Suz and Carter, actually one of my friends has offered to store some boxes for me. She has a HUGE closet--actually a good-sized bedroom that she converted into her wardrobe. She finds it inconceivable that I'm even contemplating moving into a condo with a bedroom the size of her wardrobe. LOL

Torontogirl, you bring up a good point about laundry. We will have a small washer and dryer in the condo, but I've been used to having a full-size laundry room just off the bedrooms in our house. Laundry definitely won't be quite as easy because Mr. G might recoil at my using the entire condo as a drying room!

Angie, you are totally my inspiration for downsizing my wardrobe to fit the closet space I'll have available. I'm a "a-place-for-everything kind of girl" and can't stand clutter or overstuffed closets.

I also think you've hit on exactly what I need to do--edit. I'm pretty good at getting rid of things that don't work for me, but this time I need to edit, not just purge. Way more difficult, but I feel better now that I've got some good advice and a sense of direction. Except for my huge, felt-lined snowboots and down-filled mittens--those are definitely a PURGE!

Mr. G is rather nervous, though, at the thought of Seattle being only a few hours away…

Glamorpuss, good idea about those space bags. I actually have a few that I've used for travel and they might be just the thing for storing some of my sweaters.

MsMary, I love your idea of a swap party, especially if wine is involved!

Unfrumped, I agree that the shopping for capsules approach sounds like the way to go, especially if I do it after thinking about numbers. It's actually the way I pack for a trip--I chose the bag I want to carry and then calculate how many outfits I can fit into it without overcrowding, all the while trying to maintain a balance between the number of tops, bottoms, and shoes, and telling myself I can pick up something if I really need it. Funny that I didn't see the parallel until it was pointed out to me.

This is an exciting time. I love the idea of acting like your closet is a boutique.
Your comment on shoes resonates with me. I am in the middle of cleaning out my closet and I have way to many shoes and have no idea how to purge them. Can't wait to see how you do this.

Mia, I love the idea of a "weed out my stuff" for me welcome to Victoria. And I'll supply the wine and snacks. Once we get settled, I'll make sure to pm you!

Debbie, I think it's because I like to think of myself as somewhat of a minimalist that the number of shoes and boots totally threw me for a loop. To be brutally honest, I counted AFTER I had purged at least a dozen pair. *totally red-faced here*

I have absolutely nothing useful to add regarding your purging challenge, but very happy to hear you are coming to BC! I hope you love it here. (I do). What I could possibly offer is a pro/con list of Victoria vs. Vancouver (I like them both, but for different reasons), if you at all want to hear it -- although I'm sure you know yourself and will make the choice that's right for you.

I did go through a similar process but mine was a tad easier in that I moved five times in ten+ years so by the time we got to here I was a pro

I forgot to say before don't edit anything you really love, that can't be replaced, even if you don't wear it very often, Other than that my feeling is however great they are they are only clothes & there are plenty of great clothes around

Thanks for the welcome to BC, Elisabeth! I know what you mean about the pros and cons of Victoria vs. Vancouver--both our boys voice quite strong opinions about exactly that subject. Actually, that's why we are choosing to rent, instead of buy, until we figure it out. (Also, we take a sneaky pleasure in being noncommittal. It's funny to see how bossy our adult children can be about giving us advice--maybe payback for all the times we did that to them when they were younger?)

Caro, we've moved in the past, but usually into something larger, or at least similar in size, to our previous homes. This time, however, we are deliberately choosing something much smaller and more compact. I hear you, though, on keeping things that I love--I think that's the editing aspect that Angie talks about, which isn't the same as just purging. Editing to me means to remove what is unnecessary and irrelevant so you end up with a stronger, more pleasing whole. I've always felt that instinct, as well as logic, has to play big role in the process.

I am closely following this thread for all of the down sizing ideas. I love the boutique concept that Mo mentioned. I seriously need a lot of help! To address the role of three from un-fancy - I think of it as a challenge not to duplicate. If you are selecting three pairs of jeans, make one pair dark wash skinnies (plain), one pair distressed boyfriends (fancy) and one pair in between (cropped mid wash). As a hoarder of clothing if I love something I tend to buy it again and again. And when creating my august capsule I noticed I was duplicating many pieces. I think this is a way to wean us from this habit.

Interesting thoughts, Denise.

Do you want to start a thread about your early fall capsule? I'm going to do one based on unfancy's ideas, too, to see how it serves me. (I could start the thread if you are too busy with work now). I am not going to have mine pulled together until the end of August -- it will be a September capsule, essentially -- late summer moving into fall here.

Gaylene, HAH. Why is Mr.G nervous? (Btw, I also vote Vancouver with your son by a billion percent. I've been to Vancouver many times and to Victoria a few times - Vancouver is so much nicer in my biased opinion. I am a HUGE City gal though).

Gaylene, I'd start editing the bulky stuff right away. Outerwear, boots and heavy knitwear. We can help you every step on the way, if you'd like the support. xo

One other additional thought. I see that you'll be renting for awhile. I certainly wouldn't purge things I love in order to fit into what may well be a temporary situation. I'd pack for a year and store the balance of the good stuff with a friend. Once you know whether or not this will be your permanent closet space, then you'll be in a better position to decide what to do with the leftovers.

I haven't had time to read the other replies, but I wanted to share this link with you, about how to purge a large wardrobe:

http://recoveringshopaholic.co.....-wardrobe/

So many great points - but the "splitting your wears" question was a real aha! moment for me. In the past month, I have been able to purge about 6-8 pieces, once I realized that they were pulling me away from wearing my true favorites more often.

Also, http://flylady.net/ has some wonderful tips about getting into a decluttering/purging mindset - in a way that is loving and liberating, rather than punitive or guilt-ridden.

I want to weigh in about the storage space. My ex and I downsized our living space when we moved back to the States - and we put a lot of stuff in a storage unit. It made it very easy - and in the long run, very expensive - to keep stuff we didn't want around, without having to actually deal with the disposal of it. Over the course of about 15 months, we probably spent close to a thousand bucks storing stuff we weren't using and eventually donated or gave away to friends and family. Storage facilities around here are very sneaky about bringing you in for a 'great' price, then hiking rates up over time. Ten bucks here, twenty bucks there, was easy to ignore, rather than face having to empty out all the stuff we had - but we went from paying around $70/month to $130, within a year. So watch out for that, because my guess is, this is probably a widespread practice in the storage business .

If you are good, and disciplined about setting a timeline, a time limit, and actually sorting through stuff, then yes, a temporary storage space is worthwhile, because you won't have the panicked feeling about having to make soooo many purge decisions in such a short span of time.

Please don't look at this as a guilt-ridden, punitive task. Look at this as a chance to really distill your style and preferences down to their purest essence And remember... if you get rid of something and find you are missing it - there is always a better replacement out there xoxoxo, sending lots of great vibes and energy your way as you go through this process!

I'm with Angie, I vote come to Vancouver too! We seem to be getting quite the Vancouver YLF contingent. Maybe if we get enough, we could persuade Angie into coming up here for a meet up?

It's exciting to hear of some upcoming overseas travel plans, and I think that works great with your editing approach. The closet that works well for easy packing of a stylish but lean and practical European travel wardrobe sounds fabulous to me!

And along with that, think about "the new you" in terms of the roles you will play in the next few years, the activities you want to do or do more of, and the ones you'd rather do less of.

Then, clearlyclaire had the comments on becoming more comfortable with "making do" for less common occasions--maybe in both directions, making something work for a more dressy event and dressing items down for casual. Perhaps making do sounds too inelegant, but I think of it as being both more relaxed and more creative and less hung up on having available the "perfect" outfit for any possible occasion. So, in editing, there may be items that strike you as highly versatile, and those seem like good keepers for a smaller wardrobe.

Hi again. I think your ultimate destination should have a HUGE impact on what you take. Will you end up in a more urban setting or someplace further out? Will you be in a high rise where you have to dress to take your doggie(s) on potty-walks? (I can't remember if you have pups.) Will you be dining out regularly and attending cultural events? (I guess your travel capsule could provide some of these clothes). I have never been to B.C. but I'm sure you are aware of the standard "look" and how you want to either fit in or stand out in regard to that.

What a unique opportunity this edit will provide. You get to reinvent yourself for this next chapter, and dress for the part you want to play. I would chose clothing in capsules that support this ideal, whatever it may be, and have fun with it!

There is nothing wrong with getting a small storage space, keeping stuff, and seeing what you do and don't miss. It's not pricey, and considering this next move is not your final destination, might actually save you money and hassle in the long run.

If it helps, my husband and I own a lot of art, and most of it is in storage. It doesn't fit into our current house (low ceilings) but getting rid of it is not an option, especially since we may move.

Well, of course, when I moved from my nice big suburban apartment (with two huge closets) to my tiny urban one (one small closet), I stashed more than half of my stuff in mum's basement. So that's cheating... but I did move in only five significant pieces of furniture and a teeny (by comparison) amount of clothing. I had to choose between my books and clothes... and since I'm even worse about books and they're so heavy and eBooks have been invented, I went with clothes. So... clothes now live on my bookcases.

Anyways, I'd go for a four-week cycle of clothes, for two seasons, plus some outfits (one each) for unique occasions - like weddings and funerals. The "cycle clothes" should be all about your activities, how you really spend your time. That's what I'd move in with, and chuck the rest. Esp. anything over two-years old.

I think your life will be different enough that you won't really want to be trying to make old stuff work for years to come.

I second the idea of moving all of your clothing and deciding there. I've found that after a move, I am able to think more clearly about what I want to purge; the effort of packing and unpacking helps the most in evaluating the ratio between function/sensibility vs fun. If I purge before a move, I am more likely to retain sensible garments, which, while practical, can leave one heading to the stores in order to compensate for the fun factor.

Hmmm. If the final destination (Victoria or Vancouver) is not yet decided, I might want to hold off with some of the edits, too. I think you can certainly do some of it now. But you will want more urban things in Vancouver than Victoria, I suspect. Your Fluevogs might get more wear there.

Vancouver's still sporty but also more of a real city. Also it is rainier.

I think if I lived in either place I'd be even bigger into sporty luxe than I already am.

I think J. Crew (a favoured shopping destination for you, I know) makes clothes that work in both environments really well.

And remember, Vancouver skews ridiculously casual. DS and I are heading downtown so I'm just switching into my "dressy" Birkenstocks. No, not really kidding, but you've spent enough time here to know just how casual it gets. You might find less need for dressier items over time....

I just wanted to thank everyone for getting me sorted about how to handle editing my wardrobe. Honestly, it makes so much sense to shop my closet and create capsules that I'm wondering why it never occurred to me, but maybe that's what YLFers are for--to gently take you by the hand and explain the obvious. I'm in a much better frame of mind now and actually looking forward to the task, especially if Denise and Suz are going to try something similar.

Carter, IK, and Gradfashionista, I've mulled over the storage option; it's tempting and, if we were talking about my books and art collection, it would be a no-brainer. I'm not so sure about clothes, though. Strange how we all get attached to different things…

La Belle, thanks for the tips and boost. I suspect that, like you, I'd end up paying to store extra clothes only to throw them away at a later date. Rachylou actually hit on it (as usual!) when she said " I think your life will be different enough that you won't really want to be trying to make old stuff work for years to come." Bingo!

Angie, I suspect Mr. G is thinking that the lure of Seattle might inflict serious damage on his wallet; after 40+ years of marriage, he knows me only too well! I'm taking your advice and have a couple of bags of heavy winter wear and big snow boots sitting by the door ready to be taken to Goodwill. I'll also be counting on you, and the rest of the YLF group, to wrestle me away from my stash of boring black trousers and navy sweaters...Have I mentioned my tendency to duplicate--and duplicate--and duplicate?

Crackers and Suz, you are right about how casually Vancouverites can dress. Maybe we can use that as an impetus to get Angie up to Vancouver to sort us out if we all started posting pictures of ourselves in fleece hoodies and yoga gear?

Like Unfrumped and Claire say, this is an opportunity to reinvent myself, and with Angie's offer, and the help of rest of the YLF group, I just might be able to pull it off.

Gaylene, I am excited to meet you - YES - it must happen. And do tell Mr. G that I'll look after his darling wife in Seattle, which includes his wallet.

GOOD JOB packing up the heavy stuff. You are making marvelous progress. xo

I posted about exactly this situation a while back, and have been working on reducing my wardrobe ever since. Had I had time before the move I would definitely have done at least a large chunk of the edit before moving rather than waiting until afterwards, because when you are in a smaller space crammed with clothes and footwear, it is, at least for me (I like my space minimalist and so clutter-free that some friends consider it austere) very overwhelming. And yes, I do have a storage unit but this just makes me feel even more guilty, and actually it is a pain because it means that to get rid of the stuff in storage I have to go to the storage unit. Somehow, that is a real drag, and I wish I had not got the storage unit. Really, I just need to get rid of a vast amount of high-quality stuff I love. It is really not easy. Like you, I had very little remaining in the obviously-purge category, because I never kept stuff of that sort in the first place.

I did discover a few polyester items that I had stupidly bought despite the polyester because of the label, and I finally got rid of those. I also had some teeshirts containing elastane and donated those too, again because of how they feel. When I went through my footwear I found that I could get rid of several dozen pairs without having a panic attack, just by thinking about how much space shoes and boots take up and asking myself again and again if a given pair is so important that it is worth that use of space. (Put it this way, in addition to my overstuffed wardrobe I also have vast numbers of books, and for the first time ever apart from in the case of fiction, I am getting rid of books too, and now only buy ebooks, never hard copies, because every time I ask myself if I want to use my precious space for this book as opposed to having the same content on my iPhone, the answer is no.)

The trauma, for me at least, of not having a restful, clutter-free space certainly concentrates the mind but still I would try to make some choices and do some reducing before you move rather than waiting until afterwards.

WRT the system I have been using to get rid of high-quality stuff I love (ouch!), perhaps it is procrastinating but one thing I have done is to write a lot of (private) analysis of my style and lifestyle goals and the implications in terms of what I 'need' clotheswise, and thus, what I don't need. As part of this analysis, I tried to be super-critical, reassessing all my '10s' (out of 10) to see if any of them might be 9s or less if I took into account things like their flexibility in my wardrobe etc.

One new thing I discovered through this analysis was that I have quite strong preferences for heavier-weight fabric except for silk tops. This came as quite a surprise because I have a large collection of lightweight silk dresses. Or at least had. I have started getting rid of them. The guilt is such that I decided to wear each one before finally getting rid of it, and I might keep a small number of the ones that I (think I) love despite my realisation that I prefer heavyweight fabrics, because they take up so little space. In a rash moment of being off black (I was loving the pastel trend) I ruthlessly got rid of vast amounts of black stuff, but luckily not all, because I have started liking black again. I did this by asking myself which items out of all my black stuff I would be most upset to have lost in lost luggage or a house fire etc.

Incidentally, I tried having a colour consultation in the hope that that would narrow down the colours I think I can wear, but unfortunately it actually did the opposite, so that was a bit of a waste of money.

The one fun thing about this experience is that my new super-critical eye and the new knowledge I have about my newly-honed style feels freeing, and I actually can't remember when I last bought any clothes or shoes. Not only am I not shopping for clothes and shoes, I have also curbed all shopping for anything that takes up space, and this has been entirely without any feeling of deprivation. On the contrary, it actually feels good to be reducing rather than spending. I am reducing little by little, taking my time, and allowing the suboptimal nature of my environment to concentrate my mind on reducing, and it really does feel good.

When you love everything you have, and it all fits, and it is all high quality, and it all suits your climate and your lifestyle, the only option I can see, apart from reanalysing your style and finding whole categories of stuff to get rid of in a single sweep (like my lightweight silk dresses), is to ask yourself which is the best item in each category (where a given category is one that makes sense to you personally, not necessarily what someone else would consider a category), or which might not be the perfect 10 you thought they were, or which items you would be most sorry to have lost in a fire or something. Just ask yourself, for each item you are unsure about, whether this item is so important to you that it is worth the amount of space it will be taking up in your new place.

Best of luck!

Sarah

P.S. I speak as one whose style is not amenable to the standard 'capsule wardrobe' approach, which I would find very dull. It would be so much easier if a simple 'mix and match' capsule wardrobe of tops and bottoms would appeal to me but I have an aversion to that idea. My style honing has in no way taken me in that direction. To the extent that I can be considered to have a capsule wardrobe, it is one of outfits rather than mix-and-match tops and bottoms.

Wow, MFF, are you a mind-reader on the side? I could have written your first three paragraphs, word for word, right down to the vast number of books that inhabit our house! When I had the opportunity to design our current home, I made sure that our builder put in bookcases in every room in the house--yup, sitting rooms, bedrooms, the dining room, the kitchen, and even a small shelf tucked into the bathrooms next to the tub (I can't be the only person who reads in the tub, can I?)! When my poor builder asked, in bewilderment, what I was going to put on all those shelves, I looked equally stunned and said "Books, of course!"

Seriously, though, you've given me some great tips, especially about analyzing what I think I'd wear as opposed to what I choose to wear. Bingo!

Thanks to Angie, I've donated all my deep winter wear, but today I went through my closet again and started to edit out things that require effort to pull together in an outfit. It didn't take much analyzing to realize I just don't gravitate towards things that require effort, such as items that (1) require effort to get the proportions right (those longer tops that make my short legs look stubby unless I wear heels), or (2) require special undergarments (a racer-back bra or an underlayer to prevent grinning), or (3) require careful accessorizing to bring out their best (a dress with a neckline that begs for a necklace or scarf). I like all of those pieces in theory and they look good when I get it right, but I don't choose them over other, less demanding items. One item from each of those categories would be more than enough. Ease is obviously more important to me than I'd realized--something that I ought to pay more attention to in the future.

Gaylene, that's what I've been wondering about, what are you going to do with your books? For a while I was smitten with the idea of you displaying your shoe collection on shelves in the living room like Anna does, (Mr. G would probably have an interesting reaction to that) but then I remembered your large book collection. So what's the plan, are you weeding like mad?

Ah, yes, my books. Truthfully, that is even more difficult than my shoes and my wardrobe. I'm actually a little aghast at the thought of putting shoes and decorative vases on shelves that ought to hold books.

Well, weeding is a relative term, so, yes, I've madly weeded and I think I've reduced my collection by 50% through donations and sending favorites off to new homes. That still leaves around 1200 or so.....so maybe I'm not done yet? But these are are my pets so letting go will be very hard since some are first editions or have been with me for longer than Mr. G. Maybe Mr. G doesn't really need that much space; he's quite tall and slender so maybe he could stand in a corner instead of sitting on a chair in our new place?

Great advice here already! I'm a slow closet purger myself, so I understand a deer in headlights feeling when trying to purge large amounts at one time. Things that have helped me: creating capsules, remembering there are only 7 days (and therefore 7 outfits) to be worn for most weeks, comparing a potential item with a favorite item as a gut check on how much I really do or do not like the questionable piece, and selecting one or two core wardrobe colors.

Gaylene, that's FABULOUS. Passing on those tricker items is an excellent way to edit your wardrobe.

Thanks, Angie. The process is slow but steady. I think I'm learning a lot about editing (as opposed to purging) by being forced to go through this process. I'll do a recap of what I've done --and learned--in a week or so. And I feel so much better knowing I have you and the wonderful YLF family to help me when I get stalled, or just need a boost!

What an exciting move for you! Vancouver is my Favorite city in the world. Not an exaggeration. Very similar weather to where I used to live in Olympia. WA. but with a unique urban diversity. So beautiful. Only spent two days or so in Victoria - it was cute but I am a city girl so Vancouver wowed me. The good thing is - you can ferry between them
Sounds like you are off to a good start on editing.You are remaking your closet for a lifestyle change as well as storage. With all the changes, I would venture to guess your shopping habits may change as well so not to worry about that right now.
I did a shoe edit recently and got down to 50 pairs. I even bought a rack that held only 50 pairs and tortured myself to get all the shoes on there. Now, I feel like I could edit another 10 easily. Lesson, once you put your mind to it, it is easy to let go. Start with the items you just have not worn or aren't comfortable. I also did a comparison - lined up everything of same color and then decided which were best. For example, I had 10 pairs of black pants and decided 5 could stay. Picked the best five.
I wish you the best in every decision and for the change ahead!

Thanks for the good wishes, Christieanne. I agree that both cities have their charms so that's why we'll probably rent for a bit before making a final decision.

I've whittled down the number of black pants and Tippi sweaters using that comparison method. It definitely works as a way of forcing a decision, as long as I don't start second guessing my decisions.

I've actually posted a picture of Angie's closet on my wall as inspiration! The points she made in a post a few years ago exactly summarize what I'm aiming for with my own edit!
http://youlookfab.com/2012/09/.....obe-goals/