Let’s just dive right in to the rest of my conversation with Miss Marge at Large. If you didn’t catch the beginning, click here to soak up the start of her journey toward minimalism.

Now let’s talk about your wardrobe. Every time I see you, you are incredibly stylish and put together. What does your wardrobe look like?

Coming from you that’s a huge compliment! There is the tendency to imagine that minimalists’ wardrobes are limited and that “limited” equals boring. Not true! Minimalists can still enjoy fashion and be stylish.

The foundation of a great wardrobe for a stylish minimalist is the capsule wardrobe. This means buying very thoughtfully and with the goal that every piece works together effortlessly (and can be worn for many different seasons/occasions). Buying one dress for one event is not a part of this equation. You invest in staples that are the foundation of your wardrobe and fill in any blanks with other fun pieces (or rent them!).

I love a neutral color palette (black, white, gray, brown, navy, chambray) and I keep patterns to a minimum so that practically everything in my closet can be worn together. I wear, re-wear, mix, and restyle everything to keep it interesting. It makes for so many different combinations.

Capsule wardrobes are so interesting to me – how has this changed your morning routine? Has it impacted that way you shop?

Oh man, it has totally changed my morning routine in the best way. Pre-minimalism when my closet was stuffed to the gills with countless trends, I would stare into the abyss and say, “OMG I have NOTHING to wear!” I would tear through it, throwing things out in a panic to find something…anything! It was stressful and made a huge mess that I just had to clean up later. Now I can easily see exactly what I have at a glance and I love it all. It makes choosing my outfit much more enjoyable – and saves me from early morning decision fatigue.

I try to be very thoughtful about how I build my wardrobe. I usually plan in advance what I’m looking for instead of “just browsing.” I also go shopping alone. I’m too easily influenced by other people when they say, “that looks cute on you – you HAVE to get it!” I get this weird feeling like it would make THEM happy and validated if I buy it – so I do. It’s awful, haha.

With all that said, I’m human. I’ve noticed that when I’m feeling bad about myself for fill-in-the blank reason, my instinct is to go buy something new that I feel cute in. But I’ve also noticed when I do this I feel better for a millisecond, and then end up frustrated with myself for wasting the time/money/energy on something that DOES NOT bring me happiness or ultimately make me feel better about myself.

Do you feel like your minimalist approach has impacted more than just physical “stuff,” like maybe in the way you schedule your time or within your digital space?

I WISH it impacted my digital space! I’m the kind of person who has over 6,000 emails in my inbox – eek! But it has made me mindful in other ways. How I spend my time and who I spend it with. I surround myself with quality, not quantity – and that goes for the people in my life. ;)

It’s also created space for other things that are more in line with my values. For instance, when it comes to health/fitness I don’t have budget. Since I’m not spending gobs of time/money on clothing or cleaning/organizing my space, I can dedicate that towards my gym membership, special classes I want to try out, massages, therapy, life coaching, etc.

I’m super intrigued to know if there are any resources (blogs, books, groups) that you found to be helpful along the way?

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Minimalism both inspired me in a big way, and served as my “guide” throughout the process.

If you have any interest in paring down your clothes or creating a capsule wardrobe, I can’t recommend Caroline Joy’s blog Un-Fancy enough! It is pure brilliance and always my “exhibit A” when I need to show people that minimalists can be stylish. For a fun challenge, try out Style Bee’s 10 x 10 challenge: 1. Pick 10 items from your closet 2. Style them into 10 different looks 3. Wear over the course of 10 days.

Also, I recently read Ryan Holiday’s Stillness Is the Key. While the book isn’t specifically about minimalism, it is about the things that matter most, and it totally rocked my world. As soon as I was done reading it, I started it again. There’s that much great content to absorb.

Thank you, Margaret, for sharing your beautiful transformation! You inspire me daily!! ;)

The Baer Minimalist helps busy families create ORGANIZED + STYLIZED spaces throughout Indianapolis. She is currently renting her wardrobe for a week away in Anguilla…her favorite way to shop!

To keep up to date with all of the tips, tricks and inspiration doled out, subscribe to our newsletter, The Minimal-List, here.

A Journey Around the World to Find Minimalism with Margaret Henney | Part II