April's jeans inventory challenge

I took a few -- well, a little more than a few -- minutes while getting dressed today to pull out all of my jeans and try to make sense of what I have. It certainly was a worthwhile exercise. I now have a better idea of what I am wearing, what I've been overlooking, and some ideas on where I'm going. Beware, this gets long.

Lots of pics here, but they help me get organized so I'm hoping they'll be helpful for anyone else with a collection in need of review and organizing.

My jeans are on shelves -- not enough hanging space in my closet. Pic 1 shows the piles as they look when I pulled them out of the closet. Not too bad, right? But I quickly realized that I keep reaching for the top of the piles and some things further down fall into obscurity.

Not shown in this inventory are my white Paige skinnies, which are in a holding zone in case I lose enough weight to make them comfortable again, and an ancient pair of jeans that I reserve for dirty jobs like cleaning cat pee basements. ;-P I also have a few old pairs of jeans at the ranch, which is where my clothes go to die -- they get beat up into rags there.

1. The whole collection
2. blue denim skinnies/straights (3 pairs)
3. skinnies/straights in other neutrals, black, grey, cream) (5 pairs)
4. my Lululemon moto pants in black and navy -- not jeans per se but I wear them exactly as I would jeans (2 pairs)
5. printed/patterned jeans/pants (some ponte) (4 pairs)
6. colored or coated jeans (3 pairs)
7. "tomboy" jeans -- loose fit and a wider leg (2 pairs)
8. boyfriend jeans (3 pairs)
9-10. flares/bootcuts -- the black ones in 10 are being evaluated -- not worn yet, but I think I will be keeping them (4 pairs including the new black ones)
11. cropped jeans (2 pairs)
12. Possibly on the chopping block or the holding zone: my old Kut black ponte skinnies and a pair of COH straight legs. The C's fit but are stiff and a little long (!) and I never seem to reach for them. The ponte pants are OK but I always reach for either black jeans or the skirted leggings instead.
13. Definitely going: old Democracy jeggings and a nice pair of BR grey flares that I just never want to wear -- they feel too dressy, like something I'd wear if I worked in an office.

This was a good exercise for me because I could confront what I don't wear much:

1. I have not been wearing the tomboy jeans hardly at all in the last year. They are ultra casual, and they are not truly long enough on me worn unrolled, but I don't like how they look rolled up since the legs are so wide. I think these will become ranch jeans. Or one pair will be ranch jeans and the other "house" jeans since they are loose and comfortable.

2. I haven't been wearing the boyfriends enough. The distressed holey ones are starting to look not-so-current to me, but I like that I can wear them for times when I can beat them up. The others are both AG Nikki's and I need to try to work them into my rotation rolled with booties because I just default to skinnies too often. They're not terribly baggy loose BFs, really more of an easy fit, so I think they still have longevity.

I put the edited collection back on my shelves, but I managed to shuffle some things around to create room for four stacks instead of three. This should help me rotate things better so I don't only reach for the jeans on the top!

This made me feel like I have more of a handle on what I have and what I need to make an effort to wear! I tend to default to my Paige blue skinnies most days, and that's a bit of a rut.

If you stuck with me and made it through all of that, I'm seriously impressed. This was mainly for my benefit (I absorb insights better when I write them out), so thank you for indulging me!

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8 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

Thanks for sharing! I find other people's closets infinitely fascinating.

I too have jeans stacked on a closet shelf, and I take them down every few months to organize and revisit what I have. The ones on the bottom tend to get forgotten entirely even though I can "see them". It's frustrating...

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

*applause*

You edited and reviewed your denim capsule like a pro.

Janet

Aw, thanks, Una and Angie!

I was a little worried about posting -- does 28-30 pairs of jeans/pants seem excessive? Maybe to some. But I do wear them almost daily from late September through May. And I like having a variety of styles and silhouettes. I just need to make sure I'm wearing that variety and enjoying what I have -- not getting stuck in a rut. I feel like the addition of the cropped jeans has given me a bit of a boost in the "current style" department, so I think this number is sustainable for me, and I don't feel compelled to shop for more denim until something wears out.

Jenn

I'm wondering if some of this could be a seasonal thing? I'm always grabbing skinnies in the winter when I'm in boots, and more likely to want something looser in the warmer months. Perhaps your boyfriends, crops, and "tomboy" jeans will come out to play more as summer approaches.

Jenn, that is a very good point. I was taking into consideration what I wore over the last six months or so, including the warmer months, but yes, I do absolutely want looser, cooler denim styles when spring arrives! But then summer comes so quickly, I'm all too soon reaching for shorts and skirts.

Don't you worry ONE bit about how many pairs of jeans you have, Janet. You DO wear your clothes and don't just stare at them. You also store them very easily and neatly. The number is a personal thing, and clearly this number works for you.

Thank you for the reassurance, Angie. I know I'm not exactly a closet minimalist, but I'm getting more to a place where I want to *wear* what I have and not be constantly craving something new. I'm paying close attention to the items that I pull out, put on, and then end up taking off for one reason or another. While I was doing this today, a skirt and two blouses ended up in the donation bag along with those jeggings and jeans.

Joy

Janet, this was very helpful to me. I have similar categories of jeans on the guest bedroom bed waiting to be tried on and evaluated. I am heavy with thicker warm and coated denim which work well for winter but are too hot for warmer weather.

Anonymous

This was interesting Janet- another thank you from me for sharing this. My jeans are in a drawer (or two, depending on what I own) in my bedroom dresser, and this makes it even harder to know what is going on in there. I don't have quite as many pair as you, but that's probably because I can't seem to pin down what size I am and my weight is changing and I am terrified of having to continue trying to find jeans that fit and look nice. I am nodding along with your thoughts on fit and what seems right - although I still find I like a distressed jean. And, lilke you, I"m pulling out the skinnies more often than anything else these days . I also have a couple of pair of BF's that are too stiff and boxy looking - and this exercise of yours is reminding me to put them in the donate bag. I'd ideally like to winnow this mess down to a few pair that I feel comfortable in fit -wise and leave it at that.

April

Well done, Janet!

And since I share the "not enough rod space, too many shelves" issue, can I ask what you think that's about? Is it just a trend in closet design? My closet was outfitted by someone else, before we bought this house, but man -- a few more rods would be much appreciated.

It feels wrong to complain since the new closet is about the size of my bedroom at my old house. It's just not laid out the way I would have done it. I got used to having maximum rod space in minimum footprint, and here I seem to have the opposite.

April, I am to blame for this. I designed our closet, and I have never hung jeans on hangers. So I allotted a perfect amount of space for hanging my tops, jackets, and what few dresses I have. If I edited my tops or jackets down (hey, it could happen), I could find hanging space for jeans. My shelves also accommodate sweaters, tees, and workout wear. And I have a whole closet wall of shoe shelves.

DonnaF

I find skirt hangers like this http://www.bedbathandbeyond.co.....of-12/1040
invaluable for hanging and stacking my jeans and other pants so they don't take up much room. If I had to stack them or stick them in drawers that would never happen. I like to hang everything I can which isn't particularly good for sweaters, but I need to see what I have. In order to cram more into a limited space, I also stack hang skirts, shirts, jackets, you name it. It probably helps that I'm short and that all my garments are pretty short (no tunics)!

dashielle (Ann)

I read it all and am wondering how you handled length in the equation. I got all fancy and starting cutting jeans to the point of having various boot shaft heights, in addition to fit, style and color...am thinking perhaps different color binder clips or similar since there are too many variables for stacking to cover. First world problem, admittedly, but there you go. And last count, I was close to your number!

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