Summary: YouTube’s The Minimal Mom teaches a “favorites first” principle; this article explains how it is the shortcut to better outfits and smarter shopping.
I went to the mall last week with one of the grandbuddies. I was surprised to see the clothing stores are basically gone.
I guess if I was shopping for my clothes at the mall, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
Before we talk about what that means for your wardrobe, I want to address something you may have noticed. I took longer than usual to get back into content production after the holidays.
As I was nearing the end of last year, I was sensing a desire to shift my content strategy. Getting my thinking clear around exactly what that would look like took me longer than expected.
I want you to know this about me because it matters for understanding what I offer. One of my specific cognitive functions is Introverted Intuition. My thinking process involves taking different frameworks, sitting with them, understanding them deeply, and seeing how they connect.
This means two things. Don’t expect me to produce instant results. And don’t expect yourself to always see the level of meaning I see in things right away. This kind of pattern recognition takes time.
For me specifically, this is Introverted Intuition and Introverted Thinking working together in my cognitive function stack. If you want to understand how your own cognitive functions influence everything from your decision-making timeline to your aesthetic preferences, I offer a free video masterclass called The Myers-Briggs Key to Signature Style.
What I realized is that I don’t want to limit myself to style topics. Some of my most valuable insights are in personal growth and adjacent areas where my Introverted Intuition is recombining concepts in genuinely useful ways.
Here’s the bigger picture. I am convinced that when every human is operating in alignment with their unique gifting, collectively we can solve our world’s most pressing problems. My mission is guiding women through self-discovery by reflecting their inherent strengths and nurturing confidence in their inner wisdom.
Today’s article is exactly that intersection: how understanding one simple principle can free up mental energy and financial resources for what actually matters.
Budget Update
I’ve been tracking my clothing spending in a simple spreadsheet for over 15 years. Last year in episode 66, I broke down what I spent. This year, roughly the same: about $100 per month with a little extra from birthday money.
But where I shopped changed significantly.
Here’s what that looks like. I bought cornflower blue wide-legged pants from Target for $30. Wore them all season. They worked really well in my wardrobe, but they didn’t fit great. I probably should have noticed that in the fitting room.
Then I found essentially the same style from Everlane for double the price. Better fit, better quality. Worth it because I already knew the fit would work.
Previously, I had found a pair of Everlane pants at Goodwill. Then I had bought a pair on clearance to fill a strategic gap in my wardrobe (I’ll explain how I identified the gap further on). That one strategic purchase from Everlane eliminated my need to go to Old Navy and similar this entire year.
I hear “I don’t know where to shop” from people all the time. The retail landscape is shifting. The middle tier where you could reliably replace basics is mostly gone.
And that makes strategic wardrobe building more necessary than ever.
How The Minimal Mom Uses “Favorites First”
I’ve been watching a YouTube decluttering channel called The Minimal Mom. One principle she uses is “favorites first.”
Here’s how she applies it.
You accept the limitations of your container or space. You group like items into categories. Then you fill the container with your items, favorites first.
The easiest way to do this is take everything out, sort it, then put it back in the container starting with your favorites. When your space is full (she recommends stopping at about two-thirds full), you get rid of everything else.
The result: you’re keeping your favorites.
When The Minimal Mom explained this process, I realized it’s basically the exact formula I use in my wardrobe building system, The Wardrobe Pyramid.
The Wardrobe Pyramid & “Favorites First”
The Minimal Mom’s approach focuses on keeping your favorite individual items.
My approach focuses on building your favorite complete outfits.
Here’s how The Wardrobe Pyramid works.
First, you need to know roughly how many of each item you need. I have a system for calculating that based on your lifestyle segments, your outfit templates, and your laundry cycle. That gives you your container.
Now you’re ready to edit your closet.
Take all your clothes out. But instead of sorting by category and putting items back individually, you’re going to make complete outfits as you put stuff back.
Start with your favorite outfit. Put those pieces back in your closet together. Take a picture if that helps you remember what goes together.
Then make your second favorite outfit. Then your third.
Each of these first outfits will most likely use new pieces. Keep going until you run out of one item. Maybe that’s blazers. Maybe it’s pants.
Once you hit that number, you can start making new outfits by reusing the items you have extras of in new combinations.
When you can’t make another outfit because something is missing, that missing piece goes on your shopping list.
At the end of this process, you’re left with a few things.
You’ll have a pile of stuff you don’t like that much. That’s excess. You can get rid of it.
You’ll have a few things that don’t go with anything. You can decide if you want to get rid of them or buy something to make an outfit with them.
You’ll have obvious holes to shop for.
And you’ll see which favorites are wearing out and need to be replaced.
Why This Approach Works
Most people edit their closet by looking at individual items and asking “Do I like this? Does it fit? Have I worn it recently?” If you adopt the Minimal Mom “favorites first” approach, you skip that step and all its decision fatigue.
That process doesn’t tell you if the item actually works in your wardrobe.
You can like something, have it fit perfectly, and wear it occasionally, but if it doesn’t go with anything else you own, it’s dead weight.
The outfit-building approach reveals that automatically.
If a piece doesn’t make it into any of your favorite outfits, you know it’s not functioning. You’re not guessing based on whether you think you should keep it. You’re seeing proof that it doesn’t work.
And when you’re shopping, you’re not buying individual items hoping they’ll work. You know exactly what outfit you’re trying to complete. You can see the gap.
This is why I could spend roughly the same amount as last year but make better purchases. I’m buying to fill specific gaps, not experimenting and hoping.
Make The Minimal Mom Principle Work
The Wardrobe Pyramid shows you the structure. But knowing which specific pieces are your favorites requires understanding your personality and energy first.
The Congruence Code provides that foundation. Through a two-hour personality profiling conversation, you’ll discover your cognitive function stack, receive your Personality Style Blueprint, and get your Seasonal Energy Color Palette.
You’ll understand your flow state, your growth edge, and how your personality naturally influences your style preferences.
When you build your wardrobe on that foundation, your choices feel authentic rather than arbitrary.
Here’s something simple you can do this week:
Pick one lifestyle segment. Maybe it’s your work wardrobe. Look at what you currently own for that part of your life and create your three favorite complete outfits.
Finally Feel Congruent: Align Your Energy, Personality, and Style
The Congruence Code helps you discover the wiring of your mind, define what truly matters in your style, and align your colors with your energy. Through a two-hour personality profiling session, you’ll receive your Personality Style Blueprint and Seasonal Energy Color Palette. This discovery reveals your flow state for greater energy, your growth edge for greater impact, how you learn best, how you make your best decisions, and ways you may be sabotaging yourself. Building your style on your personality and basing your colors on your seasonal energy puts you on the path to a signature style that feels authentic to you. Click here to book your Congruence Code session and start building a wardrobe that feels authentically you.