I am always counting, and as December 1 is officially the first day of our Summer, have started on my 2015 list already.
I bought 68 items this year- 54 clothing , (including work-out but not underwear.)
Plus 3 bags, 4 pairs of shoes, 2 belts, 4 scarfs and 1 pair of earrings.
I purged the same amount of items!
I am aiming for less in 2015, as I am pretty happy with most of my stuff at this stage.

I will count! I bought:

shoes - 7
bras - 3
undies - 4
socks - 2
tights - 1
shorts- 1
skirts - 1
tees - 8
blouses - 3
flannels - 2
sweaters - 2
sweatshirts - 2
jackets - 2
jeans - 2
heatgear -5
bags - 2
belts - 1
hats - 1
pants - 1
tanks- 3

This leaves me with a grand total of 53 pieces if we are counting undies, long undies, and socks in this. 35 if we count things that other people see! I didn't purchase any gear this year except a pair of hiking/casual pants, probably because I replenished a lot of my outdoor gear last year for work. I don't have everything I've ordered yet, so numbers may change. Below is a list of pending orders that will be fufilled in 2014. I also did some more counting to give people an idea of what I started/ended the year with from previous years, as seen below.

I did buy 3 pieces this fall that are for s/s 2015 at the end of season sales. I've never done this before except for with gear, so we will see if it was a mistake.

The shoe numbers don't surprise me --- I purged 6 pair of shoes because of wear this past year, which is pretty typical for me. I also purge tops and sweatshirts because of wear frequently. Almost everything else that was purchased was purchased because I did not have any items in that category at the beginning of the year.

Things I have on order for delivery 12/24 (I have a high return rate):
loungewear - 3
belts- 1
sweatshirts -1
tees- 1
jackets - 2
flannels - 1
sweaters - 2
shirts- 2
jeans - 1

things that I still have in my closet rotation or in holding zone from 2013 or before:
tops - 4
button downs - 3
pants -2
skirts - 2
shorts - 2
jeans - 3
jackets - 2
heels - 2
boots - 1
hats - 2
dresses - 1
coats - 1
tees- 5

Currently I have about 49 clothing items total, and 10 shoes, plus a few accessories.

But, I also agree with Thimbelina -- it is too much shopping for me. Ugh!

I should be able to do this as I record my spending fairly carefully, with the exception of the odd packed of pantyhose that goes in on the groceries bill!
So
10 gear items (inc socks)
1 sleeveless top
1 summer skirt
1 sweater
1 sweatershirt
1 bra
1 pair of sandals
4 long sleeve layering tops
1 pair tights
2 loose fitting tees
2 cardigans

26 items
17 if you remove underwear/socks

I kept within budget, which also included some shoe repairs and maybe drycleaning

This felt fairly lean and was buttressed by more spending in 2013. I am gearing up for more in 2015 - I haven't finished buying for summer yet and my casual summer wardrobe has been neglected for some years. In addition I have lots of things that need replacing in 2015

I like Carter's point about giving away more than buying. Even though I bought many pieces this year, I gave away or sold even more. My shoes have more breathing room on the shelves, and I have empty hangers, which I did not have a year ago. My out-of-season storage bags are mostly empty.

I'm not one for numbers when it comes to wardrobe, but I am increasingly aware that I can only wear so many things in a day/week/month/year. These days I'm feeling a little less inclined to experiment with my purchases, and a little more content with a small variety of silhouettes, colors, etc. It's now been since the start of November since I bought anything for my wardrobe, and the shopping itch has not hit me yet. The few times I've wandered through a store while out running errands, very little has appealed to me as much as what I already own.

I do note that I bought a few great essentials this year. My successful purchases this year tended to be either modern classic pieces (i.e., the JCrew turtleneck), or distinctive pieces that might be trending but are so "me" that I foresee getting a lot of wear out of them (the blue Modern Vice booties, the black long BCBG jacket). Then there are some wild cards that have been more hit-and-miss. Fortunately, the more "miss" ones have tended to be the cheaper ones. Sometimes I'm just too seduced by a great color or print, and overlook a fit or cut that is somehow problematic. It's good to know I haven't wasted a big sum of money on failed wild cards, but it's also worth keeping in mind the next time I see something tempting that is outside of my preferred lineup of styles and silhouettes.

So, no numbers, just some pondering based on the general ebb and flow of my closet. I think I'm going to put those twenty-odd empty hangers in a holding zone so I'm not tempted to fill them.

I track & count, but not including underwear/socks. I started including gear this year since, I admit, I wear my gear while working from home. My goal (with the counting) is better wardrobe management: to have everything I need in my wardrobe and not more, and to buy high quality items I can wear often for several years (or more).
I bought 28 items this year, and already got rid of 2, and 6 need some adjustments or they will have to go.

  • 1.5 Coat/jacket (.5 because I couldn't decide if it was a coat or gear)
  • 1 shell/T
  • 3 Shirt / topper
  • 2 pants/ 1 shorts
  • 3 skirt
  • 2 dress
  • 3.5 gear shorts / yoga tights / gear shirt
  • 3 sweater
  • 0 dressy
  • 6 shoes
  • 2 accessories / 0 bags

Extra shoes this year to replace my summer shoes - hopefully I got those figured out and I will get a few years of wear from those.
The best purchases were full price items that I took my time trying on at home, and Ebay was generally a mistake. I will get this lesson imprinted sooner or later.

No harm no foul! I've just seen how easily feelings can get hurt when people start to feel shamed or judged.
My numbers need revision because I started making mistakes here @ the end & am shipping a few things straight back! Shopping moratorium now I think...
My year was weirdly skewed. When I was out of work & actively interviewing Jan-April I only bought two items: a cheap ponte knit blazer & a rather nice handbag. By May I was getting on the sub list in preparation for the start of summer school in June. That's when I came back to being active on YLF & began my Pinterest lists. So my purchase totals represent 2/3 of the year. In the end I bought 33 items between May-December, 35 with the two previous to that time.
This year I'm shifting my attention to higher priced 'investment' pieces from brands like Eileen Fisher, Rag & Bone, etc so I will no doubt buy less. Last year I didn't really give myself a budget. This coming year it's $100 per pay period ($2600 annually) but it needs to include ALL my girlie needs: gear, underwear, make up, and haircuts in addition to clothes.