Ten to fifteen years ago, I wanted to have as many options in my wardrobe as possible. Endless supplies of clothing, bags and shoes and endless ways of wearing them was my ultimate fashion fantasy.

Over the years I began to think differently. I started to want fewer options just because streamlining our lives really appealed to me. And with fewer wardrobe options I also wanted superior quality and design.

This is possibly the best strategic wardrobe decision that I have made and I don’t see it changing. Having fewer wardrobe items has made my life simpler. I don’t forget what I have and I wear the heck out of everything.

The strange thing is that when I had more items in my wardrobe, I used to get bored more easily. It sounds counter intuitive, but I feel far less bored with my options now that I have fewer of them. I’m sure that’s partly because I’ve made better wardrobe choices as I’ve gotten older. So instead of buying ten nice items, I’ll settle for two KILLER purchases. Furthermore, I don’t feel pressured to wear one item of clothing in three to five different ways like I used to. I’ve become content repeating the same outfit combinations or repeatedly wearing one item the same way, if it’s fabulous.

I’ve adopted a “one-in-one-out” wardrobe principle because I do not want to have more clothes, footwear and handbags than I can fit into my half of our small walk-in closet. I do edit my closet and pass on items frequently to make space for new things, because I enjoy fashion, shopping and evolving my style. That way my wardrobe always feels refreshed. But the overall quantity of stuff in my closet has to say the same – no spilling over to use other closets in the house. I would view that as a failure of my wardrobe strategy.

I guess I have become “a less is more” kind of a gal as my style has evolved. There is no right and wrong in this regard. Some people like to have lots of wardrobe options, whereas others like to have even fewer than I do.

What’s your wardrobe strategy? Do you aspire to limitless options, or do you keep it to a small number? Has your wardrobe strategy changed over time? And if so, how has it changed?