style inspiration: the 5 piece french wardrobe

In recent times, I've been very intrigued by the idea of simplifying my life and wardrobe. I've employed a variety of strategies to make my life more simple and productive, but have been slower to change my fashion habits. I've made some progress like this post where I analyzed what causes the feeling of having nothing to wear so I can stop it.  I've mostly been hesitant to change though because I use style as a form of daily self expression and I don't like to mess with self expression. It brings me a lot of joy (why I still blog!), but I'll admit that it also brings me more frustration and pressure than I want to feel. I want getting dressed to be fun so I've been thinking about what I can do to maximize the fun and get rid of the negative.

Enter the idea of a 5 piece "French" wardrobe (I put French in quotes because I actually think Danish women embody effortless cool best, but I won't split hairs here)....Who What Wear boasts...

"As for its life-changing promises, the five-piece French wardrobe is said to help you cultivate a wardrobe that feels true to your aesthetic and stand the test of passing fads and seasons. The result is less money spent on items you don’t really need, less frustrating time spent trying to figure out what to wear, and a newfound feeling of deep satisfaction with your wardrobe."

I don't know about you, but that sounds damn brilliant to me!  Once you have all the classics (like in the picture above), you buy 5 pieces each season to stay current and that's it.  I won't promise I'll stick to this 100%, but I'm taking the spirit of it to heart. I've already resisted a few purchases and it felt uncomfortable at first because it's different than what I would normally do, but later felt deeply satisfied knowing I didn't waste money on an outfit (even if it was inexpensive) that I wouldn't be excited about after a few wears. Something that I think would work really well for me is to continue prioritizing investment in classics and then emphasize jewelry and accessories to make it feel "me."  I'm excited, change is good!

So what do you think? I've seen articles like this one about a woman who decided to start wearing the same thing to work everyday or this one on creating a capsule wardrobe limited to 37 pieces so I know I'm not alone in how I feel. I'm hoping by writing this, I'll hold myself a little more accountable than merely having the idea lingering in my head as it has been. Do share your thoughts in the comments!

Below you'll find some pieces I've picked up recently as part of my French wardrobe that I wear constantly...