What Staysfit said. This is my fun. My work (which I love and consider myself very fortunate to do what I love) is analyzing human behaviour.

Thank you all for your amazing responses! I'll be back a bit later on to converse -- we are having a major snowstorm and some family issues here (no one hurt, but things are a bit haywire at the moment...oy...). Back soon.

Suz, be safe and warm in that crazy storm.

Yeah, for me it's like what Angie says...if it's an essential and I find "another one" I know that snapping it up will help grease the wheels of my closet as opposed to clogging it up with more orphans or items I need to figure out how to wear.

I am so glad you brought this subject up, Suz.

I can answer catty's question because it was an eye opening exercise for me. I realized I'm drawn to statement garments and tend to overbuy them. But if I indulge in that way, I'm going to be wearing a dramatic coat and cool shoes and be butt naked beneath. So, in summer, basically naked. Pinpointing my essentials allows me to dress without getting arrested and helps me budget. When an essential gets worn out it gets replaced ahead of my throwing money at some statement top or whatever garment has caught my eye. I am really grateful to have done this exercise--and many thanks to Angie for explaining the difference between the two categories so clearly--because it helped me understand why I buy the things I do.

OK, here is my thought process. Let's take the winter attire. I have my essentials figured out - plain cashmere sweaters in black and grey, wool straight pants in black, dark navy and grey. It works for me but winter is long and I get bored with my clothes. So, I thought that adding color would help. I have now a pair of brown/black wool pants, one deep purple turtle neck and one light blue cashmere sweaters. I consider them my "occasionall" wear. Not something special but rather a reflection of a frequency of wear. These are not statement pieces. I now reconsidered, I don't really enjoy wearing color and would like to find black or grey tops in more interesting shapes. Once found, these will hopefully become my essentials. They will have to ib my base colors and work with all my pants. So, what about the statement clothes? Are they from the category of the "special occasion" clothes?

Irina, I think those new interesting shapes wouldn't be essentials. The pants you wear with them, or the cardigan you wear over them, or the black boots you wear with them, would be the essentials.

This is such a terrific thread, and I love all the reasons outlined above about the value of categorizing statements and essentials. I think this exercise helped me realize for future planning that generally, I prefer my dresses to be essentials rather than statements so I can have more fun with accessories, handbags, and footwear, and so I feel comfortable repeating dresses regularly. Although I think my wardrobe was evolving that way unconsciously while analyzing my outfits and style goals, reading Angie's terrific posts on this topic and the comments of members have helped me understand why this works and better refine my approach.

I agree with Staysfit and others that this will be really helpful for packing. In fact, I unwittingly did a bit of essentials analysis before my conference last week, and ended up with a great travel capsule that felt more versatile and successful than my usual packing efforts.

It also helped reassure me about something. Like Angie said, I realized that my wardrobe is very heavy on essentials, with only a few statements and no eclectic set of add-ons like a lot of you use to add excitement. In the past I've worried that my wardrobe is too basic. But this exercise made me realize that it's not basic. Instead, my statement style is made up of carefully chosen essentials. There are a lot of specific details in what makes it into my essentials collection, and the overall effect is something I'm really excited about. I feel more confident that I'm achieving a distinctive look that works for me. And it'll be easier to judge new purchases against that standard.

Wow, thank you all so much for your thoughtful replies. It's been really interesting to read this. Family crisis averted, by the way, but storm still ongoing!!

So...let me see if I can respond to some of these wise thoughts and interesting questions.

Greyscale, I would say you have a strong signature style. Choosing an almost monochromatic wardrobe is in itself a statement. Also, I am with you and Staysfit on believing that this exercise can help with packing.

Penny, I think this approach can be especially helpful for people who tend to wear essentials as their core pieces with statement add ons. But as Greyscale illustrates, it can also be useful for someone with a very different type of closet.

Irina, I think Jeneva's right in answer to your question, if I am understanding it all correctly. I also have made the mistake of buying essential items in colours outside my core neutrals and (apart from pullovers, in some cases) they did not become the fun, frequently worn statements I had hoped. I like my statements to be different from my essential items.

Kate, you're exactly the type of buyer I felt might be really helped by this exercise (or one kind).

Sterling, thanks!

Jeneva, I agree!

Xtbay, thank you. Inside now, thank goodness!

Style Fan -- I agree it is fun!

(to be cont'd).

Harmonica — I think it can lead to better shopping decisions over time. Some people may do it all intuitively and they don’t need it.

Elizabeth, I agree — once I really “get” my essentials I know it’s time to invest. For instance, last year I got an ink merino tee from BR. I wore it constantly both on its own and as a layering piece (under and over). This led me to believe that a cashmere version would also get worn a lot so I picked one up on sale at the end of the season for wearing this year — and bingo! Instant workhorse.

Janet, I think you know your essentials pretty well. You have a wardrobe that works well for you.

Joy, I wonder what you’ll discover about fabrication weights, etc. in the new home.

Staysfit, that’s an interesting story about the packing. I definitely rely on essentials when I pack — key neutrals and the pieces that i find easy and comfortable and unfussy to wear.

Bonnie, If you automatically gravitate to statements, I can see how this would be an amazing exercise, if frustrating at first!

JAileen, you had me snorting with laughter. Because you are so right — all grey (and silver) footwear is an essential!

Marilyn — a change of size always occasions reflection and when you’re building a wardrobe there’s no more important time to know your essentials!

Anon, that’s a really interesting point. What the heck are those items that aren’t essential and aren’t statement? I liked Greyscales idea that some of them are “fringe” — they might be needed but less often, for roles we seldom inhabit.

Or they might be dross, to get rid of.

Jenn, what a great analogy. I agree, it’s fun to dig deep and examine the whole context if the subject is one that interests you. I think it helps a person define a clear style.

Nodding with you, Style Fan, Marilyn, Robin, Chris, zoiechic, Barbara Diane, Sally, Rachy — it’s fun and instructive! (Rachy, you really would be a great medieval monk with the angels on pins…except you’d beat them all at their own game, methinks, and make them laugh, thus spoiling the morose meditation…)

UmmLila — I think you get this intuitively and don’t need to think about it consciously. Also, I suspect this may be less important for women like you and Janet whose wardrobes are on the larger side. Those with really compact wardrobes have to make sense of it or go half naked.

Angie, thanks for weighing in. It sounds as if you agree with the reasons I gave at first, and I also really like the distinction you made between closets that are essentials heavy and those that are statement heavy and either being great as long as the wearer knows what she’s up to and ensures she has her usual needs covered. I like what you said about strengthening a signature style by simplifying essentials. That makes sense.

Unfrumped, a coordinated travel capsule is a huge boon!

Xtabay, let us know what you discover!

Anchie, you sound super organized. I also know the worry of needing essentials that you’re not sure you’ll be able to find and resenting paying for them when there are other fun things you’d like.

LisaP — that is a very interesting distinction!! I analyze both. Or maybe I consider wardrobe analysis a kind of personal analysis…it tells me something about myself.

You're right Suz, I was helped, and thank you for starting this thread. Like Style Fan remarked, it was a fun exercise. I also realized how much I've taken on board over the years from Angie and forum members experiences regarding my essentials (without actually putting a name to that category) as well as all other things wardrobe related. Without really thinking about it, I have tended to duplicate my essentials: charcoal skinny jeans, cigarette pants, and tops of particular shapes and fabrics (depending on season) in my neutrals. I'm thinking particularly of you, LIn turtleneck sweater from Aritzia! Again, many thanks to all. I have learned a lot from you.

I have had a bad cold for the last three days and have been thinking about these threads because i am unable to function. retiring a year ago has thrown my whole wardrobe out of whack. the wool culottes I bought last year have only had a few wearings because they seem too formal for my new casual lifestyle. I am not ready to purge just yet because I want to try and make them fit in. is this futile? walking the dog three times a day made the turtlenecks I purchased a new essential this past winter. they would have been too warm for my office days. I feel a big purge coming on.

Like Jenn I enjoy thinking about clothing (and people and what clothing says about people) from all angles and find these exercises very enjoyable. Thinking about my essentials helps me understand my own style and way of dressing and reading about others helps me understand theirs. I am an intuitive thinker that loves to then analyze back and see what I can learn. So thank you for this thread Suz and hope everything is sorted out at home.

I have some of those non-statement, non-essential pieces in my wardrobe right now. Some (I'm looking at you, skinny jeans) are essentials I've mostly, but not completely, moved on from. Others (trousers, skirts, plain blazer) are pieces I'm happy to have available on the rare occasions I need them. "Fringe" is a good description!

One of the reasons I like to examine my essentials is that it often gives me clues as to how my style is subtly changing. For example, I have moved away from wearing black as often as previously and don't feel as fab when I do. So this tells me that black items may not be as essential as before and to revisit my essentials list before replacing worn out black items.

Personally, doing this ( a few years ago when I first saw Angie write about it ) , really alleviated my angst. It made my dressing almost thoughtless while still workable and joyful. It really helped me focus on what I need daily to get dressed. What really works in my life and allows me to feel good. As a SAHM, I really didn't need a lot of diversity. And my personality is just one where I don' t need a lot of change or churn. In fact, I like just the opposite in my clothes. And I am just not much of an experimenter. I just don't get bored. I have also found that my preference for dressing hasn't changed much since I was in high school and I see how much my mother has affected that ( for the good ).

I don't think much about "statement" clothes. I LOVE accessories. So I have statement earrings, statement necklaces, etc. I have a few statement scarves but most of my scarves are every day , I can't have a wardrobe without them.

I found YFL about 7 years ago, maybe 8. During that time, I have gone through 3 situations that left me a bit adrift sartorially. The biggest was shifting from working in a city to being a SAHM in the country in a small town. So I did quite a bit of experimenting and analysis. In the end, I settled on this ( after many of the Angie posts of "this or that" to help me hone my preferences ).

http://www.theviviennefiles.co.....drobe.html

I have changes some of the items around and color ( like including olive instead of off white/khaki ). This works great with all my accessories and really is my aesthetic.

Now, for people who love statement clothing, I can see that being an essential. So in a list of things, I can see the category for tops, for example, having " 2 or 3 statement tops". There are people that can't have a functional wardrobe without that. ( Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert. )

This whole thing is making my eyes glaze over. I know what my wardrobe needs, and I guess I don't understand the difference between statement pieces and essentials.

I continue to struggle with this. My purchases post-YLF tend to be statement heavy. . .but in neutral colors so I'm not left with orphans. Plus, I like to pattern mix and throw in the kitchen sink. Back in the day, I had a LOT of Essentials, but now I have a much larger wardrobe. I rarely wear my various pairs of black slacks, and I gave one of my black pencil skirts to DD and kept the ponte one. I seldom wear my plain Ts or plain pullovers, and I could go on.

Is something Essential if it is worn less than half the time? I will always own various styles of BLUE jeans, but at the moment my gray plaid and black cropped flares are getting more love.

I don't wear white shirts or work shirts very often, but want them always to be in my wardrobe.

And I will always own Dansko Pro clogs for comfort reasons despite my search for alternatives.

I think I have some weird aversion to Essentials. Maybe I'm drawn to Statements as a reaction to not being able to do much air travel/long vacations until my MIL passes away? We drive there so it's not hard to throw in the kitchen sink and pack multiple toppers and not have everything coordinate.

Yes! I wonder that - if something is essential when you don't wear it much, but does serve as 'essential glue' upon occasion and that's why you keep it.

Fashion and style is hard for me. Fun, but hard. It just doesn't come naturally, though I love to be involved in it. Thinking about style, expressing myself, and having creative fun with the daily necessity of dressing up is why I care about the different blogs and threads that offer instruction and insight on how to put myself together!

This new year I have done more 'work' understanding and sorting my style and essentials, and I feel like I am on the verge of having a collection of clothes that will support my aspirational style - rather than experimenting crazily, and not understanding why things don't quite work.