growing a minimalist wardrobe: overalls and outliers.

October 1, 2015

overalls and other outliers | reading my tea leavesI wear overalls.

You might say that overalls don’t follow the rules. That a minimalist wardrobe needs to be filled with things that are more flexible, more basic, more easily layered and paired with other things. But if I haven’t convinced you already,  I’m here to say again that loving something is more important than just about any other factor in growing a wardrobe; minimalist or otherwise. Clothes you love are clothes you’ll wear.

I am the proud owner of two pairs of overalls. One, a pair of traditional denim ones that I bought five falls ago. They’re an updated twist on the larger, more utilitarian overalls that I wore at least once weekly in high school. (And similar to these, if you’re on the hunt.) The other pair is billowy and black, with a kind of cropped palazzo pant that I adore. (This pair is new, a gift from the fall collection just launched at Hackwith Design House.)
overalls and other outliers | reading my tea leaves I’ve worn these black overalls a majority of days for the past two weeks. I’ve worn them to work in. I’ve worn them to take Faye to the playground. I’ve dusted off the tell-tale smudges of sandbox dust and worn them to evening meetings. I’ve swapped out a cotton tee for a silk tank top and clogs for pointy-toed mary janes and worn them on a rare and wonderful date night with James. When they reached sandbox dust saturation, I washed them in my bathroom sink, hung them up to dry, and started over again. Sometimes you just feel something.

Maybe overalls are not your thing. Maybe your thing is a bedazzled vest with velvet piping and rhinestone buttons. Maybe when you put that on, you feel good. Maybe you feel great. Maybe you could layer that sucker over any number of jeans or dresses or tees and feel equally badass.

This is the point.

As I find myself repeating everytime, the specifics here don’t matter. The point is that a truly minimalist wardrobe has clothes—or, if you’re feeling fancy, pieces—that you really love. These are clothes that you’ll pull out over and over again because they look good and they feel good and they make you feel good.

 

Speaking of feeling good in your clothes: I get a fair amount of requests for increased plus-size options. I’m working on gathering a more robust list, but while we’re on the subject, Hackwith Design House did also just happen to announce a plus-size collection. Here’s hoping it might include something to love.

For the curious:
Overalls.
Tee.
Silk tank.
Pointy toed mary janes (similar, not the same).
Round-toed clogs.

More minimalist wardrobe musings, HERE.

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10 Comments

  • Reply kreutzerinc October 1, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    I love overalls but sadly don't think I can pull them off 🙁 But I have a question about the beautiful Everlane tank. Is it true to size or do you size up?

    • Reply admin October 1, 2015 at 5:31 pm

      I ordered true to size!

  • Reply Erin October 1, 2015 at 7:50 pm

    Yes! I bought these over the summer and have worn them 3x week ever since.
    https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/224469867/hemp-denim-overalls?ref=favs_view_15

    I feel awesome in them!

  • Reply Kaolee Hoyle October 2, 2015 at 5:00 am

    I loved overalls, and shortalls (are they still call that now?) as a teenager, but I haven't truly explored them as an adult. Finding a good pair of jeans is hard enough so maybe once I pull that off first.

  • Reply Viky October 5, 2015 at 1:29 pm

    RE: Plus-sized options … my favorite designer is Comfy USA which is made in the US from renewable beechwood (the items I buy are their modal line). My style is flowy/drapey rather than structured and I’ve been wearing their line for over five years now and I’ve been very pleased with the washability, wearability and layerability of their clothes (which allows me to buy less often and maximize cost-per-wear). They make regular and plus sizes.

  • Reply Katarina October 6, 2015 at 10:17 am

    Hello Erin, love the idea about plus-size options. If some of them were also available in Europe, I would be beside myself :).
    Love the new layout, it si clean and the photos are bigger, yay 🙂

  • Reply Melissa November 12, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    I have these overalls!! I love them. I am having trouble with fastening the D rings and keeping them fastened . Can someone help me , please.

    • Reply Erin Boyle November 12, 2015 at 1:55 pm

      Hi there! That someone is me! I knot mine to keep it in place!

      • Reply Melissa November 12, 2015 at 2:46 pm

        LOL!! I think thats what I will have to do. Thank you so much!!!

  • Reply Jess February 2, 2016 at 9:01 pm

    Hello! I love the overalls from Hackwith Design House- but sadly they are sold out. Have you seen any similar ones at all? Jess from Australia!

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