YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Simple Realization

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Simple Realization https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:19:32 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Jenn on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1937170 Sun, 15 Jul 2018 15:22:41 +0000 Jenn 1937170@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Texstyle, you could also adjust by replacing your tops more often if you don’t want to store fifty! texstyle on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1937163 Sun, 15 Jul 2018 14:58:16 +0000 texstyle 1937163@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I like the simple concept but for myself I have to adjust those numbers for days when I change twice (or even more on rare occasion) due to the heat. If I'm out and about during the day and I get hot, I want to change into something fresh when I get home. Sometimes I even bring an extra top like if we're going to be walking a lot on a day trip. The other instance is if I'm going to go and do something else later on in the day and again want to be fresh - so I need more like 50 tops personally. Granted a good amount of those are fairly casual tees. Stagiaire Fash on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1937003 Sat, 14 Jul 2018 23:59:04 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 1937003@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ The calculation could go the other way too—if you have x tops and want to wear them 30 times each, how many years will you have them, at the current rate you’re wearing them? Jenn on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1917470 Tue, 08 May 2018 16:43:55 +0000 Jenn 1917470@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Suz, I just did a back of the envelope calculation and to get to 30 wears on each top over five years, it’d be 6 wears/year, or 61 items. So, you’re somewhere between my number and that one. Suz on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1917133 Mon, 07 May 2018 17:32:48 +0000 Suz 1917133@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Interesting. By this calculation, I have far too many tops/ dresses! I have about 30 shirts/ blouses/ tees alone -- this doesn't count even knitwear, which realistically is what I wear for "tops" for most of the year, although I also layer quite often in winter over a shirt/ blouse/ tee.  Yet I don't feel as if it is too much. Many of these items have lasted in the closet much longer than 3 years and I still wear them. And about half of them are winter only, while the other half are spring/summer only.  I think Staysfit has a point -- a climate of extremes like ours makes specific demands -- layering isn't enough; you need vastly different fabric weights in the different seasons as well. A shirt I'd wear in winter would be insanely hot in summer.  The Cat on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1917018 Mon, 07 May 2018 10:44:34 +0000 The Cat 1917018@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yes, math can be interesting, also when it comes to clothes. And if you wear only one outfit per day, you are right, Jenn. Others may have other needs. As for me, I need two or three outfits most days of the year. Style Fan on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1917016 Mon, 07 May 2018 10:34:13 +0000 Style Fan 1917016@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This is a very interesting discussion.  I don't count wears and I don't think it would work for me because of my lifestyle (spend half of the day in Yoga clothes).  But the idea of knowing what pieces are important players (workhorses) in one's wardrobe does help with future shopping. Anonymous on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1917003 Mon, 07 May 2018 09:07:09 +0000 Anonymous 1917003@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Jenn -- Duplication is the problem.  I am rebuilding my wardrobe and I swore off all duplication, but it still creeps in.  It seems subconscious on my part (i.e., I don't even realize I am duplicating until much, much later).  Is it likewise subconscious on your part or do you consciously make the decision to duplicate?  If it is the latter, can you break down your rationalization for me?   Jenn on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1916971 Mon, 07 May 2018 03:46:00 +0000 Jenn 1916971@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Anne, I also have a black tee I bought about that long ago. Not even from a particularly good brand. I am quite sure that any tee I bought today would NOT have that kind of longevity. You are wise to fill a slot and then be done. I’m definitely guilty of liking a certain formula, doubling or tripling up on pieces for it, and then regretting that decision. I’m trying to be better at enjoying what I have and respecting its place in my wardrobe. (Also, if you add in gear and loungewear, my numbers are almost the same as yours. I do track gear, in particular, but didn’t count them in this formula since, unless I’m camping or on an all-day hike, I always wear gear as an additional outfit on any given day.) anne on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1916970 Mon, 07 May 2018 03:20:08 +0000 anne 1916970@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I went back and checked. In the low forties I think for tops and dresses. Nearly up there with Jenni! I am quite a dress liker My count included special events (2-3), loungewear (3-4) and a dress I only wear occasionally when my weight is low. It also included 3 black tees I bought about 10 years ago. I bought one replacement 2 or 3 years ago but it hasn't worn as well as the older ones. My aim in general is to only buy as much as will wear out in the time that I want to wear it. Like you and others, this inevitably means that I have to buy only a small number. Possibly unlike you, I've come at in from another pathway - I'm not a wear tracker. I just limited myself to, eg one casual sweater a year, (usually) one pair of jeans etc. My handed down items swell the ranks though. (at least 3 of the dresses)  Because they aren't chosen by me, they tend to be less versatile. Conversely though, they are often of my higher quality than I would have bought. Anyway, just riffing on the theme! Lynn on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1916651 Sat, 05 May 2018 22:40:50 +0000 Lynn 1916651@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Jenn- this is an interesting observation. I will have to think about it more. Sterling- thanks for the Vivenne Files link.  Her calculation was more complex but intriguing. Thanks for posting.  RobinF on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1916465 Sat, 05 May 2018 14:09:16 +0000 RobinF 1916465@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Very interesting. I'm an accountant but have never gotten into the whole spreadsheet thing with my wardrobe but it often feels like it needs help so maybe I should! I think I wear my clothes more often and for longer but I get bored with them easily. But this could be helpful in figuring out "needs" versus "wants" which is an issue for me. Colette on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1916447 Sat, 05 May 2018 13:03:52 +0000 Colette 1916447@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don't count my clothing or wears but I just wanted to say that find this interesting and helpful as I figure out my wardrobe needs. Anonymous on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1916427 Sat, 05 May 2018 11:04:29 +0000 Anonymous 1916427@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Admittedly, Janice's formula is a bit complicated.  That does not mean I didn't pull out my spreadsheet and start doing the calculations.   The value of her post, to me, was the sudden realization that "enough" could be achieved.  Her post was my moment of realization just was this post was yours.   These realizations have been a touchstone to me as I rebuild my wardrobe.  When the panic sets in (and it does), I calm myself by the reminder that I can only wear so many bottoms during a given week.  I have a higher tolerance for repeats than others do and that has helped too.   My work wardrobe is complete to my satisfaction.  Summer arrived just this week.  I discovered I do not have one single pair of casual summer pants that fit.  NOT one pair.  As much as I dread it, I am going to start the pant buying process all over again.  This time my goal is two pair.  Sal on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization/page/2#post-1916393 Sat, 05 May 2018 04:01:57 +0000 Sal 1916393@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This seems about right - well maths does not lie!! I am about this but the wears are very uneven- I do have about 8 very hard workers, about 10-12 pulling their weight, and the balance are a bit slack ( either older tops that I like but only wear two- three times a year, or one or two dressier items). I am trying not to add more of the fussy, specific tops that only work without jackets or with one bottom. These tops are not wearing though so it is taking a while!! Jenn on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916324 Fri, 04 May 2018 23:10:01 +0000 Jenn 1916324@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ JenniNZ - You are wise. One of the things I was thinking about is that, since I'm at a good number now, that means I need to practice at least a rough one-in, one-out. I can't just buy 10 or 12 new tops every year and call it good. I suspect the real number will work out to less than I calculated as my max. I've bought one dress and three tops so far this year, but my summer shopping is nearly done. Jenni NZ on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916307 Fri, 04 May 2018 22:34:43 +0000 Jenni NZ 1916307@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Ah. 21 spring and autumn tops plus 5 winter tops. 12 summer tops. 38 altogether. Plus, 5 winter/spring/autumn dresses and 6 summer dresses adds an extra 11 choices. Another 11 tunics out of 19 don't need a top under ( either they are long sleeved or they are sleeveless summer tunics for over cropped pants). Grand total, 38 + 22 = 50. As I frequently keep more than 3 years, commonly 5, it seems no wonder I am having difficulty reaching 30 wears! So far this year I have managed to cull 5 tops and 1 jacket. I'm now keeping a record of what is leaving also, just this year. And what I've bought includes one top and one dress. Suppose at least I'm slightly ahead this year reducing top/dress numbers by 3. Jenn on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916252 Fri, 04 May 2018 19:16:05 +0000 Jenn 1916252@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sterling, I've read that post, but I think it's overly complicated. :) SarahD8, I actually had a slightly smaller wardrobe when I lived in Seattle, because both the summers and winters were less extreme. I also suffered from less boredom because the extreme temperatures tended to last a week or so before breaking instead of a month or so. Anonymous on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916221 Fri, 04 May 2018 17:26:42 +0000 Anonymous 1916221@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ There is a wonderful post by Janice Riggs on the Vivienne Files that speaks to this topic: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theviviennefiles.com/2015/07/how-many-pieces-of-clothing-do-you-need-2.html/">http://www.theviviennefiles.co.....ed-2.html/</a> SarahD8 on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916212 Fri, 04 May 2018 16:58:44 +0000 SarahD8 1916212@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Really interesting discussion here, thanks for starting this Jenn! I have done this sort of calculation before and do find it useful to remind myself that there's only so many opportunities to wear clothes. One place where it falls down for me is with high summer clothing. Our true summer is fairly short here in Seattle and I calculated that I needed 7 summer bottoms and 7 summer tops. Repeating the same 7 outfits all summer seems a bit of a bummer to me, as does playing Wardrobe Tetris to try to mix things up!  Also I haaaaate "panic shopping." So I'd rather have a slightly larger wardrobe, with hopefully slightly slower turnover, and have the ability to "go without" a certain item for a season or two. (The constant replacing that Lesley describes would really drive me nuts.) Like unfrumped I enjoy the seasonal color shift approach. I think that tends to make one's wardrobe numbers swell a bit. It's something I'm trying to be mindful of as I build my seasonal capsules -- trying to find some items that will work across multiple seasonal capsules, and making sure that the ones that are more season-specific are ones that I really want to wear once a week for the season. All that said, I took a look at my wardrobe spreadsheet and I am at 40 tops, so not too far off the mark. The difficult part for me is wearing my clothes evenly. Yes, there will be a few dressier items that don't get as much wear. But even within my casual wardrobe, there are some items that rarely get an outing and others that I default to all the time. I'd like to do better at picking items that can easily reach that 10 wears a year threshold. Jenn on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916173 Fri, 04 May 2018 15:16:40 +0000 Jenn 1916173@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Unfrumped - Funny you should mention that your color shifts. I was looking at my closet after adding a few soft rust pieces for the coming season and realized that that color was replacing burgundy for me during the summer. Makes sense. Sisi - I do feel like my wardrobe is in pretty good shape. I actually think a lot about how to get the most satisfaction from the least amount of stuff, but I still have what I would consider a moderate-sized wardrobe. It's a work-in-progress. Also, I totally wouldn't be bored by your calculations. I'm fascinated by it.  To all the rest of you, thank you for taking the time to read and respond and humor me. It's interesting...my son is taking a "math and liberal arts" class this year and I so wish that I'd been taught things like logarithms and statistics in useful contexts the way he's learning. I think I would have gotten a lot more out of my math classes. Jenn on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916167 Fri, 04 May 2018 15:07:11 +0000 Jenn 1916167@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Anne, I have different needs in my life, but they're not as disparate as yours. You just need to do the calculation twice--once for work wear and once for casual and the numbers/expectations might be different for each segment. I'm sure I could make my simple formula more complex, as well, if I took weather and differing needs into account. My wardrobe certainly doesn't wear evenly--individual dressy items are worn less, as are statements--but the abstraction works out to be close enough. Staysfit - That was the takeaway for me too, that 20-30% should be plenty of variety, without going overboard.  Lesley, I have been able to increase my budget a bit recently, but instead of purchasing more items, I've been spending more per piece. I'm hoping the result will be more wears before something starts looking tatty, but the jury is still out on that. What I'm hoping is that some of those simple, but well-made pieces I've added recently end up living well beyond the 30-wear threshold. La Pedestrienne - I don't have a lot of woven tops in my wardrobe, but I agree that the few I do have last longer. My Duluth flannel has 60+ wears and isn't going anywhere. torontogirl - For sure, that "10x per year"  number is both somewhat random and specific to what I want out of my wardrobe. I could see it being different for others (and, in fact, I would have different thresholds for bottoms and shoes.) jussie - I will do the same with silk layering pieces and many of them have lasted well beyond the 30 wears. It's just a rule of thumb, and I try not to feel guilty about passing something on when I've worn it 30 times already and am just ready for something else, but I also don't pass something on just because it hit an arbitrary number of wears.  Anonymous on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916080 Fri, 04 May 2018 12:40:02 +0000 Anonymous 1916080@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ JESSIKAMS- our fathers must have been related-lol. I heard that comment many times. JENN- you might actually get me to like math! Who would have thought. I have to go but I will return.......... maybe I’m related to McArthur too! LaPed on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916079 Fri, 04 May 2018 12:31:57 +0000 LaPed 1916079@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Okay, I had to go count. The numbers bear out for me. I'm right around 30 tops (I included thin layering sweaters but not dresses). Looking at my purchase dates (yay spreadsheet!), it seems t-shirts get demoted to loungewear or chores after about 3 years, but woven shirts (chambray, oxford, flannel) stay in rotation longer.  unfrumped on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916067 Fri, 04 May 2018 11:57:54 +0000 unfrumped 1916067@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don’t play with arithmetic and wardrobe enough— not wanting to face facts!- but I have approached it like joy, by adding seasonal wear to the mix , for my mild- medium 4-season climate. That’s why loose-capsule concepts started having more appeal, in that I would get my variety “ kick” from shifting color palettes a bit ( I like wearing deep burgundies in winter and bighter berry colors and some shades of coral, almost oranges, in summer, more olive) plus the shift in fabrics). That means paying attention to spread across seasons and across colors. When you look at it that way, you have not only wears per year but really, wears of the most extremely seasonal in about a 3-4 month period. I don’t need more than a 2- week cycle on classic tops like neutrals or near - neutral sweaters and am happy to repeat some weekly, wearing with different other items, so that’s not very many needed! I believe in color palette focus , but I found I consistently crave some of these seasonal color shifts , so I’m trying to use that to focus wants vs needs to create usable coordinated outfits. Helena on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916053 Fri, 04 May 2018 11:19:42 +0000 Helena 1916053@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I love me a simple equation!! Well done. I think this varies for everyone, but particularly if you fall the more uniform or FFBO side of the fashion spectrum, there literally is only so much you can wear. cindysmith on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916049 Fri, 04 May 2018 11:10:44 +0000 cindysmith 1916049@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Math can confuse me, but this makes sense jussie on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916030 Fri, 04 May 2018 10:29:18 +0000 jussie 1916030@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hmm but it depends... for me if the weather is cool and I’m wearing a silk or delicate top... I will wear it a few times before I launder it. That means my replacement rate can be much, much lower. In fact it takes me a very long time to wear a top to the point it truly warrants replacement. It’s only really the black or white tees that get that much laundering that they wear out before I evolve beyond that particular style. Thanks for the interesting analysis Jenn. Sisi on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916019 Fri, 04 May 2018 09:40:53 +0000 Sisi 1916019@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hehe, Jenn, I have done any sort of calculations that I did not share here in order not to bore you people to death. In brief, my conclusion is that in a 4-seasons climate as mine, the more I want to wear my clothes, the fewer they must be. Your wardrobe is in good shape (actually, looking at your posts it seems that you always have the right thing for the right occasion) and your plan sounds brilliant! Lesley on "Simple Realization" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/simple-realization#post-1916017 Fri, 04 May 2018 09:24:56 +0000 Lesley 1916017@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I moved towards a smaller wardrobe years ago. The downside (for those of you who like to take a break from shopping for clothes all the time) is that you're replacing quite often. I make "want" and "need" lists at the start of every season and I often blow most of my money just replacing essentials rather than jazzing up from the "want" list.