Tan France’s Tips for Editing Your Wardrobe

While some were first introduced to fashion expert Tan France on the Primetime Emmy-nominated Netflix show Queer Eye in 2018, the prolific stylist has been in the fashion and styling business for over 20 years. Before the fashion guru appeared in the hit makeover show reboot along with the rest of “The Fab Five,” co-stars Bobby Berk, Antoni Porowski, Karamo Brown, and Jonathan Van Ness (JVN), he had helped thousands of people find their personal style and find a look that makes them feel like the very best version of themselves.

Since the breakout success of Queer Eye, Tan has become one of the most visible, sought-after personal stylists in the world—making history as the first openly gay South Asian man on television. In 2019, he published his memoir, Naturally Tan, which became an instant New York Times bestseller. In 2020, Tan co-hosted the fun and fast-paced 2020 Netflix fashion design competition series, Next in Fashion with perennial It Girl Alexa Chung.

A wardrobe edit can clean out and declutter your space, keeping your clothes both essential and inline with your personal style. It’s more important to have a reliable, re-workable piece of clothing that’s in good condition than it is to fill your closet with a lot of clothes you may not wear very often, like too many seasonal items, or pieces that were more trendy last year. Plus, downsizing your wardrobe means donating clothing to a new home, whether that’s a consignment store or charity.

A capsule wardrobe is a collection of pieces that are classics, that will work together with so much versatility where you can create look after look after look, making your old clothes seem like new clothes. A capsule wardrobe can give your entire closet a much needed makeover by decluttering your space by creating a more minimalist wardrobe—and less clothes means less time styling your look and deciding on what to wear.

1. 1. Select your outerwear. When assembling your own wardrobe, select a solid piece of outerwear, like a trenchcoat or other heavier coat that you can throw over any outfit. This can help you limit the amount of items you need by having one neutral piece that goes with everything.
2. 2. Pick a signature jacket. For example, a moto jacket (motorcycle jacket)—whether it’s real leather or vegan—is a great staple for many wardrobes. A leather jacket is cool, it's easy, it shows style without making any real effort.
3. 3. Vary your tops. Every closet should have a few select button ups, knitwear, and t-shirts. Button ups can be for casual wear as well as corporate. Have one in black, white, and blue. Once you start to feel comfortable with your capsule wardrobe, you can layer on many other colors, and many other prints. Knitwear is important in your capsule wardrobe. You can go for cashmere, or you can go for a cheaper option. Go for a neutral—a creamy, beige-y color. Also get something in gray, as well as black. You only need one or two, maximum. A few essential t-shirts can also keep your closet from overflowing. Have one in black, brown, and white. You can also go for something else, like a gray or a blue, or whatever feels like your neutral color.
4. 4. Get a suit. Keep a well-tailored suit in your current wardrobe. Even if you don’t have a corporate job that requires professional work clothes, a suit can come in handy for any gender, and any special occasion. A suit can be broken up and worn in a number of different ways, so that you allow yourself more versatility while keeping your closet space decluttered.
5. 5. Choose your denim. Treat denim as a neutral. Pretend it’s black, even though it's blue. Colors like black, dark blue, and mid-blue will never go out of style. Jeans will always be in—and you can wear whatever color you want with that denim.
6. 6. Select your footwear. A white sneaker will never go out of style. It goes with everything, whether it’s a t-shirt and skinny jeans, a fun summer dress, or leggings and a cardigan. Canvas works well, and you can throw them in the wash when they get dirty. It's a great everyday shoe to just go down to brunch with friends, pop to the shops, go shopping, and you've always got something casual and comfortable to wear. A pair of heels and a pair of flats are also great to have in any woman’s closet, and for men, a solid pair of black shoes or boots can go with most outfits, cutting down on the amount of footwear you need to buy.
7. 7. Keep a belt—for style, only. If your clothing doesn’t fit properly, tailoring your items to fit your specific body shape can help cut down on the amount of functional accessories you need. Belts should be fashionable, not functional.

Get a MasterClass Annual Membership and let Tan France be your very own style maestro. Queer Eye’s fashion guru spills everything he knows about building a capsule collection, finding a signature look, understanding proportions, and more (including why it’s important to wear underwear to bed)—all in a soothing British accent, no less.