Fascinating, thimbelina - - thank you! (Especially for doing all this on the verge of your holiday).
I have a "grand inventory" of items and I do categorize -- many of my categories include far more than 10 items each. But others include a lot fewer.
And it looks as if I have 11 categories, total:
Coats (I have surprisingly few, considering my climate -- and I think I could stand to beef up a bit more here).
Dresses: Not many of these, either -- but I don't need to add to them.
Skirts: Ditto. I wear them in summer but a lot less in winter. So don't need a lot.
Pants: I like them but do not wear as often as I would like. So don't need to add.
Denim: I have 13 pair (in different cuts, washes, colours, and patterns) but all get a TON of wear, pretty much all year round.
Shorts: I have less than 10 but more than I need. I inherited a few pairs from my daughter's donate bag and this has artificially inflated my numbers.
Jackets: I love them and own 10.
Cardigans: Only have a few of these.
Tops (includes button ups, tees, and every other kind of lightweight top): Big category including different styles and sleeve lengths -- but I do wear them all, often layering over them in winter.
Knitwear: Huge category for me due to cold temps. for about 6 months a year. This includes all pullover style sweaters in various weights and styles.
Footwear: At the moment, I have 21.
This doesn't include gear.
A year ago my 4 season wardrobe was at 80-some items, so less than 10 in each category.
Now it has grown to closer to 140 items.
I may be at a number that is too high for me, but I'm not going to decide that until after I'm finished this year's experiment, which is keeping track of actual wears of all items. After I've done this for a full year, I'm going to do some cogitating and perhaps re-categorizing and editing.
The "just right sized for me" wardrobe is a really useful goal, I think. When my closet was smaller (fewer than 50 items) it wasn't enough for my varied lifestyle and weather conditions. I didn't have enough choice to make outfits that made me happy. And things wore out so quickly that I didn't have much joy in wearing them. But on the other hand, an ever-expanding wardrobe doesn't feel right to me, either.
I really like the idea of buying a selection of items each season to refresh and rejuvenate. And it feels less "wasteful" doing this if I have not worn the items I am retiring a great deal.
I have been keeping track of all wears for the past few months and notice some clear and interesting patterns.
