Matt Souveny was feeling overwhelmed by the unworn clothes languishing in his closet when he began poking around Reddit's menswear forums, where style-conscious men debate different shoe leather and denim brands, or bravely seek constructive feedback on how a suit fits.
Souveny, a Canadian Air Force pilot, got into discussions about what to wear if you could only choose one outfit for the rest of your life, a popular topic on such forums. It was hypothetical at first, but as the list grew, Souveny decided he had enough intel to turn into a real-life experiment.
"I'd been trimming it down over the past year, but after that conversation on the Internet, it really struck me that I don't need all this stuff," he said.
As of June 1, Souveny has pledged to pare down his wardrobe to 10 articles of clothing for the next year, excluding socks, underwear and outerwear.
The list includes: one pair of pants, one pair of shorts, two T-shirts, one button-down, one sweatshirt, one pair of sneakers, one pair of boots, a blazer and a belt.
He declared his intention in May to wear one outfit for one year in a blog post titled "minimalism." The timing couldn't be better, he said. He and his wife were moving to a smaller home, and he would be on parental leave from the Air Force for six months, freeing him from the daily obligation to wear a flight suit.
It was also a way for him to start experimenting with how to live with less overall, he said.
"We've found over the past year that having less stuff can actually allow you more freedom. Instead of spending free time sorting stuff, or organizing stuff, or searching through stuff for other stuff, you can hopefully spend more time doing things that you want to be doing," he wrote.
Most of us aspire to de-clutter our lives at some point. Shunning all material possessions is a big leap for most, but slimming down one's closet is an easier first step. Popular minimalist fashion movements include the 10-piece capsule, the five-piece French wardrobe andProject 333, which invites participants to dress with 33 items or less for three months.
When people recognize the benefits of fewer choices in their closets, they start thinking about how to apply the philosophy to other areas of their lives, said Courtney Carver, creator of Project 333.
"It's sort of the gateway drug for further simplicity, because that's where we start each day," Carver said.
Carver began Project 333 in 2010 to simplify her life while dealing with the onset of multiple sclerosis, and ended up inspiring a movement that continues to gain momentum. Project 333'sFacebook page, which has more than 12,000 likes, features stories from people around the world participating in the challenge.
Inspired by Project 333, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Alison Sherwood started her own version earlier this month, the Tiny Closet Challenge, and invited readers to join her. So far, 30 have signed up from around the world
"The simplicity of a minimalist wardrobe really appealed to me. I wanted to give it a try and see how it would affect my perspective on things like style, spending habits, materialism and contentment. I have two little kids -- ages 2.5 and 9 months -- so I don't really have time in the morning for trying on outfits and staring into my closet," Sherwood said.
"I tend to have a hard time getting rid of clothes even if I never wear them, because of guilt that I spent money on them or because I'm afraid I might want or need them at some point. I want to prove that I can let go of those clothes and be perfectly fine."
So far, it's working out, she said. She saves time in the morning and laundry is easier. When temperature fluctuations struck, she layered tops to stay warm.
"It's nice only wearing my favorite clothes and jewelry, and not feeling guilty for neglecting other clothes I may not like as much," she said.
"I feel a sense of calm when I look in my closet. It's stressful when there are clothes jammed into every available space, especially when you have a toddler who might come in and start tearing clothes off the hangers when you're trying to get ready. Now there is breathing room in my closet and it makes me feel like I'm starting the day with some semblance of organization and control."
Cutting back completely changed Carver's life. After being separated from her clothing those first three months, she realized most of it didn't matter to her. Today, she continues to use only 33 clothing items (not including underwear, sleepwear or workout clothing) at a time, reassessing her wardrobe every three months to cycle in seasonal necessities from a single container into her closet.
She still makes purchases to replace items in her closet, but she's more thoughtful about them, she said. The minimalist philosophy has extended to other areas of her life. After deciding that she could do with much less in the kitchen, the living room and elsewhere in her home, she moved from her 2,000 square-foot home into an apartment. She also left her job in advertising to focus full-time on consulting with others to streamline their lives and businesses.
Parting with clothing, even clothing you hate, is hard, said Jillian Quint, managing editor of PureWow.com, an online publication geared toward women's interests. Start by asking: Does it fit? Does it look good on me? When was the last time I wore it?
If you can't answer "yes," "yes," and "within the last year," the item has to go, she said.
If you really want to rock a minimalist closet, it helps to invest in quality pieces that do double, triple or quadruple duty, Quint said. Think a crisp white blouse, a black blazer and a perfectly fitting pair of jeans accompanied by shoes and accessories to bring in more color and current trends.
But the first step is overcoming the fear that "it could never work for me" and starting small.
Don't get rid of anything at first, Project 333's Carver recommends. Hold onto everything and gradually shed the items you didn't realize you were missing during the experiment.
Everyone has different reasons for paring down their wardrobe. For some, like Carver, the goal was to reduce stress and clutter.
For others, it's part of an effort to focus on quality over quantity. Consumers are demanding a return to high-quality items that can stand the test of time, Quint said
"We're in an era of examining our carbon footprint. Nobody wants a closet that looks like a landfill," she said.
Souveny's motivation falls into this camp.
"I tried to find brands that embody this whole idea of making high quality products out of the best materials available," he said.
And, it shows in the bill: $2,703, as one Redditor estimated the total cost of Souveny's 10 pieces, most of which are made in North America.
Each piece of clothing was selected for its versatility and durability in different weather conditions and social environments, Souveny said. He avoided denim because it was too "casual" but he didn't want to wear a suit all year, leading to a wardrobe consisting of mostly synthetic fabrics that keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
It helps that some clothing brands heard about his plans and donated clothing to his experiment. Still, he says, he chose clothing by brands that he already owned or was likely to own, making the experiment not too far removed from reality.
"The way I justify buying higher quality items is in buying less and buying the best I can afford," he said. "My closet is full of cheap clothes that will never wear out because I never wear them. The items that I saved for and sought after, however, get plenty of loving wear."
His exercise isn't meant to be prescriptive for everyone, he said.
"This was just a fun experiment for me to see how long things last," he said. "Who knows, maybe it'll inspire others to think about how minimalism could work in their closet."
马特•苏维尼（Matt Souveny）在逛红迪网（Reddit）男装论坛时，对他的衣橱里那些一次也没穿过、慢慢过时的衣服感到很头疼。论坛上注重穿着打扮的男士们在讨论不同鞋子的皮革和牛仔布的品牌，也有人大胆地寻求衣服是否合身的建设性意见。
苏维尼是加拿大空军的一名飞行员。他加入到“如果在剩下的人生中只能选一套衣服，你会穿什么”的讨论中，这一话题在这些论坛里讨论非常热烈。一开始只是假设，但是随着衣服单逐渐列出来，苏维尼决定来做一次真实的实验。
“过去一年里我也整理过衣橱，但在加入到网上那场讨论中后，我确实觉得我并不需要这么多衣服，”他说道。
苏维尼立誓，从6月1日起，他要将衣橱里明年穿的衣服缩减到10件，袜子、内衣和外套除外。
衣服包括一条裤子、一条短裤、两件T恤、一件有纽扣领的衬衫、一件运动衫、一双运动鞋、一双靴子、一件运动上衣和一条皮带。
五月份，他在博客上写了一篇《极简主义》（Mininalism）文章，宣布一年只穿一套衣服的计划。他认为这时机再好不过了。他和妻子新搬的家比以前要小，而且在空军服役的他马上要休六个月的亲子假，不用每天都穿飞行服。
这也是让他开始试验如何穿着简单地生活的一种方式。
“过去一年，我们发现拥有的少量的东西，其实会让你获得更多的自由。不用再在空余时间整理分类东西，或者从许多东西里找一个东西，你可以将更多的时间花在做你想要做的事情上，”他写道。
我们许多人在某个时刻都想简化我们的生活。精简我们所有的物质财富，对于许多人来说都是一次非常大的提升，但是缩减一下衣橱是一个简单的开始。正流行的极简主义时尚运动包括“10件衣服胶囊活动”、“五件衣服法国衣橱活动”和“333计划”，“333计划”让参与者3个月内只穿33件或更少的衣服。
“333计划”的发起者柯特妮•卡佛（Courtney Carver）表示，当人们意识到简化衣橱的好处时，他们开始思考如何将这一想法运用到生活其他领域。
“这是对生活中更多领域的简化的一种药引子，因为我们每一天就是从穿衣开始的。”卡佛说。
卡佛在2010年开始与硬化症作抗争时为简化生活开始了“333计划”，并最终促成了这一项日益高涨的运动。“333计划”的Facebook主页获“赞”次数超过1.2万次，讲述世界各地的人加入这一挑战的故事。
受“333计划”的鼓舞，《密尔沃基哨兵报》(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)的记者艾莉森•舍伍德（Alison Sherwood） 6月初开展了自己的活动——“迷你衣橱挑战”(the Tiny Closet Challenge)，邀请读者加入。目前为止，世界各地已经有30人报名加入参加。
“我对极简主义衣橱的简单大方真的很感兴趣。我想尝试一下，想看看它会怎么影响我对一些事情的看法，例如风格、花钱习惯、物质主义和满足感。我有两个小孩，一个两岁半，一个九个月大，因此，早上我真的没有时间一件件试衣服，对着衣橱干瞪眼，”舍伍德说。
“扔掉那些即使我从不穿的衣服对我来说也往往很难，因为我会有浪费钱的罪恶感，我也怕有一天我可能穿或者需要它们。我想要证明我可以不要这些衣服，也能过得非常好。”
她表示，到目前为止，颇有成效。她在早晨节省了不少时间，洗衣服也变得更简单了。等气温波动时，她就多穿点保暖。
“只穿我最喜欢的衣服，带喜欢的首饰感觉很好，也不会有忽视了其它我没那么喜欢的衣服的愧疚感，”她说道。
“现在看我的衣橱我会有种平静感。当许多衣服塞满了整个空间，尤其是有小孩子在你收拾好的时候进来，把衣服从衣架上扯下来，会感到紧张压迫。现在，我的衣橱里有了很多空间，让我感觉我是有计划有管理地开始每一天。”
精简衣橱完全改变了卡佛的生活。在简化她的衣物的最初三个月以后，她意识到大多数衣物并没有那么必不可少。现在，她仍继续在一段时间里只穿33件衣服（不包括内衣、睡衣或工作服），每三个月就重新整理一下衣橱，从小箱子里更新一些季节性的必需品到衣橱里。
她仍会买些衣服来置换衣橱里的衣服，但她表示现在更深思熟虑了。极简主义的思想延伸到了她生活的其它领域。在认为她可以在厨房、客厅和家里的其它地方使用更少的空间之后，她从她2000平方英尺的家搬到了一栋公寓里。她还离开了她在广告业的工作，专注于向他人提供简化生活和业务的咨询。
一家专注女性爱好的电子刊物PureWow网站的主编朱利安•昆特（Jillian Quint）称，丢掉衣物，甚至是你讨厌的衣物也很难。开始问自己：衣服合身吗？我穿着好看吗？我最近一次穿它是什么时候？
如果答案不是“是，”“是”和“就在去年”，那这件衣服就可以不要了，她如此说道。
如果你真的想要一个极简的衣橱，那就在里面放质量好的衣服，能起双倍、三倍或者四倍的作用，昆特说。尝试一件洁净挺括的白衬衫、一件黑色的运动夹克和一条非常合身的牛仔裤，以及鞋子和配饰，增加更多的色彩和时尚。
不过，第一步是要克服“这不会适合我”的担心，从小地方开始。
不要一开始就去掉所有东西，333计划发起者卡佛建议。一开始保留所有的东西，在尝试过程中逐渐去除你自己都没有意识到你已经不再使用的东西。
每个人缩减衣橱都有不同的理由。对于一些人，比如卡佛，目的是为了减少压力和混乱。
对于其他人来说，这是专注于质量而不是数量的努力的一部分。昆特认为，消费者要求产品回归高质量，能经受住时间的考验。
“我们生活在一个要时刻检查碳排放的时代。没人想要一个像垃圾场一样的衣橱，”她说道。
苏维尼的动机也是如此。
“我试图寻找体现用最好的材料生产高质量的产品的想法的品牌，”他说。
这体现在价格上，红迪网一位网友估算苏维尼十件衣服的总价为2703美元，大多数衣服都是在北美生产的。
我根据在不同天气条件和社交场合的多用性和耐用性挑选了这十件衣服，苏维尼说。他没挑牛仔布，因为太“休闲了”，但是他不想一年到头都穿西服，所以衣橱里大多都是人造纤维，夏天凉爽，冬天保暖。
幸运的是，一些服装品牌听说了他的计划，为他的实验赠送了一些衣服。然而，他说，他按照他已经有或想拥有的品牌选择服装，让他的实验不会太脱离实际。
“我坚持应该买高质量的衣服的方式是买的更少，以及买我能支付的起的最好的衣服，”他说。“我的衣橱里满满的都是永远不会穿坏的便宜衣服，因为我从不穿它们。但是，我攒钱买的衣服就会很喜欢穿。”
他表示，他的尝试并不是为了给所有人指导。
“这就是一个有趣的实验，让我看看一件事能持续多久，”他说。“谁知道呢，或许它会鼓舞其他人去考虑怎么精简他们的衣橱。