This Is How Many Shirts A Minimalist Should Have

By Alex Assoune Nov 20, 2022

Follow a more minimalist approach to fashion and just keep things simple to save precious space and money, improve your dressing style, and have an easier time getting dressed in the morning.

A minimalist should own 5-6 casual tops, shirts, tees, as well as 2-4 workout tops or tanks. One top for each day of the week is a good rule of thumb to build a conscious wardrobe focused on simplicity.

You don't need that many shirts to look and feel your best. Simply mix and match many different pieces together and make various outfits with just a good selection of shapes and colors.

Simple fashion aesthetics are good for the eye and the environment. You can build a minimalist wardrobe by investing in quality, timeless pieces, and keeping simplicity in mind.

Consider your lifestyle and personal preferences, closet size, go-to fashion style, and staples in your wardrobe to figure how many shirts you truly need.

The number of shirts you should own is much lower than you think. It depends on your lifestyle, how often you can do your laundry, and how much room you have at home.

To help you keep your look minimal and original, here is the ultimate guide to how many shirts a minimalist should own.

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Building a minimalist wardrobe based on lifestyle

If you are wondering if you have too many shirts in your wardrobe, you probably don't need more clothes. You need fewer pieces that you love and wear all the time.

The minimalist fashion style is a general feeling, vibe, or aesthetic that helps you fill your wardrobe with a limited number of pieces. It's all about the attitude and desire of dressing purposefully, with intention.

To determine how many shirts you need in your closet, take a closer look at your current fashion style and lifestyle. Knowing your dressing style is important to express your creativity and look your best with pieces that are truly you.

Once you know how you like to get dressed, look at what you do normally during the day. What activities do participate in daily? When do you go to work? How often do you work out? How many times do you meet with friends? Do you go out regularly during the evening?

These are the questions you should answer to figure out how many shirts and other clothing pieces, shoes, and accessories you need. Think about how often you need to wear a shirt, casual, semi-formal, or to dress up in the evening.

Doing laundry regularly to own fewer pieces

How many times you can wash your clothes during the week is also a crucial factor to consider when building a minimalist wardrobe. If you can wash your garments often enough, you can wear the same shirt again and don't need that many in your closet.

Keep in mind that you don't need to wash your clothes too often. You should wash your clothes only when you need to. Don't wash clothes that you don't wear.

Casual clothes such as tees and shirts can last up to five times wearing them before they need to go through the washing machine. It depends on their materials, how dirty they are, how much you sweat, and how active you are during the day.

Take good care of the shirts you already own so they last longer, saving you money, time, space, and energy. Otherwise, you risk damaging the fabrics and losing your favorite pieces sooner than expected.

Figuring out your ideal minimalist wardrobe size

Try to keep your wardrobe simple with only essential pieces that you love and make every garment you own a winner. It's fun to buy new clothes and try various styles to improve your look.

But if you have no space left for them in your closet, it doesn't make any sense, does it? Look closely at how much room you have left at home before you go on a shopping spree.

If you like to have more options, make sure you have enough room in your closet to store them. And make a conscious effort to truly like every new garment you buy and wear.

It's a good idea to be extra picky about what you buy and keep. Adopt a more conscious approach to building your wardrobe if you want to own fewer clothes and spend less money overall on unnecessary fashion items.

Only keep your style essentials in your closet and what you truly need to earn more time, space, and money for the things you truly love. You'll also have an easier time getting dressed with style and taste.

You can always make more room before buying new garments. Go through your clothes whenever you can to get rid of what you don't need or wear anymore and note what you are currently missing.

How many shirts should a minimalist own?

A minimalist should own 5-6 casual tops, shirts, tees, as well as 2-4 workout tops or tanks. One top for each day of the week is a good rule of thumb to build a conscious wardrobe focused on simplicity.

For most people, one top for each day of the week is plenty enough to meet everyday needs. Keeping a simple wardrobe is crucial to have more space, more fun, feel more organized and liberated with less stress.

It's better to only keep in your closet what you truly need and like to wear. The garments you own should make you feel and look great at all times. Get rid of pieces that feel uncomfortable or aren't you anymore.

Keep your wardrobe minimal with only essential pieces of clothing that you love. It's an amazing way of maintaining your peace of mind, improving your fashion style, and increasing your budget.

Here is a useful list of how many shirts a minimalist would need. Hopefully, these simple tips will help you cut back on your clothing budget and get more use out of what you already have.

5-6 casual tops, shirts, tees, etc.
3-5 casual dresses or skirts
3-4 sleep shirts or tank tops
2-4 workout tops, tees, tanks

Don't worry if these numbers don't fit your needs right away. You don't have to make drastic changes in your wardrobe suddenly. Just start reducing today one piece at a time and adapt your lifestyle progressively.

Feel free to make adjustments along the way. It will become much easier to craft fabulous outfits with fewer clothes overall if you practice owing less and improving your dressing sense.

Minimalism is so much more than a trend. It's the art of living with less. This philosophy has been around for ages. With a modest lifestyle in mind, you want to declutter and enjoy the simple things.

Your happiness doesn't depend on all the clothes, shoes, accessories, or jewelry you've accumulated. Use this minimalist clothing list to better your peace of mind, your budget, and your closet.

Where to shop for a minimalist wardrobe

Where can you buy minimalist fashion? Many fantastic clothing brands offer minimalist wardrobe essentials that are also affordable, eco-friendly, fair, ethical, and sustainable.

If you are interested in reducing your closet to a few staple clothing pieces, buy minimalist clothes ethically made from high-quality and sustainable fabrics that last a long time.

Here are some of the best minimalist clothing brands to help you keep your look minimal and original.

Outerknown

Category: Basics, knitwear, outerwear, swimwear, loungewear, bags, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Los Angeles, California, United States
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled
Prices: $50-$220

Outerknown is a minimalist clothing label that creates timeless and comfortable clothes for women and men rooted in sustainability and transparency. It makes affordable and sustainable apparel with the most planet-friendly fibers.

Outerknown keeps strict sustainability rules and aims to raise the standard for quality, sustainable design in the global fashion industry. It uses organic and recycled materials to reimagine and embrace circularity.

Accredited by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), the ethical fashion brand invests in the livelihoods of over 5K workers through Fair Trade USA. Three of its partners are Fair Trade Certified.

SHOP OUTERKNOWN

Tentree

Category: Basics, knitwear, loungewear, outerwear, bags, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: Vancouver, Canada
Values: Organic, B Corp, recycled, give back
Prices: $40-$80

Tentree is an Earth-first fashion brand designing minimalist women's, men's, and kids' apparel for a healthy, sustainable world with recycled materials and organic fabrics such as cotton and hemp.

It offers sustainable and comfortable classic clothes you never want to take off in timeless colors such as black, gray, blue, white, brown, purple, and pink.

The sustainable fashion brand is B Corp certified and partners with global charitable organizations to plant trees and rehabilitate natural ecosystems.

Tentree aims to guide you on your journey and empower you to do your best when it comes to the environment. It already planted over 48 million trees and restored land in over eight countries.

SHOP TENTREE

Made Trade

Category: Basics, knitwear, sportswear, loungewear, outerwear, swimwear, underwear, sleepwear, bags, accessories, shoes
For: Women, men
From: Portland, Oregon, United States
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled, vegan, BIPOC, made in the USA
Prices: $30-$150

Made Trade is a sustainable and ethical company that makes goods for the minimalist wardrobe and home. It offers organic and affordable fashion classics and basics for women and men up to extended sizes.

The company stocks timeless, cute, and comfortable knitwear, outerwear, and other minimalist wardrobe essentials made with sustainable and natural materials.

Made Trade is committed to transparency and making a positive impact on the world. The curated online marketplace sells a great selection of ethical, organic, and minimalist clothes.

Made Trade adheres to sustainable and fair practices that support both artisans and the Earth's natural resources. It strives to make the world a more beautiful place through higher sustainability standards.

SHOP MADE TRADE

Nau

Category: Basics, knitwear, loungewear, outerwear, bags, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Portland, Oregon, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, give back
Prices: $60-$290

Nau is a minimalist clothing brand that makes comfortable, ethical, affordable, and timeless classics. It uses eco-friendly fabrics to create versatile and long-lasting clothes for women and men.

Nau offers minimalist basics, outerwear, and knitwear made of sustainable materials such as organic cotton and recycled polyester. It commits to creating timeless clothing under the highest standards.

The ethical brand makes beautiful and multifunctional fashion pieces with quality and the best fit in mind. Its mission is to make the world more sustainable by sourcing and designing for sustainability, creating clothes that last a lifetime.

SHOP NAU

Thought

Category: Basics, knitwear, outerwear, loungewear, underwear, sportswear, nightwear, accessories
For: Women, men
From: London, United Kingdom
Values: Organic, recycled, give back
Prices: $70-$210

Thought is a minimalist fashion label offering timeless, ethical, and organic apparel. It creates stylish and affordable classics for women and men with sustainable materials, such as organic cotton and hemp.

Thought creates timeless pieces that work wherever you are, including affordable and cute knitwear, loungewear, and outerwear. The minimalist clothing brand offers many pure cotton and vegan options.

Thought is committed to considered design, responsible sourcing, and fostering change. It aims to show that there are more sustainable ways to live, dress, and be.

Thought supports TRAID, a UK charity that works to minimize, improve, and transform the environmental impact of clothing manufacturing. Send your clothes back to TRAID to support the people and places making your clothing.

SHOP THOUGHT

Organic Basics

Category: Basics, loungewear, underwear, activewear, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Copenhagen, Denmark
Values: Organic, recycled, local, vegan, give back
Prices: $30-$90

Organic Basics is an eco-friendly and minimalist clothing brand ethically making underwear, loungewear, and comfy essentials in Europe with organic cotton, Tencel, recycled materials.

Organic Basics is committed to sustainable fashion production and puts sustainable thinking at the center of everything it does. Sustainability is its core mission.

The minimalist clothing label invests in quality fabrics and designs its clothes with simplicity and function in mind. It also has a fund that supports grassroots activists and organizations that address environmental crises.

Organic Basics offers affordable, sustainable, cute, cozy, and minimalist garments for women and men that help you feel and look your best effortlessly.

SHOP ORGANIC BASICS

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About the Author: Alex Assoune

Alex Assoune (MS) is a global health and environmental advocate. He founded Panaprium to inspire others with conscious living, ethical, and sustainable fashion. Alex has worked in many countries to address social and environmental issues. He speaks three languages and holds two Master of Science degrees in Engineering from SIGMA and IFPEN schools.