https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sun, 10 May 2026 15:29:52 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-61589 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:42:21 +0000 chewyspaghetti 61589@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Not working outside of the home means I can have a lot less. I've noticed that with my kids, too (we homeschool). They have 3 or 4 favorite outfits per season, and just wear those things over and over. Of course, when I get to goal I do hope to expand it a bit. I just can't see spending money on more than the bare minimum when I know that by fall most of it will have to be donated (or sold on ebay I guess). I think that one solidly made, well fitting piece in a flattering color is worth dozens of near misses. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-61573 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:35:29 +0000 Kristen 61573@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>ROFL, April!! When you lay it out like that, keeping our closets stuffed like we usually do does seem pretty silly. Keeping it lean has been both a blessing and a curse for me; I've been frustrated by how little I have to work with (which is a function of things simply not fitting me right now), but I've also been falling into the old habit of keeping things "just in case". I did a big cleanout before I went shopping this weekend and filled another box and a half. (!!) </p> <p>ChewySpaghetti, your closet is a lot leaner than mine; I don't think I could go that far! I do need a good variety in my daily wardrobe: to cover business-code work and non-business play, the wide temperature range of each season, and I have to factor in dry cleaning time on much of the work stuff. (If I got too small for my shoes I would cry so hard. I have a pretty big shoe collection.) </p> <p>I do want to thank you for resurrecting this thread; I had already forgotten my goal of waiting until I was at goal to buy certain items, and had been starting to look for denim jackets and summer clamdiggers and pants. I did pick up a denim skirt which I've been having second doubts on since I got it. I think it's time to return it and wait until I'm ready. Thank you for that nudge! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-61572 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:17:22 +0000 April 61572@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Good for you, Kristen (and everyone else taking this sensible approach!)</p> <p>I am about to move from a big walk-in closet to a much smaller one and am taking inspiration from you all. </p> <p>Let me see if I have this right... you're saying that if I actually get rid of all the too-big, unflattering, out-of-date items that I hang onto out of anxiety over having "nothing to wear," I will actually be better off? </p> <p>What a concept. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-61553 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:51:36 +0000 medusa 61553@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Go Kristen! That's great. It saves so much time and effort to have less stuff. I'm trying to go in that direction as well. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-61500 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:14:00 +0000 chewyspaghetti 61500@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Kristen,</p> <p>This is what I have found as well! I really have a sparse closet at the moment- two pair of jeans, one pair of dress pants, three skirts, some camis/tanks, two dresses and a few tops/sweaters.(plus outerwear) I have 6 pair of shoes (had to get rid of all my old shoes, too, they got too big)- and it's plenty. I actually am planning that when I get to my goal weight, I am going to keep a sparse closet of really good pieces that go well together. It's so much easier to deal with. I have a really small closet, too- and no extra bedroom to use for storage. My husband has the side of the closet with a top and bottom rail, and mine just has a single rail. That's all I really need. He has three times as many clothes as I do. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-57152 Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:05:46 +0000 Dawn 57152@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Good to hear, Kristen. I love the idea of having a small effective wardrobe, and I am slowly working towards having one myself. </p> <p>I began by throwing out lots of stuff every time I moved house (about 5 times) in the last 18 months. This was before I even started to read youlookfab, but everytime I would pack up my clothes and think that I owned far too many clothes that didn't fit or didn't look right so I would throw out stuff then. Of course, I still would buy more crappy clothes in the hope that they would fill the holes in my wardrobe. </p> <p>Around nine months ago, I began to read some fashion blogs and realised that the problem in my wardrobe lay not in the amount of clothes that I own but in the basics in my wardrobe. Some of them didn't fit me properly, some of them were worn out but I still wore them for sentimental reasons and some of them were there because I hadn't a clue. Every time I went shopping, I would panic because I had no idea about what I should be wearing, my personal style or most of the time what I really liked or disliked. I would go shopping with friends, try something on and if they liked it, I would probably buy it. When I see some of these clothes from these shopping trips, I realise that I wasn't buying clothes for my lifestyle or my taste.</p> <p>After this step, I threw out clothes that weren't working at all and was left with the bare bones of a wardrobe- a pair of jeans, a couple of sweaters, two skirts and a few camisoles. I held onto clothes that weren't truly awful as I had and still have a limited clothes budget. Ever since then I have focused on buying clothes that work for me and replacing items in my wardrobe that aren't 100% right. To keep thing simple, I have focused on one heel height for trousers (flat) but of course when I graduate and if I get a job, I will hopefully expand this area. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-57073 Sun, 29 Mar 2009 01:26:07 +0000 Kristen 57073@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Tara, what I've found is not that I'm limiting myself to one silhouette, it's that I've gotten rid of a lot of deadwood and too many duplicates. I love pants and skirts, and now I've even added dresses to the mix. I've cut down on the number of button-downs, and will only replace as the current ones get too big. I'm making smarter choices for my cardigans, for instance; the ones I have can be worn with many different outfits, instead of working only with certain pants. I am a little worried about what will happen with the pants once I'm done, because I love alternating between heels and flats, which requires different pants lengths. But I think I will be much more choosy about what I buy, because...well, because I can. Before, if I found a pair that fit me, I grabbed it. No more!</p> <p>Brianna, I'm going to check out that blog; I could never do it with 42 pieces, but I admire her for going for it! </p> <p>Bella and Dani, I love the idea of a spreadsheet, but I'm not sure what I would do with it once I built it. I did get an iPhone app called the Pocket Closet, which is an inventory/photo system. Maybe I should actually start using it; I've got pictures of most of it already, lol.</p> <p>Thanks, Alecia!</p> <p>Tanya and Hanna, believe me, I get bored with my clothes too, and I would love to have a walk-in closet again just so I could spread stuff out better. But I found once I culled a lot out that I wasn't really wearing many of the pieces that were clogging up the space. I would try them on a lot, but could never quite put them in an outfit. Now I don't have to try on as much in the morning before I find the right combo!</p> <p>Angie, I'm so glad you're pleased! I admit, I was highly skeptical when I first read your entries about it; it seemed so counterintuitive! Part of me is worried I won't be able to keep it small for long -- I don't have a single thing for casual or work summer wear yet, for instance, and I am down to only 3 pairs of pants and 2 jeans that currently fit. But I am definitely choosier about what I am adding in, and I don't want to go back to the overfull monstrosity I had before.<br /> So I am keeping it mind as my closet evolves every week. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-57071 Sun, 29 Mar 2009 01:07:21 +0000 tarzy 57071@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I love the concept of this. I do not enjoy trendy pieces, and actually would welcome the freedom of knowing that everything "works." I just don't know how to get there. </p> <p>I find that I'm always trying to balance proportions (for instance - a skinny pant with a more voluminous top OR a trouser pant with a more fitted top) so I feel I need a variety of items. Should I restrict myself to ONE silhouette that works best? I'm actually okay with that - I guess I just haven't found "my" perfect silhouette yet. Hmmm ... good stuff to think about. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-57064 Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:41:59 +0000 Angie 57064@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>MUSIC TO MY EARS. Thanks for sharing, Kristen. I 100% advocate a small and efficient wardrobe. It’s hands down the best way to go for the reasons that you have suggested. Well done! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-57022 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:02:47 +0000 hanna 57022@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>thanks for that link, brianna - i'm fascinated!</p> <p>i'm working on paring down my closet a little bit at a time - but since i enjoy trendy pieces and get bored easily, i'm not sure how well that would work for me :\ </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-57001 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:55:28 +0000 Ariadne 57001@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>JG, the blog is copaceticcloset.blogspot.com. It was private at first (her other blog, certainstyle.blogspot.com and upanddowntown.blogspot.com, are public) but she has opened it up for this week as an experiment... it may or may not stay public. She originally had a blog (now defunct) called 34 pieces where she restricted herself to wearing 34 pieces from her closet and wore them in as many original combinations as possible... I think she ended up finding 70+ combinations. Since then she's maintained a very small closet. It's a great read with lost of interesting discussions in the comments. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-56979 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:06:19 +0000 Alecia 56979@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Kristen, it has been so fun to accompany you on this journey. I love that you are sharing these epiphanies with us. Thank you and congratulations on you successes. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-56944 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:17:12 +0000 JewelryGirl 56944@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Brianna, would you mind sharing the blog? I'm so intrigued &#38; would love to get to a point like that myself...it's a journey for me! Thanks! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-56938 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:38:18 +0000 Ariadne 56938@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Good for you, Kristen! I agree. I have an insanely tiny closet which I share with my husband and for the last 6 months or so have been working on purging tons of stuff from it. I need to count up what I now have and make a spreadsheet, but it's not a lot. My goal is to have the smallest possible wardrobe that satisfies me and is sufficient for my needs. Three things I've learned that are important are to only buy clothes that suit my life, not someone else's life or a life I think I want but do not live, and to only buy things that I love and that are either extremely versatile and functional or that hold my interest in some special way, and to not buy things just because they're on some list of things I "should" have.</p> <p>My favourite fashion blog is written by a very intelligent woman who only has 42 pieces of clothing in her wardrobe. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-56899 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:39:00 +0000 Dani 56899@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Congrats, Kristen! I love having fewer clothes and more outfits! It's much easier to get dressed. Bella, I'm a spreadsheet fanatic as well and keep my wardrobe that way. It makes it much easier for me to find new ways to wear an item and to tell where my gaps are. </p> <p>I have a very large closet and am trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the space </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-56887 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:51:19 +0000 bella 56887@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Well done Kristen!<br /> I actually have a small closet and I try to fit in it. I have a suggestion for other ladies with more clothes: try taking an inventory using a spreadsheet. I think Shiny has been doing this all along. I have recently (since the beginning of 2009) started doing this and it makes a huge difference. By keeping track of what I own and when/how often I wear them, I have been able to create many different outfits that I wouldn't have otherwise put together. It also helped me understand what items I wear most often and what I items I don't and why. (poor fit? nothing to match? not suitable for my current lifestyle?) I strongly recommend this. One caution, if you are a visual person and would need to see each item, this may not work well. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-56851 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:29:11 +0000 Tanya 56851@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This sounds great Kristen, good for you! Congrats, that must be such an amazing feeling.</p> <p>I wish I could do the same. I have a lot of clothes and can never fit them all in the same closet ( probably beacuse I get bored so easily and need many different options). My boyfriend and I discussed our future apartment needs for when I move there and I was advocating to look for a 2 BR place with a huge walk-in closet. His reply was that it's better to look for a 3 bedroom apartment and just make the whole smallest bedroom my closet/dressing room, since that would be much easier to find than the closet size I'd need </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/im-a-small-closet-believer#post-56842 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:47:40 +0000 Kristen 56842@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think Angie will appreciate this: I have been converted to the joys of having a small closet!</p> <p>I've always had extremely limited space in my closet, so I had extra ones downstairs for seasonal clothes, and I was constantly rearranging my sweaters and tops for maximum room. Now that I've had to turn over my entire wardrobe and pretty much start from scratch, I'm finding it easier to to get creative with my outfits -- and ironically, it's easier because I have less to choose from, and it's all right at my fingertips. For instance, today I needed a light top to go under my pale-green long open cardigan, and I found a rounded crochet-neck top I picked up on clearance from Talbots two years ago and had never actually worn. It was perfect, and I got a ton of compliments on it.</p> <p>I'm also suddenly more picky about what new thing to add (and as you know, I need to add a LOT right now). Now that I can see everything, I can also figure out what I'm missing, and how it will work with what I already have. I'm so used to buying everything that actually fit, this is a pretty big change! I've even started making lists of what I need to look for next, and I've organized it by what I need now to get me to the next size (black peeptoe heels for my new dresses, smaller underwear LOL), and what I want to hold off on buying until I am at my final size (jean skirt, denim jacket, a whole new set of vee-neck t-shirts). </p> <p>I suspect some of this has to do with the fact that it is easier to find clothes in my size, at a lot of new-to-me stores instead of my usual haunts, and that I do NEED to buy a lot of replacements so I'm pretty much constantly shopping every weekend. But keeping it all in a smaller closet with fewer pieces, is something I would like to continue.</p> <p>You were right, Angie! </p>