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The Ten Item Wardrobe--what?

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

I was reading through some posts--but didn't want to hijack. ClearlyClaire posted a link to the Ten Item Wardrobe. I've been looking through the website and viewing the videos--but I don't understand how she can call it a "ten" (or even, as she admits, an 11) item wardrobe. Yes, five dresses, four blouses and two pairs of jeans add up to 11--but then there are all the extras (especially all the T-shirts)--so I don't really get it.

Can anyone explain?

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45 replies

Latest reply was from Caro in Oz

Suz

(website)

Veteran

That's what I thought, too, Alana. I don't understand the way she counts. We've had a few discussions about this on some lengthy threads.

Ultimately, though-- however you slice and dice it -- the idea of a smaller, extremely high functioning wardrobe is the goal. It could be 10 items or 30 -- it's still pretty small compared to many women's wardrobes.

Though, when I arrived at YLF, I basically had a 10 item wardrobe myself, and it was really ten!! Now I'm up to 115 and that doesn't count shoes or coats. Sigh....

You see what this place can do to a girl....

Helena

Veteran

Hi, yes, I agree - I understand it to be 10 core items, but then she allows for extras. However, I do love the idea of it!

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Yeah, I didn't get it either when Claire posted the link originally. Not counting shoes or accessories or layering camisoles is one thing, but t shirts you wear alone? It kind of soured me on that gal's site to be honest.

But then I don't think I could even manage project 333. I like variety! I did play around with some 30 for 30 challenges a few months ago, which was an interesting exercise.

carter

Veteran

I agree her numbers can be a wee bit off;-) My interpretation is that she shoots for about 10 *key* items per season. The tees, cardis, etc are more just supporting acts. Claire can certainly give us a better interpretation. I think she's much more literal about the "10" than the woman who has the website.

Gigi

Veteran

I agree that it is kind of confusing. All I can suggest is that the ten (really eleven) items are worn very regularly year round, while the tees and other stuff are just popped in every once in a while. So I guess it's another form of "girl math," ha ha!

And I am right with Suz. When I came to YLF, I think I had about twenty pieces total in my wardrobe, and now I have over 150. Yikes! But I am experimenting with style, so that is my excuse.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Yes I think she was an accountant in a previous life She seems to get her wardrobe down to 10 items by not counting most of it It would be much more helpful (for me) to know actual numbers.

I think it's just a variation of the "French Wardrobe" in that once you have your essentials & basics you add a few pieces each season - not counting replacements.

http://www.paulamontessketchbo.....-wardrobe/

Isabel

Veteran

Alana, this is always been a gripe for me. A brilliant marketing ploy ! It has annoyed me, though I think the overarching theme is helpful. After years of being resentful...lol...I made sense of it in my head as a "core" amount. Like the Vivienne file does the Core of Four for your daily living. This is sort of a foundation of utility that most everything else grows out from. Everything else is "extra".

http://theviviennefiles.blogsp.....fours.html

or A Common Wardrobe

http://theviviennefiles.blogsp.....drobe.html

I cannot do 10 as a core. Especially in the Winter. You will notice that this young woman has pretty much one season. And, as you said, she has other options. So the title is absolutely a misnomer.

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Yes, it is a brilliant marketing ploy, indeed. An annoying one, too, as these things tend to be. Totaly sours me on the idea, too, torontogirl.
Isabel--looking forward to perusing those links.
Caro--yours, too.
Gigi-, Suz --I know, YLF can send one down the perilous path. Right now I cannot imagine owning 150 items of clothing. I can do all my current laundry in three loads (and there are items from other members of my family in there, too) with one item handwashed.
Carter, indeed, I see that there's something of a "core" idea at work--but I wish she would just come out and say it!
Laura--30 for 30--30 outfits for 30 days? Or thirty pieces for thirty days? Interesting idea, either way, though I think the first might require more pieces. Maybe. Imogen's capsule wardrobes are pretty impressive for the number of different outfits they can generate when the pieces are chosen as well as she does.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Alana, 30 items for 30 days, remixed, and iirc shoes were included in the count but not accessories. I don't know who originally popularized it but there were a lot of wardrobe blogs playing along a couple of years ago. It worked pretty well for me in months where the weather didn't change much and I didn't have a lot of special or unusual events to dress for. Into-mind just linked into a similar scheme: 37 items for a season, mixed and matched. Wouldn't be enough variety for me but if you dressed super casually and lived in a place like Austin with mild weather like this gal does, it might work.
http://into-mind.com/2014/07/1.....e-process/

Sheila at Sheila's ephemera - I'll look up the blog URL in a sec, if I tab away on the iPad I lose my message - did a year long challenge like this. Each month she chose 30 new items for the month and remixed them into different outfits. It was really interesting to 'watch'.
http://sheilaephemera.blogspot.com/

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Alana thanks for starting this thread and thank you to all of the respondents who have included useful links. I bookmarked this thread for future use, something I've only ever done once before in my 3.5 years on YLF.

pastrygirl

(website)

Veteran

That was my thought, too. But I like the principle of having a very small number of main items. I started thinking in terms of "10 items" and quickly moved to "minimalist wardrobe" instead.

I haven't quite figured out what "minimalist" means to me, though. I'm surprised to see the threads this week that include minimalist wardrobes of over 100 pieces. That is likely where I land, but I don't consider my wardrobe minimal yet. Or maybe I would, even with the same number, if my closet was intentional. Maybe it will be intentional once I count and actually know what's in there, and then I'll consider it minimalist.

Sadie

How do you all reconcile a minimal/10-item wardrobe with "special occasion" needs (like formal wear, very dressy business events, weddings/funerals)?

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Laura--love the 37 pieces capsule blog. Really helpful--and such lovely photographs. Sheila Emphemera is fun--thanks for re-introducing her to me!
Glad to help CocoLion.

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Pastrygirl--sometimes it is helpful to determine whether the number is about the entire wardrobe for all the seasons--or whether it is just for one season. I have a small wardrobe--but I am shocked at how quickly it all adds up.

Sadie--I think the short answer is, you don't. Though clothes and accessories for formal wear, weddings/funerals and dressy business events could be a tiny capsule in your wardrobe.

JAileen

Veteran

I noticed the discrepancy in one of her videos. It's kind of like a fitness guru who lays on the couch all day eating bonbons!

For her followers, I just hope they don't think they're failures because they can't get down to the magic number, because it doesn't really exist. A wardrobe of ten or even twenty is really really small and if that's what you like, that's great. But ten is just an arbitrary number.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I think you could theoretically have the perfect little black dress that could also cover special occasions, but most people I'd bet couldn't get by with a truly 10 item wardrobe.
I count anything that I leave the house in, and is seen, as an item in my wardrobe. I mean, not socks, or tights/leggings, but certainly any tee or top. And this is why I have a 150 item wardrobe! I'm sure I could be at 30 if I 'counted' like some of these sites do lol.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I really like that Unfancy link with the 37 items per season. That is very beautifully explained. And I like her more moderate approach and her realism -- "do it your way" she says. Bend the rules to make them your own. It has to make sense.

I did some calculations. My wardrobe actually breaks down pretty much exactly like this -- I have a few more winter items (which makes sense for our long winters). But I haven't planned quite as well as she has, so there are some items that don't get worn as much as I might like, while others get worn up the yin-yang.

I think I'm going to do my own version of this for fall. I may go to 40 items because I like that number. And when I switch over to winter, I think I will exempt outerwear from my number, because .. well...coats are just so darned necessary. It's not like I have a ton of them (3 winter coats) but if I feel like I want to add another for variety, I am not going to get mad at myself about that. I wear the darn things every day from November until the end of April. Sheesh!

I'm also going to consider the seasons thing. 3 months isn't really it here. It's more like 2 months for summer, and 5 months for winter, LOL. So maybe I will have more seasons.

1. Warm fall (September/October)
2. Cold fall (November/December)
3. Miserable cold winter (Jan/Feb)
4. Miserable cold spring (March/ April)
5. Cool spring (May)
6. Cool summer (June)
7. True summer (July/ August)

Hmmm. This might make planning the capsules a bit tricky, but can be done...

rachylou

Veteran

I don't think ten is possible without being seriously into grunge or hardcore punk (which should be called normcore punk I've decided).

On the t-shirt front, tho, for me at least - t-shirts are "foundation garments" for me, like underwear and socks, so I get that they're excluded.

kkards

Veteran

suz--i love the way you have broken out the seasons! i'm swamped at work now, but when i get some time, i going to break my seasons out like that!

AviaMariah

Veteran

Suz - I like your breakdown of the seasons. Very realistic for my climate also.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I liked the Unfancy gal's idea about a seasonal capsule wardrobe too, and especially the concept of only shopping once per season. I've been toying with the idea myself, limiting myself to shopping only once or twice per season. You'd have to be more intentional about it, and not let it be your hobby or thoughtlessly fill your free time with browsing as much.

Of course, it helps that she is slim and young and gorgeous and lives in Texas, so she can throw on cut off jeans and a blouse and look charming and weather appropriate, whereas I would feel too casual, and need a sweater half the year.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Yeah, Laura. Exactly. It will have to be adapted some for climate, body type, and age. But to tell you the truth, I essentially do this already. I tend to have about 4 to 5 big shops a year now. I DO browse online a lot more often than that. But the actual shopping happens in a few batches. Of course if I visit a big city I will certainly go into the stores, particularly if I need something. But I don't necessarily buy. These are more like scouting missions to see what brands fit, how they fit, what the items look like in person (because they rarely have my size anyway in stock) and so on.

I think as my wardrobe gets into better shape it will be easier to do even less online browsing.

And I really like her breakdown rule of 3. I'm not sure I will follow it exactly, but this is really interesting: one plain, one fancy, and one in between. I might add (for tops and/or toppers) and one COLOUR. Because while I also mainly wear neutrals, I absolutely love a shot of colour!

Susie

Veteran

Suz, I just have to try your seasonal calendar too! For me:

Hot fall (Sept)
Warm fall (Oct)
Cool fall (Nov)
Mildly cold winter (Dec)
Cold winter (Jan)
Cold/mild/freakishly warm winter (Feb Mar)
Cool to hot spring (Apr)
Warm/hot spring (May)
Hot summer (June)
Very hot summer (July)
Hellishly sauna hot summer (August)

Sorry for the hijack, Alana!

Back on topic.....I think we all have our own counting method. I don't include lounge and sleepwear, bathing suits and coverups, gear and coats. But I do include the tanks and tees that I only wear as layers. And I count bags and shoes but keep those as separate numbers

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I dig the plain/fancy/in between idea too. One of the things that always happened to me when I put together capsules in the past, like some of the 30 for 30 challenges, is that they were dull as dishwater because everything was a basic, in order so everything would mix and match 100%.

I organize a lot of my life along the cross quarters of the year - the solstices, equinoxes, and the days halfway in between - so it occurs to me that I could do cross quarter capsules, and those might correlate well to weather changes too. A three month capsule never worked for me because the weather changes too much in that range. And I could shop once per cross quarter and budget that way too. Hmm...

Eta: here in the Bay Area there are seasons I like to think of as 'calendar says it's spring, feels like winter' and 'calendar says it's fall, feels like summer' among others.

Aida

Veteran

Hopefully Claire will chime in, her 10-item wardrobe is a great interpretation of that.

(Suz, my seasons are almost exactly the same, except we have a normal cold winter Miserable cold spring is the perfect description for March/April. And I operate my wardrobe with that same seasonal model mind.)

Keturah

Veteran

I get it, and yet I don't get it. If you're using all of your wardrobe, I don't see the point in being so minimalistic. Unless, of course, you're a chronic over spender/buyer and need to tighten up the budget. Or perhaps it just seems superfluous to own a lot of things you don't need/wear. Those are honest reasons for reducing one's amount of clothing.

I like the idea because it forces one to make good buying decisions. It makes you consider colors and neutrals. It really gives boundaries. It also forces you to truly get all the wear from your clothing that you can, and them some.

And honestly, all of my European friends have really nice, small closets with the "common basics" and look really chic and trendy.

But aside from that... who says it has to be 10? Or even 30? It just seems so arbitrary.

Suz I really like how you assessed the seasons and months!! That's brilliant and most useful. I live in an area with similar weather to yours, with a shorter Warm Fall season.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I didn't click on Ufancy's link but will say doing a 3 version of things works for me. I don't do plain, fancy and in-between, but rather: light neutral, dark neutral and a color or pattern. Seems to cover most bases without inundating my closet with too much of one type of thing before I realize whether it's a real cornerstone component of my style or not.
So for my example I use ballet flats. 3.5 years ago I first got a black pair, then came the red, then a cream pair. Purged the cream last year, looking to sell the red this year and I imagine the black will slowly fade into the background to eventually phase out next year or so.
I played with the trend. Got use out of what I bought, but didn't go overboard only to have 6 pairs of shoes to purge when I no longer liked that style for myself.

E

Veteran

Haha Susie, your calendar is my calendar! Except I'd rename October as "Why can't I wear blazers or boots yet? Fall".

Anonymous

Everyone counts differently. When I first came across Project 333, it was defined as 33 items for 3 months time. Those 33 items included everything! Shoes, belts, jewelry, purses. If I recall, athletic wear and lounge wear were excluded.

I tried really hard to get down to 33 items. It proved impossible for me. Then I started reading other women's posts (e.g., Vivienne Files) and what they did was re-define the 33 items. They excluded shoes, belts, jewelry, purses (and a lot of other items). Their 33 items seemed to include only bottoms and tops.

Cheating? I can't say. At first, I was appalled at the impurity of it all. BUT it is so much easier if I define my 33 items as only bottoms and tops. And it does help me minimize my wardrobe ......

So every season, I try to define the "33" items I will wear through that particular season. I focus on the tops/bottoms. Sigh.

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