Minimal Wardrobe: Fabric.

When it comes to cutting down on surplus, living simply, and distilling my wardrobe down to luxurious but mindful functionality, creating some direction by way of fabric composition has helped immensely.

I showcase some of my fabric favourites in my video diary, here

Creating a mantra

My mum and I have often discussed clothing and style, and, just as often as those conversations come up, so too does the involvement of someone we knew many years ago who worked with my mum in the fashion industry. This person had, (and still has), great taste, and though I was only a child at the time of knowing them in person, my recollection, (with the help of current technology), has managed to determine that part of what showed up as exquisite taste can be largely, if not exclusively, based on her seemingly superior knowledge of fabric composition, and behaviour.

Even with such pieces she owns (and/or designs) that aren't quite to my liking, (such as boxy shirts, long-sleeved dresses, and colour palettes and patterns I can't get on board with), I can still appreciate how the fit, fabric and form of the garments are uncompromising, and tasteful.

The correct fabric always manages to be successfully used to create the flutter, drape and movement that the design clearly had in mind.

I remember one walk my mum and I went on, where we spoke about clothing, wardrobes, and how to get an exacting fit, and I was speculating of course when of said Muse I declared, "I felt like she had this very simple mantra, when it came to how she chose items; essentially, something along the lines of - t-shirts were to be cotton; camisoles and singlets of silk, and sweaters of cashmere."

Whether or not a shred of that was true, after I said it I felt like I wanted to adopt some similar sort of mantra. I viewed it as a standard, I suppose. Something to pin my aspirations on when it came to a functioning wardrobe that was cleared of anything that didn't fit right, didn't function as I wanted, or just created gaps because nothing else seemed to 'go with' it.

I figured perhaps using fabric as a guide would help to take some of the choice-anxiety out of the decluttering, refining process. I definitely struggle with decision-making, and when decluttering and down sizing can feel overwhelming, having a little rule book, (although I don't like comparing making choices to following rules; I'd rather refer to the rules as guidance, and the lists of rules as a guidebook, or map), can take the emotion out of the process.

A guide

If I tell myself I want all my camisoles and little slips to be made from silk, and not viscose, for example, then I might only have 2 out of 5 that are silk; but that's the job done.

I've instantly refined an area of my wardrobe, without having to tap in to my emotional attachment of the garment.

Using fabrics as guidance regarding what to keep, and what not to keep, isn't exclusively around owning only luxurious, expensive fabrics. It's not actually about elitism or snobbery. There's nothing wrong with viscose, for example; in fact, it is increasingly used by high-end clothing designers. Fabric is something I am using to cull my wardrobe because I am striving to make a lot of my own clothes myself, and I know how I like them to feel.

It's about how the fabric drapes on the body, and how it reflects light. It's about strength in the fabric that constructs garments that undergo duress when worn; like pants, for example. I like to stick to fabrics that I know will return to the earth at the end of their life. I don't want to think that when I wash my clothes, all I am doing is dispersing tiny particles of plastic into the environment. I can do better, so I will do better.

For me, it's also about longevity. A pair of jeans that are broken in, like warm vinyl. A cashmere sweater that still looks polished even when it's ten years old. It's about how things are made, which I detailed in my post about craftsmanship. Voting with my money. Investing in skill sets and opportunities for people. Appreciating the human touch on something handmade; the attention to detail, the talent and artistry.

But it's also about aesthetics. Of course it is.

Natural v synthetic

The t-shirts I've had made from modal, even a modal blend, feel gorgeous against the skin; but the way they pill drives me mad. And it happens very quickly. I find they also don't retain their shape, and so I am left with a t-shirt that bags at the waist, stretches at the hem, and twists at the seams, very quickly.

A crisp cotton is far more practical for washing and wearing and still maintaining the shape it had the day I decided to include it in my meticulously thought out collection.

Whilst some synthetic silks look and feel imperceptibly close to the real thing, I find that getting creases out of rayon is much harder than silks, hence my decision to stick to the natural fabric. I know silk can be a high-maintenance fabric to live with, but in my experience, creases in my silk garments have fallen away on their own just by leaving them hanging.

When it comes to wool and acrylic, I cannot abide the synthetic alternative. I have had many a wool mishap in my time, and can easily access visceral memories of that particular kind of crackle unique to a shrunken wool sweater; but I stand by my choice in nature's answer to warmth.

For me it's more about the feel against my skin, than anything else; and not every wool is an option. My skin seems to have its own unique aversion to mohair and alpaca, but I'm not sure if that's because they're typically blended with acrylic, which my skin finds scratchy.

In any case, merino and cashmere are perfectly fine, but I do find something slightly prickly about merino which means it is very rarely ever considered as a base layer, against my skin.

Cashmere, on the other hand, is like melted butter on toast. I just can't fault it.

You do have to be prepared to manage certain fabrics, and meet their needs, but I find it is worth it.

My fabric guide to refining my wardrobe

Here is the basic fabric guide to the direction of clothing I would like to carve out for my wardrobe.

• T-shirts and tanks: Cotton.

• Shirts: Cotton, silk, linen.

  • Cotton for every day wear.

  • Silk for a special occasions.

  • Linen for every day wear, although my preference is cotton due to linen's tendency to wrinkle on sight.

• Singlets and camisoles: Silk.

• Pants: Cotton, leather, denim (cotton).

  • I would consider some linen pants for the summer in a comfortable drape for high heat and humidity.

• Sweatshirts and winter accessories: Wool. (Predominantly cashmere).

• Coats, blazers and outerwear: Leather, cotton, wool.