At least it was only the ottoman, and not the clothes!

Very interesting thread, and sounds like despite the size of it, your wardrobe is very much under control, carefully organized and brings you joy, so the size isn't a problem at all.

I'm the opposite, I have a few favourites that I wear over and over again (usually a statement piece worn with different more basic sidekicks), I don't need a lot of variety at all and I'd like to have a very small wardrobe. Right now it's actually bigger than I need or like or wear, because there are a lot of items that I kept from purging 'just in case'. And - of course - the 'case' never happened, so I suppose I should find the time and energy to do it again and be ruthless this time...

Thanks for starting this fascinating thread.
I have far fewer items than you do, but this is a source of much frustration at the moment.
You have been given lots of wise advice and insightful comments by other posters.
I was going to say that an important factor is how many similar items you own, but reading your update, you seem to have variations on the things you love - like denim jackets in different washes and cuts.
I also wouldn't feel bad about owning some special items that are rarely worn. In my experience, shopping for a specific event at short notice can lead to serious buyer's remorse, so snapping up something gorgeous and waiting for the occasion to arise seems smart to me.
Thanks for raising this - I've enjoyed reading all the comments.

I haven't read through all of the posts (some are very long), but did read the first group. I agree that this is specific to the individual and depends to a great extent on how much of your wardrobe can do double duty - work and play. For me, if I have too much, I forget about items that I love and then don't wear them as often as they deserve to be worn. So for me, this is the main factor. Do you have pieces that you don't wear often but love because you have too much to choose from? If so, it may be time to pare down the closet.

I think I may do that today myself.

Natalie, I have been following this thread with interest.

I am of two minds on this and haven't yet found a place to comfortably rest, I don't think.

On the one hand, I feel like my wardrobe is too big because I don't feel like I get to wear my loved items often enough.

On the other hand, I LOVE being able to reach into my closet and find the perfect piece for just about anything from a casual party to a fancy brunch to a YLF Picture Perfect Challenge. I feel like if I weeded out a lot of the stuff that doesn't get worn very often, I wouldn't be able to do that.

I am trying to do one-in, one-out, because I am out. of. space. Other than that, I don't know. It's a work in progress.

Great post Natalie! I saved it to read with my morning coffee. Lovely! You've gotten some great responses. I have a pretty small wardrobe, but I've been on a summer buying spree since that's my dominant season. I'm actually invigorated by a good purge, so it's hard for me *not* to cull when I start getting that overwhelming feeling of my closet getting out of control.

I'm on a learning curve too. I buy clothes to experiment with different things to see what I like and what I keep reaching for over and over. I ask myself what I *don't* like about the things that I'm not wearing so I can avoid making the same mistake again. I don't think I ever want my wardrobe to be *finished*. I would rather have some blank space that is open for new possibilities. At the end of each season (such as they are), I only aim to keep the pieces I have really loved and look forward to wearing again the next year. By cleaning out the items that I feel *meh* about, I have some buying to look forward to when the season rolls around the next year. Sometimes they're perfectly fine items, I just feel done with them for some reason. So off to the thrift store they go, from whence they came, lol! (BTW that cracked me up about you rescuing your dress from the consignment store mannequin!)

So, to your question, I think you need a lot of career wear, and your good quality things will last you a long time, so no need to scale back there, maybe one-in-one-out? Your MOTG category is a little lean, so that might be a fun area to concentrate on. You won't need a ton of clothes for this, but I'd branch out from the formulas that are working well for you (and DH likes) and add a few pieces. Sometimes a pair or two of neutral shorts is all you need to exponentially increase your outfit options.

Seconding Claire's comment about just a pair or two of neutral shorts for casual on the go. My army green cargo bermudas were HUGE workhorses in FL once I hemmed them from capri length. Ditto my white clam diggers.

Fabulous question and great replies. I would only echo others, Including Claire and Sveta and Angie. No perfect size - just what works for you - and it's always a work in progress!

I don't know how I missed seeing this topic yesterday, but I'm going to reply to it without first reading what others have to say. For me, a wardrobe is too large if I'm not wearing 90% of it on a regular basis. A wardrobe is too small if I have to keep wearing the same thing day in and day out ad nauseum. Somewhere between too much and too little is the perfect place for my wardrobe to be, IMO. How large or how small would depend on my lifestyle and the types of occasions I need to dress for. If I were not working outside the office, my wardrobe would be a little smaller and a little different than it is now. Climate affects wardrobe size as well. When I lived in Central America, I didn't own winter clothing because I didn't need it. Since I no longer live down there, and since I now work in an office outside the home, my wardrobe is quite a bit different than it was back then. Hope this helps!