From Easter Egg to Man in Black

A number of years ago I was running a little late to class.

This isn’t an uncommon occurrence for me, but that day I was giving a presentation.

The topic? The philosophy of fashion.

For the occasion, I had worn one of my favorite suits. At the time I attended school full time and worked selling suits at the outlet mall. I replaced my normal canvas messenger back for a briefcase I had picked up. The crux of the presentation was covering Georg Simmel who argued essentially fashion is a question of in-groups and out-groups. He used a fairly typical kind of class analysis that posited aristocrats and the like used fashion as a way to continuously distinguish themselves from the “lower” classes.

As I walked at a brisk pace on the sidewalk across campus I had an interaction I’ll never forget. I was coming up behind two fellow students, and had every intention of getting off the path and walking around them. They heard my footsteps and when they turned around they immediately locked eyes with me, and got out of the way letting me pass.

The suit itself derives from the battlefield, and despite the fact my industry doesn’t call for them on a daily basis - I think everyone should have a nice fitting suit in their closet.

My time in retail meant I was able to get really good clothing at a nice discount. I amassed a wardrobe for myself that that was varied and colorful. I had many different colors and patterns to choose from, and I would spend a great deal of time choosing the appropriate outfit to wear.

When I traveled to Europe with a philosophy class, I made sure to have plenty of variety for my 2 week trip.

I don’t do that any more.

When I started working in manufacturing. There were two rules when it came to my new work attire.

1. Look Professional

2. Don’t wear anything you wouldn’t want to get dirty.

Being on the road so often I had to rethink how I built my wardrobe out, this led me to embrace minimalism. A far cry from the preppy suit-wearing college student I was, these days you’ll really only see me in black, navy, or white (with a pink accent for special occasions.) I still have my suits for when I need to be dressed up, but otherwise I keep it simple.

My inspiration (in part) was an article I read long ago that detailed how Steve Jobs and other top CEO’s chose not to have variety in their wardrobe so their mind would be “free” to think about things that were more important to them.

I wouldn’t argue its causal, but I have gotten more productive after embracing a more minimalist wardrobe. I find a certain freedom in not having to think about what combination of pants and shirt I have to wear on the weekend or when I pack for a trip.

Once upon a time my closet like an Easter Egg, today it’s closer to men in black.

If you’ve been thinking about decluttering your closet? I’d recommend you give it a try.