Counting Clothes - April 2014 to May 2016

I’ve been tracking all my outfits for two years now & it has been a revelation. While I tracked CPW I also tracked JPW (joy per wear) as I only wanted to wear outfits I felt great in. For me, having the hard data has completely changed the way I approach my wardrobe. Nothing earth shattering but so helpful. These are my most important lessons -

CPW

  • CPW on most of my footwear is very low - I either keep them a long time or wear them out over a couple of seasons (e.g. current Birks that have just gone to Birkie heaven are x2 seasons old & CPW was .06 cents)
  • Highest CPW is dressier jewellery & evening clothes & shoes - so for this capsule I really want fewer & better. DH has retired so I don’t need as many dressy clothes as I did.
  • Everyday clothes, gear & lounging clothes get worn daily so the bulk of my budget needs to go on these items. They also need to be confidence boosters rather than blah. See JPW.

JPW (joy per wear)
  • I really don’t mind repeating outfits I feel great in.
  • Good quality fabrics & natural fibre/blends bring a lot of jpw; poor quality ones do not.
  • Only clothes that fit me well, in colours I like, bring me joy.

Thoughts & Lessons
  • I really do want to love ALL my clothes so I’ve stopped buying placeholders - if I can’t make an outfit I love with the clothes I have (or by buying extra items at the same time) I don’t buy.
  • I’m learning to do casual my way (this change would have been impossible without Angie & YLF). Sporty luxe has been a revelation.
  • In winter I’m a coat/jacket, shoe/boot person if I can change these up then I’m happy wearing very few tops & bottoms.
  • Summer is hot here & so my dresses & sandals need to be stand-alone (or more to the point stand-together) items. They can’t need extras like jackets or lots of accessories to make them work.
  • Wardrobe planning & shopping are the easy parts for me. It’s after I bring the clothes home - the making & recording outfits that feel like hard work. Without that step though I don’t know what works & therefore don’t have a fully functioning wardrobe.
  • I REALLY love beautiful clothes; they are a great source of pleasure for me. I feel can say that here without feeling shamed

Thanks for reading, I love to know what you think