Mo is right. So right. - YouLookFab Forum

Mo

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Ha! This was quite a way to start my day
Here's the catch: there is knowing and then there is doing. Sigh.

9 years ago

Janet

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So easy it's hard! I know, I'm pretty aware of this too right now since I've been reviewing and culling. But I'm ok with keeping things that don't get a lot of wear IF they make me happy when I do wear them.

9 years ago

Suz

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Heheheh!!!!

I'm exactly on this mission.

I started out with the actual 10 item wardrobe. (Not by choice -- it's all I owned when I arrived on YLF due to weight changes and a tight income.)

I've built my way up to the 115 item wardrobe, which to me feels pretty big.

I am still not at the stage where there are very many things I NEVER wear. Because apart from one or two items, I DO wear everything.

But I am at the stage where I have to urgently question why I have so many items in this or that category, considering that I continue to wear the same five favourites in that category. All The Time.

So right now I am doing what Mo did. I am not a spreadsheet kind of girl, but I'm going to do it. And track. For a whole year. And just see -- what are my core items, really? What seriously gets wear? What do I wear just "once in a while."

9 years ago

ironkurtin

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My problem is I do pre-emptive shopping. I'm caught in WHAT IF. WHAT IF I want to wear that when my style shifts? When the weather changes? If I gain a little weight?

I think I make myself insane.

9 years ago

Mo

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IK, that can be quite a cycle. It's all I can do to stay shopping in season, for starters. And I don't even succeed at that yet! I have suede booties and a flannel shirt bought this summer, with an eye toward Tahoe fall.
But now I don't buy the 'if I go to a wedding' dress that sits in the closet 3 years waiting only to be resold unworn. This just got out of my closet last month. I moved it back and forth state to state several times even. Sheesh.

9 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

Mo, for me it's not even the wedding dress. It's the black top, the fitted shirt, the jeans. I buy them, I love them for a while, then they go. It's stupid. I need to be more French - if I buy it, I must LOVE IT AND ONLY IT for a year or more.

9 years ago

Neel

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Well, this morning I was looking at purging a few tops. I had the exact same thoughts in my head. Not good right?

9 years ago

Joy

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Like Suz, I went from about 10 items to more thank want to count that I like and that fit well. I have started practicing Suz's seasonal closet rotation, thinking in terms of about 6 seasons, maybe seven since I seem to make a big midwinter change after New Years to take out holiday-feeling items. I try to keep each season minimal and then assess what I don't wear. Today I'm wearing one of those occasional pieces that I thought I'd wear a lot more,a dark mint jean pencil skirt that is duplicate of my white one. I think if the summer were at its usual constant high temperatures, I would be wearing it more as it is cooler than shorts. That keeps it in my summer inventory. I'll have to think about whether to keep it when I make the next closet switch about September 15 for early fall when I want to wear clothes for warm weather in fall colors and jackets rule. The out of season things get stored in a spare bedroom closet.
I'm trying to add only a few items of great quality or to refresh but need to do better on the "a few". A spreadsheet would be a good idea but realistically I'm not up to it. I use a hanger system that helps to show me what isn't being worn.

9 years ago

Meredith

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All of the discussions about closet size, number of wears, purging, NAS, as well as general discussions about consumption and disposal make it a very interesting time to be a newbie around here. I don't aspire to have lots of clothes, but my closet is small right now and "needs" to grow. If I'm buying with an aim to add pieces that will last its really just a matter of time before I will need to think about how much I really need and how to stop buying and/or purgre. I wonder if reading these posts now will help me avoid excess or if I'll be reviving these topics in three years.

9 years ago

Janet

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The "real life" thing is a kicker sometimes. I have a few tops that I've held onto because "oh, they'll be nice if we go out somewhere nice to dinner." But the truth is, usually we do that on the spur of the moment, and hubs is in jeans and a button-front shirt, and that's if we're lucky (these days it's more likely a graphic tee since his life has gotten much more casual). So the reality is, I have these items that are too dressy for daytime wear that are sitting in my closet guilting me. One sparkly top I wore for my birthday 2 or 3 years ago, and it wasn't cheap. I try it on, think it would maybe look nice under a jacket to dress it down a bit, and then I hang it back up, and never wear it. I wonder if I could get a little something for it on eBay...

9 years ago

Suz

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Joy, this is interesting.

I'm actually thinking of retitling my YLF blog and starting a whole series of "moderate closet" posts. What does it really entail (for me, I mean -- everybody's needs are different and I don't judge).

Realistically, I can't and I don't really want to stop the cycle of buying some new things each season.

Realistically, I can't afford a whole new wardrobe each season!

Realistically, I am not a number loving person and I chafe at RULES so any specific set number of items that I am "allowed" to purchase would probably make me feel rebellious and antsy.

Plus, some years my needs would be different than in other years.

BUT...having said that, I think I might be able to set some kind of "ballpark figure" of items it would be okay to allow myself to buy each season (assuming I had the income to make purchases at all). And maybe -- as for the French-- replacements of my "core" items wouldn't figure into this count. Core items are core items.

In some circles the core items are a suit but not for most of us here.

Like you, IK -- you need a certain number of jeans and a certain number of linen tops as your core. I don't know how many you need. Maybe four or five bottoms and 10 or 12 tops per season. You really couldn't get dressed without these items and go through your day.

Then maybe you have an equal number of "extras" --- stuff you love that makes your pieces into "outfits." Or gives you more versatility. (Like the same top in a different colour, for those who duplicate.)

And then there would be extra extras on top of that. The question is, how many of those do we need?

9 years ago

Mo

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One thing I started thinking about was limiting similarities. 5 black skirts, even if one is midi, one a-line, one maxi, etc etc is still 5 black skirts. To most casual observers, that's what they are going to see. 2 would probably suffice.
Same with jeans. A lot of us gals see the every nuance between our jeans, but the average person looking at you is going to see 'jeans', maybe differentiating skinny from BF or dark wash from light at most. 3 or 4 pair would likely round out the different fits and washes sufficiently.
This doesn't mean I think I, or anyone else, should only own this limited number of either jeans or black skirts. It's just a bit of a wake-up call to see where things start overlapping and not adding much to your wardrobe.

9 years ago

Suz

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ETA: I realize this just gets us back to the title of the post: MO WAS RIGHT.

Because setting a number of items she could purchase was exactly her strategy.

She did it a bit differently than I might want to, in that she set a number per year or month -- I think for me it makes more sense to think in seasonal capsules. But the basic idea is the same.

I think this type of thinking really only makes sense once you do have a core wardrobe in place, Meredith. If you are still figuring out what YOUR personal wardrobe essentials are and building your wardrobe, you may have to buy a lot and experiment to get to the point where you're ready to edit really intelligently.

9 years ago

Mo

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Suz, we cross posted. But I was trying to change my blog name yesterday to MOderate wardrobe!! Couldn't figure out how, but the idea was there

9 years ago

Suz

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Ha!!! We are on the same page!!

Hey -- I wonder if there is a way to create a GROUP blog on YLF. So that others who want to post on the same theme could also do that.

9 years ago

Thistle

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I have been packing up my non-maternity clothes, both summer and winter. The baby is getting the spare room where I store my out of season clothes. I would have thought my winter clothes would have been 3-1 to my summer cloths given both their increased volume per pice and the fact winter is almost 3 times longer. Interesting that this isn't the case. Telling as to why my summer pieces don't get enough lib and I am bored to death of winter clothes by January and I still have 3-4 months of true cold ahead of me.

Thinking about it, I think I am just sooooo happy for warmer weather, I can't wait for it to come and over buy. I need to be more conscious of this.

It is actually interesting to pack up everything you own and really see how much it is. It is also interesting how much I have started to let go as I know I won't wear it this year or next. How much is in the maybe bin, and I know I will be ruthless with it when I am actually ready to wear it again as we will have been apart for so long. In my case, absence makes the heart forgetful.

I love the idea of being more French. It is something I want to strive toward after my body settles back into whatever shape it does post having babies.

9 years ago

Joyce B

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Got to keep track of what's in the closet before going shopping. That goes for me, I need to get better organized.

9 years ago

goldenpig

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I know Mo is so right. My closet is stuffed and I feel bad that I probably have one of the largest wardrobes around here. I do purge regularly and give things to my sister, but I still have a hard time letting go, there's a lot of things I still love. And then there are the "what ifs" albatrosses, like the Hinge brown shearling vest. I never wear this. But what if I get invited to another cowboy theme party (I think the last time I wore this was to DD's 4th bday cowgirl party)? And having a big wardrobe hasn't stopped me from buying more...I just got a bunch of things at NAS. Ugh. I need to quit shopping, but whenever I declare that I'm done shopping, it just makes me want to shop more.

9 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

Good thoughts! My closet is at the: 'I'm wearing the new things, but man too many old things have just been worn once or twice this year' stage, so I'm trying to either retire or incorporate the 'oldies but goodies' more. Tracking helps, but it's hard! I hope to some day to figure out an optimum number of tops for example and do a version of one in one out.

My only advice that I would have given to my newbie self (and wish I had followed), is to try not to buy too many things in one or two months, especially when you are just learning/new to the forum. There is a ton I have learned here that I wish I knew BEFORE purchasing something, and definitely before duplicating it (I'm looking at the three pairs in different colors of corduroy skinnies that are the wrong rise and stretched out very quickly). Oh, and of course it is really helpful to not remove any tags and save all receipts until you are about to go out the door wearing the item. I shake my head at the few times I didn't do that.

Right now what's working for me is tracking all wears and having an overall budget, and also wearing new things in spurts to kick-start their wardrobe inclusion, so if I have a new top, I try wearing it about five times before introducing or buying another new thing.

9 years ago

ironkurtin

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I have a pretty good sense of what's in my closet, so really it's about curbing the urge to go look for more. I think my personal problem is eBay and discount sites, because you have to jump or lose out. I'm not good at losing out.

9 years ago

carter

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LOVE Suz's idea about a group blog for discussions such as these. I'm still searching for MY right-sized wardrobe. Everyone's thoughts on how they approach their own wardrobes are such great food for thought!

9 years ago

Elizabeth P

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What a great thread to find, as I come back to the computer after... wait for it... an hour of sorting and culling!! At least 15 more pieces in the donate pile...

Yes, Mo's numbers really got me thinking about this, whenever she first posted about them. Not matter how many ways I do the math, it still comes out as TOO MUCH STUFF. Or rather... NOT ENOUGH SUMMER.

I'm not going to develop any magic numbers or limits, but it is a very valuable awareness to have. Esp if one is getting frustrated at not wearing the favs enough, as I am.

Suz - the comments you made above about the core items and the extras - perhaps that's what that "10 item wardrobe" is all about. The cores are the staples, the timeless pieces you "invest" in. Then the extras are the pieces that get swapped out, replaced, updated, etc. I just wish she'd explain it a bit better herself!

9 years ago

Suz

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Elizabeth, that's it!! It's not too much stuff. It's NOT ENOUGH SUMMER!!!!

or, in IK's case, NOT ENOUGH FALL.

We all just need to move. Problem solved.

9 years ago

Suz

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ETA: yeah for that "French" wardrobe idea, it has always been about the basics or investment pieces. I don't think that's how the 10 item gal does it -- she is more about what she seems to use or something...but even that isn't clear.

But in thinking about this further, for me, my "core" items are not necessarily the investment things. For F/W that might be true. But not for S/S. My "core" items are super casual and generally not pricey in S/S. It's the "extras" that cost more.

Anyway, I'm going to define "core" more along the lines of Angie's "personal wardrobe essentials." What are the items without which I basically couldn't get dressed?

9 years ago

Janet

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Chuckling in recognition at so much of this.

Natalie, I am so guilty of the "what if" thing! I have a storage container in the basement of old Halloween costumes for that very reason, and I haven't dressed up for Halloween in almost a decade!

I started to tackle the little storage area in our loft space yesterday (I should really wait until winter, it's warm up there!). It's where we keep Christmas decorations and luggage. We had over a dozen suitcases up there. Now there are 8 (four are my husband's, four are mine -- varying sizes, plus garment bag for each of us). Why was I hanging on to all of them? A big part of it was "just in case"! What if my stepsons need them, etc. Well, they're now grown men with apartments of their own. I set aside a couple of the suitcases for the boys to take if they want them, and the rest of the extras are being given away.

My point is, it's easy to overlook these extra things. Our eyes skim over them and we almost don't see them as the visual clutter they are. I think this is why it's so important to pull individual items out of the closet and look at them really critically.

9 years ago

texstyle

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Veteran

Mo is right.

I've been culling too - I have a pretty large space of "in limbo" things in a spare closet and one big drawer. I finally added that hot neon pink button down I bought while on vacation and wore exactly once, another chambray one that was such a deal at the same time, a few blazers, more tops (and more tops), some "dress" slacks that fit but I will never wear again, etc.

I don't have a huge wardrobe but for my lifestyle it is still just too big. And I've just ordered a "few" more things for fall/winter. Ugh! At least there was a needed coat in that order and mostly shoes (which I do still need).

I'm still holding on to some old things for no great reason and I just need to get with it and try them on and be real about it. Slightly too tight = cull. Slightly not the right color = cull. That dress I never wore = cull. I'm just trying to remind myself.

9 years ago

E

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This is such a great thread to read! I've definitely got so many blouses that I can't wear each of them terribly frequently, but when I think about pulling some of them for a smaller closet, I find I don't want to. I'll rifle through the tops and not find any that I don't love. *shrug* I don't seem to play favorites when I get dressed either: they all get their turn.

I did stop myself from buying any more blouses this year, except for a couple long sleeved summer weight ones, as that was a true wardrobe hole (when it's too hot for me to want to add a cardigan over top, but I still want full arm coverage, all of my lightweight 3/4 or bracelet sleeves mock me) that I've been trying to fill for 2+ years. Finally stumbled upon 2 great ones a couple weeks ago! So now I bypass the tops section entirely when thrifting. And now I've found some lovely jackets & grey trousers and a navy pair too, so really I'm down to checking the dress section, and then scanning for a grey trench coat or pair of white shorts. Makes thrifting go more quickly!

And I've also forbidden myself from buying anything more for when I live in upstate NY, as that was becoming far too convenient an excuse to revel in ALL THE WOOLENS. hehe I'm sure there are thrift stores there too (in fact, I know there are, as I've been to one on a trip!), if for some odd reason I discover the winter is so long/cold even my vast wool collection isn't enough.

9 years ago

Mo

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IK, do you have a set item in mind when you hit eBay? Or are you 'just looking'. If it's mostly the urge to splurge that you're having trouble with, maybe check out some over shopping blogs for tips. I've been enjoying Debbie Roes' http://recoveringshopaholic.com/.

9 years ago

rae

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This is interesting to me because I feel some things fall out of favor for a while, but I know I will wear them again. Other things I just don't love anymore and need to go. But just because they aren't getting face time doesn't mean they are a drain on the closet, necessarily.

I guess it is different in your case, since some things are just not your size or your lifestyle. Maybe you can start telling yourself that "if" XYZ happens, Ebay and Yoox will still be around when it happens.

9 years ago

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