- [Matt] A lotta people have said that minimalism is dead,
but that's just because they haven't seen it look this good.
(rock music)
I'm Matt D'Avella,
and they call me the bad boy of minimalism.
(record scratching) - No they don't.
Nobody calls you that.
(rock music)
- I've been a minimalist for the past 10 years
and while my bad boy reputation
might often get called into question,
there's no doubt that I keep my wardrobe really simple.
Day in and day out,
I stick with the basics.
The same T-shirt, same pants, same hoodie,
same shoes and socks.
All solid colors and almost no patterns.
And while my style hasn't changed much
over the past decade,
I've been slowly tweaking what I wear,
the brands that I go for,
and I've even added some new items to my closet.
I know, crazy.
So I wanna share every last detail about my new
and improved minimalist wardrobe.
By the way, everything that I mention in this video
will be linked in the description below.
I don't get paid by any of these brands.
I just wanna be as helpful as possible,
since I know it's difficult finding quality recommendations.
And because I'm a bit obsessed with the details.
Before we get into this week's video,
I wanted to let you know that my YouTube course
is now open for enrollment.
I only open up the course a couple times a year,
so I wanted to make sure that you had an opportunity
to join while you can.
Have you ever wanted to start a YouTube channel
but didn't know what step to take first?
Or maybe you've already started one
but feel totally stuck.
That's why I created Master YouTube.
It's the roadmap you need to start your channel,
create original videos,
and attract your first 1,000 true fans and beyond.
I'm giving you an inside look into how I operate my channel,
my process when I create a video,
and everything I wish I had known as a brand new creator.
So this is part of the writing process, right?
This is like, this is really what happens.
This course won't give you the secret
to becoming an overnight success,
because there isn't one,
but it will help you finally start your YouTube channel
if you haven't already and get your videos
in front of the right audience with integrity.
No click bait tactics here.
If you've ever watched a YouTube video and said to yourself,
"I wanna do that, but I don't know how,"
this course is for you.
So if you wanna sign up,
go to slowgrowth.com/masteryoutube
or click the link in the description down below this video.
Hope to see you there.
One of the most common questions I've gotten
in the comments over the years has been,
"Where do you get your shirts?"
So, when it comes to my minimalist wardrobe,
I figured we should start there.
So I have tried dozens of shirts over the years,
but I keep coming back to the same exact one,
J.Crew's Broken-in tee.
They provide a couple different options for fit,
from classic to slim and tall.
After some trial and error,
I was able to dial in a size
that feels like it's tailored to me.
The three colors that I go with are white,
heathered gray, and evening storm,
and I have seven in each color.
My jeans are from Levi's.
They are the 510 Skinny Fit Flex in black.
I've tried finding better quality jeans over the years,
but these provide the best fit for me,
and so I continue to reorder them once every year.
So you might've seen a video that I made
about these pants and the fact that I wear them every day,
and I almost never wash them.
If you haven't seen it, you should check it out.
It's not nearly as gross as it sounds.
(sniffing)
These need to be washed.
(light music continues)
I've also got a pair of chinos from Country Road
that I almost never wear.
This is one of those items that I wear maybe once
or twice a year to more formal events.
I've got two pairs of shorts from a brand called Neuw,
one in black and one in tan.
I wear these all throughout the summer.
When I did my first and only minimalist wardrobe video
on this channel like five years ago,
I had two sets of mesh shorts.
Natalie absolutely hated them.
They were, if I'm being honest, pretty ugly.
But they worked.
They suited me well and they did the job.
Recently, the elastic wore out,
so I had to get a new set,
and let me tell you, I found something good.
I have five pairs of these shorts,
and I wear them literally every single day.
And they might be my favorite new piece of clothing
that I've purchased over the past few years.
They're officially called the Pace Breaker Linerless Short.
I got the seven-inch length in black.
I wear them to the gym, on hikes, to the grocery store,
and around the house.
They fit great, look good,
and my favorite part, they have pockets.
Inside each pocket, they have mini pockets
to hold my keys, phone, and AirPods securely.
10 outta 10, I would definitely recommend these shorts.
Nat, real quick question.
I'm doing a video on like my minimalist wardrobe.
The old mesh shorts, do you remember those?
- I try not to.
(Matt and Natalie laughing)
- What didn't you like about them?
- Oh, they're just like so unstylish.
Like, they're so baggy.
They're really '90s.
- We swapped those out.
We're happy with the new choice.
- Yeah, I like the new ones. - Great.
Recently made a massive shift in my wardrobe
and changed my hoodie.
After years of sporting a basic gray zip hoodie,
I decided to switch things up
for a pullover hoodie from Lululemon.
This one is called the City Sweat Pullover.
- Pull over.
(engine whirring)
- No, it's a cardigan, but thanks for noticing.
- For the color, I went with smoked spruce.
The material is really nice,
and yes, it's got pockets inside of pockets as well,
so I don't have to worry about things falling out
of my hoodie.
How do we feel about the change from the gray zip
to the green pullover?
- I think that was my idea.
- It was. - Yeah, I think that,
- 'Cause you told me I was fossilizing.
- I think you can wear like a gray zip-up hoodie
when you're like going to the gym,
but the problem I have is you wearing it
and it's like all balled up
because like Matt's had it for like two years.
And then we're like going to dinner.
(Matt and Natalie laughing)
And I'm wearing heels.
(Matt and Natalie laughing)
- This hoodie is definitely one of my new favorite pieces
of clothing, and for sure,
I'm gonna wear it every single day
until Natalie starts hating it.
So when it comes to putting together my wardrobe,
there are three factors that I really consider
above everything else.
They would be fit, quality, and versatility.
Price isn't as much of a factor
because I am buying less clothes,
so I can invest more money into the clothes
that I actually do buy.
When it comes to the fit,
every brand has different sizes.
So, a medium in one brand might not be the same in another.
And so, it really takes a lot of trial and error
to get it right.
Quality is pretty straightforward.
Does it fall apart after you run it through the dryer
a couple of times?
I really wanna make sure it lasts a very long time
so that I don't have to repurchase it
every couple of months or so.
And lastly, versatility.
Can I mix and match these clothes with different pairings
and different outfits?
That's why I don't have a lotta patterns.
I don't have a lot of colors.
Most of my clothes that I own can be mixed and matched,
and that makes it a lot easier for me
to get out the door.
I've got two everyday sneakers that I wear.
First, I've got a pair of black Nike sneakers.
These are the Nike Revolution 6 Next Nature.
They have about a million options online
for black sneakers, but these work well for me.
A solid everyday choice.
Second, I recently got a pair of Stan Smiths.
These white sneakers are so new
that I can still wear them indoors.
I like the white leather,
as they're much easier to keep clean,
and they pair well with almost all of my clothes.
I also have a pair of brown boots from J.Crew
that I bought way back when I was living in New York,
which at this point, is like five or six years ago.
I don't wear them very often,
but they definitely come in handy during East Coast winters
here in the US,
so I'm glad I held onto them.
You were already introduced to vacation Matt.
This shirt comes out when the sun's out.
It's the only patterned shirt I have,
but it's becoming my staple
for whenever I take time off work.
I only wear it when I'm on vacation,
and it just really sets the vibe, sets the tone,
lets everybody know around me,
I'm not fucking around anymore.
Technically, I would be fucking around, though,
because I'm on vacation, but you get the point.
All right, so I wanna give you a quick look
at my spreadsheet.
So anytime an item gets lost, needs to be replaced,
maybe it's been worn out for a couple of years,
I will go to this spreadsheet
and I have everything I need to know about reordering.
All righty, so this is the spreadsheet right here.
On the left column, I've got quantity,
the number of items I have.
So I've got 12 pairs of boxer briefs,
five of these Lululemon shorts.
The item with the link to reorder,
and then I've got the brand, the style, the color,
as well as the size.
A lotta times, the tags get pulled off or on sneakers,
they get worn away and I forget that I'm a 10 in Adidas
but a 10.5 in Nike.
And so, it's really helpful to have all of this info
handy to reorder.
And when I wanna reorder, say I just go to the T-shirt,
boom, I can just head over here to reorder the shirt.
It's already got slim medium plugged in.
I've got a few button-downs that I wear
to fancy restaurants.
I pull these shirts out about as much as my tan chinos,
so maybe a few times a year.
They're definitely useful to have
for those special occasions,
but not an everyday wear for me.
And I have two of these waffle henleys from Country Road.
They're super comfortable.
I think they look good.
And they're great for cold weather.
Considering the wild swings of weather here
on the East Coast, I do have a few jackets
to cover me from the rain to the snow to the freezing cold.
This navy Wallace & Barnes bomber gets the most use.
Next up, I have an ultralight down jacket from Uniqlo.
Definitely a clutch purchase.
It keeps me warm and is great to travel with.
It can literally roll up into a bag
that you can fit in your hand.
This jacket from Barbour is a great waterproof option
when it gets really cold out.
And finally, this massive coat is the Nordic Field Parka
from J.Crew, and it helps me get through the coldest
of East Coast winters.
These are a pair of sweatpants from Lululemon
called the City Sweat Jogger.
I love wearing them on our long haul flights
between the US and Australia.
And yes, they also have pockets inside of pockets.
I've got J.Crew's navy swim trunks,
AKA swimmies, AKA just a bathing suit really.
Not much to say about them.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention socks and underwear.
I have 12 pairs of socks from J.Crew
and 12 pairs of boxer briefs from Everlane,
all black, everything.
And finally, let's wrap up my wardrobe
with some accessories.
I've got a casual everyday belt that I never wear
and probably should downsize at this point.
These are my Ray-Ban sunglasses
that I've had for the past eight years,
and they've held up surprisingly well.
And these are my glasses that I got from Oscar Wylee,
another Australian brand.
A similar brand here in the US that I've used in the past
is Warby Parker.
You might've seen in my last video
that I recently got an Apple Watch.
I went with the 45-millimeter Midnight aluminum case
with the Midnight leather link.
Super classic, minimalist, works for me.
Believe it or not, this is my first ever smartwatch
and I'm gonna be honest,
it's actually surprised me with how much I like it.
I've got a lot of content planned
and some digital minimalism experiments coming up,
so stay tuned for those.
I have a cashmere beanie from J.Crew.
That's definitely one of my favorite items.
Not cheap, but it's so comfortable
that it's worth the investment.
And finally, I've got a 47 Brand Yankees hat.
Gotta support the Yankees,
even if they let me down every single year.
So when it comes to my minimalist wardrobe,
it's not about owning as few items as possible.
It's about using everything that I own.
And so, when you look in my drawers,
when you look in my closet,
I can say with confidence that I use 95%
of the clothes that I own on a yearly basis.
And now, having a minimalist wardrobe,
for me, what it really means is that I can get out the door
a lot quicker, I can worry much less about what I'm wearing,
I can feel more confident in all of the clothes
that I wear and all of the clothes that I own
because I've been really intentional about each piece.
And so, if you're looking to simplify your wardrobe,
I hope this video gave you a little bit of inspiration
into taking action.
Thanks for watching and I'll see you soon.