwear.

Does anyone know what t-shirts Daniel wears? They are nicely adjusted around the arms. The listed link is no longer working

As Arab my wardrobe is always minimalist since we wear the same white cloth called (kandoora or thawb) everyday

2 weeks of underwear and undershirt? We live in 3 places, the would a set of 50 of each x 2.... lol. 1 week is plenty with a washing in each place 😍

Please do an update on this topic. Has your wardrobe changed much after the move?

Boring style; too rigid. Lack of color!

I am in the middle of cleaning out my wardrobe full of unnecessary old stuff, and really interested to start up a capsule wardrobe. This video inspired me a lot! Thanks Daniel :)

There is a different between a minimalist in style (who has 7 identical shirts so that he does not have to wear the same one two days in a row and has time to wash, i.e. Kraig Adams) and a minimalist in quantity (one pair of regular pants). Also, it is easier to be a minimalist in certain regions. If you go outside and come back drenched after downpour and your second of two pair of pants is in the wash suddently you are pants-less.

please do an update video

The 21st century minimalist wardrobe is the saddest, dreariest of corporate uniforms. No room for imagination or individual expression. Just be a bland, mindless code creating drone with no sense of creativity. Just another mindless cog in the corporate machine to manipulate the masses to follow the algorhythm to buy more garbage they don't want or need while praising themselves for their zen like minimalism that is nothing more than being a drone without a sense of taste or style.

I’d love to have an edition of this minimalist wardrobe invitation for women!

tres chique but relaxed and friendly, so I can relate this!

😂😂😂 Minimalist with more clothes then me

The ASOS links have expired. Would you be able to reshare the pastel shirts you wear?

Now skinny jeans are out.

i'm on a journey of building a wardrobe like this. I find it suits my style and personality.

I would love an updated version of this

clothes links say "this link is unactive"

Just curious, but would love an updated view of your wardrobe if anything has changed. Great video!

What north face coat is that?

Minimalism, affordable! What more can i ask for. Thank you for this! ❤. I mean you made it easy. Fvck it I'm subscribing

So helpful 🎉