Wow, these are some marvelous comments, keep 'em coming. A lot of you have raised some very interesting issues for further conversation as well (I'm looking at you Ornella!).
I should probably give you some background on the 10-item wardrobe. Jennifer was an exchange student in Paris and noticed that her host family (and Parisians in general) had a few really great clothes that they wore in heavy rotation. Her host mother in particular had roughly:
",,,two wool skirts, one cotton skirt, 2 cashmere sweaters, 3 or 4 lightweight blouses, 2 coats (one for winter, one for spring) and a couple of pairs of Ferragamo-esque flats."
You can read about it here (scroll to the last post on this page):
http://dailyconnoisseur.blogsp.....&reve and here:
http://dailyconnoisseur.blogsp.....drobe.html
Jennifer is a work at home mom of two little girls. She is an author *waving to Suz* and has appearances on TV, speaking events and book signings. She also has a night life (a little jealous here) so she has tailored the concept to fit her life. She has lots of T shirts for day-to-day as well as a special occasion capsule filled with glamorous cocktail dresses and heels. Her whole point is to buy fewer items that are better quality, but make it work for your climate/lifestyle.
Deb, I have 10 items for F/W and another 10 for S/S. So far that seems about right for me. In the transitional seasons, I have the most variety, because I'm able to wear maybe 15 of my items since it's neither too hot or too cold. I don't pack my winter items away in summer because I sometimes need them for overly-air conditioned buildings. Also, I do not count shoes or bags in the 10 items, but there is one woman in the minimalist community who does!
Ornella, you're right, it should be fine for someone to see us again in the same (really great) outfit. Do you think this is easier for you since you are European and it's more common where you live? Or was this something that Flavia inspired you to think about? We should talk more about this. You (or anyone) should feel free to start a thread if I don't get to it quickly enough.
Anne, I don't include gear, loungewear or sleepwear in the ten items, but trust me when I say these clothes are minimal as well. For gardening (which really is just standing there watering at this stage) I wear whatever I have on. This may be moot since my garden isn't doing too well!
Suz, the reason for the dresses was 1. I was ready for a new summer silhouette and 2. I wanted something comfortable for at home wear that looked a little nicer than the yoga capris I lived in all last summer after I got sick and 3. I was tired of trying to put together outfits with skirts and tops whenever I went out. I was jealous of all you fabbers with your easy summer dresses. How easy is that? Just throw on a dress and sandals and you're done. Some of them are as comfy as a nightgown. I was inspired! I have a very good handle on my "activities" and I didn't really have to think about it too much. A causal dress will take you pretty much anywhere around here. Because it's a dress it's always seen as fancier than the equivalent in pants/shorts/capris and a top. For some reason I feel it calming not to be super trendy, so this is not a concession for me like it might be for you. I don't feel frumpy at all, and I'm dressed a bit nicer than most people around me. I would never want you to squelch your creative, novelty loving side Suz! I think you dress perfectly for your personality and your life. Please don't ever change.
Lisa, I have thoroughly enjoyed your DH closet challenge series! In considering your (and Suz's) climate, I remember living in Pittsburgh. I hadn't developed much style at that point, but I remember living in about 10 items for at home in the winter with my children. I had about three pairs of jeans, 3-4 turtle neck shirts and 3 wool pullovers. Then I had church clothes, which were separate. Maybe this is a lot more about personality and less about style.
Textyle, interesting observations. I hope you get all of your FFBO's sorted. I'm enjoying only having one handbag too. It keeps me very organized and pared down (it's a clutch).
Mtgirl, I also refuse to buy anything that requires a camisole, lol. It sound like you've hit on a strategy that really works for you. If I have to do anything really dirty, I'll wear my gear. But I found that I have a threshold for money spent on things I'm willing to wear around the house. All of my dresses were $12-20 each. For that reason, I'm not afraid to do laundry (bleach!) in them or cook (with an apron, of course). Had they been $100 dresses--even casual dresses (and I suspect that a few of them probably cost that when they were new) I think I would have saved them for going out instead. That would have been too big of a chunk of my budget to risk ruining something.
Peri, those are some good thoughts. If I count both summer and winter wardrobes, shoes and accessories and coats/jackets I am right around 33 items. As for the summer clothes wearing out sooner, I get your point. I guess I'd rather have five dresses that I wear out and get to buy five new ones next year than start with ten dresses and have to wear them for two years, IF it even works that way. The way I see it is that for the same amount of money, I have five nicer dresses than ten cheaper (synthetic, poorly assembled with a bad fit) ones. Of course I can't tell you that the cheaper dresses will always wear out faster. We all know that polyester can live in a landfill for centuries, lol! And of course better dresses are not always more expensive (see above).
Pastrygirl, forcing is no fun, neither the "forcing yourself to wear clothes you have and don't want to wear" nor the opposite "forcing yourself not to wear clothes you have and really want to wear". This really all should be in good fun. When I was posting outfits often, I felt like I had to impress everyone with a lot of different combinations so they wouldn't get bored. Never mind that nobody knew when a certain shirt or skirt had driven me crazy all day with it's fussiness. Sometimes certain outfits just work best a certain way. I started out putting things I wasn't wearing in a spare closet, but eventually getting rid of them completely helped me stop feeling guilty about purchasing them in the first place.