YouLookFab Forum » Topic: What if you made yourself wear what you have first

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: What if you made yourself wear what you have first https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 01 May 2026 15:40:08 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php T on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first/page/2#post-1334799 Tue, 19 Aug 2014 09:10:52 +0000 T 1334799@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I need to do this. Wear what I have first, before jumping headlong into sales & awesome trends & buys! I read somewhere that will power is a finite muscle. You can only exercise it so much before you exhaust it. I find that monitoring my diet to ensure I don't eat foods not healthy for me saps away quite a bit of my will power. By the time I hit the stores over the weekend I am quite vulnerable! Lyn D. on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first/page/2#post-1334453 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 22:48:01 +0000 Lyn D. 1334453@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hi Mo, you always speak so many of my own thoughts about numbers etc. great minds speak alike :) I am on Team dispose of evidence quickly too. I don't 'make' myself wear unloved items, but will try them on when the replacement is being assessed at home. Sometimes this exercise renews my enthusiasm for the oldy, often it points out my style path and helps me to purge without regret. I am trying to buy early-ish in the new Season now, rather than a set number per month, and to wear or purge unloved items late in the Season rather than continue to buy. Laurinda on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first/page/2#post-1334442 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 22:40:53 +0000 Laurinda 1334442@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thank you Mo for posting another thought-provoking thread. I'm not too concerned with having a minimal wardrobe but appreciate this inspiration to wear everything or find it a more appreciative home. @Quietgirl: How cool that you are sewing your New Silhouettes!  Caro in Oz on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first/page/2#post-1334438 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 22:33:09 +0000 Caro in Oz 1334438@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ :) Mo on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first/page/2#post-1334427 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 22:21:22 +0000 Mo 1334427@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Lol @ dispose of the evidence.  I tend to keep trying to make it work, or in the past just hung on and looked at it but never wore it.  Trying to make a change there.  Realize the mistake, resell if possible, and move ON! It occurred to me that maybe even closet minimalists can do a fair bit of shopping if they are turning over every season.  Of course, they're getting the CPW by having less and wearing it more, so I guess it all comes out in the wash, so to speak.   Caro in Oz on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first/page/2#post-1334425 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 22:10:14 +0000 Caro in Oz 1334425@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm  like Suz in that I tend to dispose of the evidence That's why tracking CPW has been really important for me. It has helped me stop buying so many dressier things that I don't wear often & concentrate on my casual & dressy casual clothes. The other thing is that I feel better about letting things go when  I know the CPW is really low - I've had my use of them, they are still in good condition & it's nice to pass them on.  rachylou on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first/page/2#post-1334365 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 20:51:10 +0000 rachylou 1334365@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ It's a good idea. I think it would help weed out impulse buys. Quietgirl on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first/page/2#post-1334332 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 19:52:05 +0000 Quietgirl 1334332@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Like Tex, I have been doing this for about a month. I did a severe edit by moving things to another closet. The 35 items are now in serious rotation. It has forced me to wear the nice things that I usually passed over and be creative with them. And that makes me feel good! Wearing what I have also showed me what I am short on.....shoes, belts, bags. I am beginning to focus on those pieces. Since arriving at YLF in May, I have implemented a new guideline that only New Silhouttes are added to the closet. Some of them have even come off my sewing machine! Finally I have a ridiculously low spending allowance (by choice). My husband was even able to guess what it was. That is what ultimately forces me to choose carefully, not duplicate items and wear what I have. My take is this, I am already dressing fashionably. Just how cutting edge do I need to be in my tiny village? lyn67 on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first/page/2#post-1334312 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 18:56:50 +0000 lyn67 1334312@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great topic, Mo! & I get what  Suz says about buying in bulk at the beginning of the season! It's easier to coordinate things, too. And also, maybe it can keep you more focsued. I would dearly do that, too-but my only favorite brand is getting new stuff every week, and so the stuff will evolve with the season itself  (for ex.you cannot buy a winter coat in september, only say in november) and so, you never know what comes next. THIS is a MAJOR problem. I would like to have the NAS oportunity here, but it's not the case unfortunately:-((. Alassë on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1334179 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 15:52:09 +0000 Alassë 1334179@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great post as usual, Mo! You & Suz have got me thinking... at my wardrobe size, with a 5 year turnover, I should be buying 18 items/year. And I'm way above that. Uh oh, and how to fix.... cloud9 on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1334117 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 14:42:43 +0000 cloud9 1334117@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Mo, thanks for yet another thought provoking post. I don't have a bursting closet because it has huge space lol. I'd say my active wardrobe is not that big, but I have problem with 1 in 1 out rule. My average turnover for knit tops is 3 years due to wear more than any other reason. Second reason is fit (my weight is spiraling up. Even recently, my weight about same, but my bottom needs a size or two bigger! Maybe it's menopause related..). I just culled some pieces from 5-7 years ago due to style-gevity. Then there is the "if I could only lose 5 pounds they will fit perfectly items"... The other older pieces I maybe wear 1-2 times a year, but they are good condition/classic, so I have problem just getting rid of them. For example, that classic white button down shirt, even though it's not as crisp anymore, it'd still work as a layering piece under a sweater right? But doesn't prevent me from getting a new one... Really something I need to work on more... Suz on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1334114 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 14:40:04 +0000 Suz 1334114@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ That's it, Mo!! For me, setting a "so many per month" limit sort of encourages me to shop more, in a weird way. Whereas saying to myself ...hmmm....let's see, what do I need to update my closet for this season and feel good about my clothes and then going out and buying it allows me to get on with other stuff -- like enjoying wearing it! I then start thinking ahead to the next season when it comes to shopping time, unless I bump up against a wardrobe hole, or something wears out, or I see a deal that I just can't pass up. But I'm less likely to fall prey to the latter if I am not consciously shopping.  Mo on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1334109 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 14:36:07 +0000 Mo 1334109@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks for indulging me  I aim to go more seasonal with my shopping in the future, with more the first month, and then a month or two of no items or just the odd one, and getting some end of season refreshers.   I am starting to think the 2 or 3 a month is more a recipe for having shopping constantly on one's mind, and I'd like to get away from that.  I enjoy it, and especially here in FL it fills a void, but I need it back in its proper place in life.  Suz on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1334099 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 14:26:28 +0000 Suz 1334099@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Ha! I don't think I am an average shopper. The way I have been buying in the last two years, I feel like an EXTREME shopper!  Keep in mind, though, I was truly wardrobe building, not maintaining. I started YLF with literally NOTHING. Not even underpants that fit. And had no clear idea of my style...which meant a lot of experimenting and tossing, you know?  Sigh....(thinking of the money I have spent on all this....) I also tend to buy for an entire season more or less at once. And then not shop for several months at all. That's why something like "Austerity August" is actually no challenge for me. It fits with my usual pattern. A real challenge for me would be to "make" myself buy one, two, or even three items a month. It's not the amount so much. it's that I want to shop when I want to shop, and don't want to shop when I'm not shopping. If that makes sense.  I definitely bought more than 3 items a month this spring, on average! I think I bought more this spring than I have bought in my entire life.  I haven't yet figured out what a reasonable number of refreshers per year might be. I am sure it would be different for each person. I know Angie allows herself quite a few if she likes the offerings, but she needs to look especially on trend and up to date (and would want to, anyway, I expect, given her style). I know she also cuts back in seasons where nothing tickles her fancy.  And of course some would depend on wear patterns. If you wear your clothes out, well -- you're going to need to replace them. Of the things I wear frequently, some of them actually DO wear out. I must be pretty hard on footwear -- I go through at least one pair of sandals a year. I mean wear them into the ground. Ditto for booties -- I usually have a favourite and that one will be worn to bits by the next season.  Anyway -- this fall should complete the real "building" phase of my wardrobe. After that, I think I'll have a clearer sense of what a moderate upgrade pattern might be. I do think your average of 3 items a month sounds pretty good. It would allow a person to get 6 items per "sub-season" -- which makes sense to me.  Mo on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1334060 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 13:55:49 +0000 Mo 1334060@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hee hee Suz, I was going to break down my categories more, but deleted it in the interest of being concise!  I figure tops at about 3 years in my closet and coats and shoes at 7.  It's all average of course, with some boots going on 20 years and other sandals only making it 2 or 3 years.  If you don't mind me asking, do you buy more than 3 items a month, on average do you think?  I'm wondering just how moderate my plans are compared to the average shopper.   Suz on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1334055 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 13:49:54 +0000 Suz 1334055@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yeah...it probably will average that, Mo -- although it truly depends on the item and its quality.  Coats -- my winter coats are already 3 years old and still going strong -- I expect to be wearing them for 6 years or more, although I will probably supplement with an additional winter coat, as seems reasonable in my climate.  Jeans -- most will last longer than 3 years.  Jackets -- some cycle in and out within a season or two (Zara fast fashion types). Others will last 6 years or more.  Classic shirts, turtlenecks -- anything that counts as a wardrobe "essential" for me -- these are likely to last a lot longer than 3 years in my closet unless they wear out before that.  I think the items that may change over more quickly are the trendier ones, which makes sense. Meanwhile, the classic stuff will stay.  I think some of the quick rotation so far results from experimentation to find my style. As I get more confident, I may cycle more slowly on the whole -- with the obvious exceptions.  Mo on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1334038 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 13:28:22 +0000 Mo 1334038@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Way to wear what you've got Texstyle!  I have some white BigStar (after trying half a dozen different brands) that I love.  Hi five.   I'll admit right now I'm drawn to the Mango jumpsuit.  But I have my F21 jumpsuit and have only worn it once so far.  Yes, they are different - one is knit the other woven, a lapel menswear collar vs drapey, and black vs olive - but they are not different enough for it to be wise for me to grab a second one before seeing just how much the first gets utilized.  Right now, the olive Mango is very tempting, but 3 months from now will I wonder why the heck I just had to have 2 jumpsuits and not be wearing either of them?  texstyle on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1334034 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 13:22:41 +0000 texstyle 1334034@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I've been trying to practice this for the past several months. I've been doing really good resisting something just because it is a trend or because I see someone else wearing it. Like I have several items in deep red tones so I'm set there and instead of shopping, went to my closet to confirm. I could easily be tempted to more another pair of jeans (I wear them all the time) - or something new in forest green - but again, I have plenty of options so I'm just wearing the forest green tee I have and planning to wear the forest green button down this fall/winter. And I even wore my "summer" jeans recently - very light weight, distressed and super comfortable -- shout out to Rae for alerting me to the brand Big Star :-). Mo on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1334023 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 13:08:15 +0000 Mo 1334023@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Suz, it sounds like you embrace a higher turnover rate in your closet.  Maybe you actually buy more stuff than I do, but I hold on longer.  I maintain around 150 items, wanting to slow my buy rate to 30 yearly, which makes for a rough 5 year turnover.  I would bet you are closer to a 3 year turnover, or even less. Sterling, that would depress me too I think.  And yet, I know I still buy things I don't really wear.  Maybe we all do, to some degree.  I'd just like to really narrow that margin.  The less I aim to buy each year, the more important it is to make it a smart, or useful purchase.  And so, better to have 1 jumpsuit that languishes instead of 3, or floral pants, or drop crotch jeans or whatever.   Suz on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1334009 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 12:48:44 +0000 Suz 1334009@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Even though my wardrobe now includes more than 100 pieces, I'm still in the category of those that this question doesn't really apply to -- probably because I'm such an eager "editor" that I simply dispose of the evidence! In other words, I get rid of the stuff that I don't wear, and quite promptly, as a rule (with a few exceptions.) This has the advantage of keeping my closet "efficient" but it can disguise spending patterns (if I fail to keep track), can gloss over an element of waste. and (again, if I don't keep track) it has the potential to blind me to my repeated mistakes. So, thanks to you, Mo, I am keeping track -- not in a spreadsheet, but in a list of items, including all items that I "edit out" to show what has left the closet as well as what is currently there. And this already has been enlightening. I've learned that I fall out of love with and stop wearing those pieces that: A). are wearing out, no longer pristine (and this seems reasonable); B.) are less "current" or simply don't work as well with whatever is "current" in my wardrobe. Because if there's one thing I have observed about myself, it's that I wear my newer items more than most of my older items, however much I love the older ones.  I don't keep strict track of what I wear every day in a spreadsheet or how many wears each item gets, but I do take enough photos to have a rough idea. I'm going to get more systematic about this in the autumn to track my "warm autumn capsule" and see what I can learn from that.  Anonymous on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1333997 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 12:24:36 +0000 Anonymous 1333997@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I did not respond to this immediately because I needed time to digest what you are saying and what it would mean to me personally.  I finally concluded that it would be incredibly depressing for me.  I think I would find that I buy new things because I am not in love with the things currently hanging in my wardrobe.  Now I need to figure out why that seems to be the case.   MsMary on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1332708 Sat, 16 Aug 2014 19:36:53 +0000 MsMary 1332708@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This resonates with me.  For a quite a while there (like, two or more years) I just kept buying even though I literally had more clothes than I could wear.  One thing that has really helped me is to look at each new proposed purchase and ask myself whether it would keep me from wearing something that was already in my closet.  And if so, was that okay because the new item was an upgrade, or was it not okay because the existing item was already perfectly good? jennifer on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1332702 Sat, 16 Aug 2014 19:28:32 +0000 jennifer 1332702@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I can see the benefit of duplication or replication for other season ( I wore a sleeveless black pleather jacket till the back collar shows wear . I've duplicated / replicated it with a more all season fabric version) . But duping everything that is a supposed " must have" leads to wardrobe congestion . If you live in knits and tees and jeans then twelve formal suits and three dozen button downs and blouses will just be clutter. Even something that is usable if there's too much of it ,it overwhelms. Kari on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1332613 Sat, 16 Aug 2014 17:18:13 +0000 Kari 1332613@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yep, that's been something I struggle with. I over-duplicate, sometimes making do with an item that's less than perfect and struggling with it, then trying to buy a nearly identical but more perfect replacement. It's a big pitfall of mine. LACeleste on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1332601 Sat, 16 Aug 2014 16:50:06 +0000 LACeleste 1332601@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am fortunate to have and enjoy a large wardrobe and am finding this approach is exactly what I needed to get smarter about managing my wardrobe. I tend to go too deep in a category because of initial passion + sales. I'm not talking sale goggles-- just opportunities to buy items I love at a price I deem fair. I love silk blouses and thought they were my thing, but time has shown me that the maintenance is too much for regular rotation for me. I could have learned this from silk blouse # 3 rather than silk blouse # 12 if I had just hit pause. Live and learn---from all of you! Anonymous on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1332595 Sat, 16 Aug 2014 16:43:26 +0000 Anonymous 1332595@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ For me the answer would be to make myself wear what I have about 5 times first. This would force me to work at styling the piece or giving time and opportunity for my eye to adjust to something new to me ( like tube skirts) or just to lose my fear of wearing it in public ( leather pants). Mo on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1332589 Sat, 16 Aug 2014 16:32:14 +0000 Mo 1332589@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Unfrumped, yes, there is the other issue of having more ____ than your lifestyle allows for you to wear.  10 cocktail dresses would be ludicrous for me, for example, but not for a lady who's going to evening affairs in DC with a political career. Mo on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1332586 Sat, 16 Aug 2014 16:26:33 +0000 Mo 1332586@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Meredith, let us know how it goes.   Gaylene, I'm pleasantly surprised to hear you are liking your closet the more you are culling it down.  That's awesome.   Dianthus, yes, how can I have 6 purses when I've been using the same one daily for over 3 years, and an evening clutch just a couple times a year??  That is exactly what I'm talking about.   Cathy, it's humbling to think I inspired you.  How is it going so far?   Alana, perhaps you don't  Have a swelling, bursting closet but can't seem to stop it? Or have a hard time with a practice like 1 in 1 out?  And so this post doesn't really apply for you.  If I recall, you have a smaller wardrobe?  Under 100 items?  Alana in Canada on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1332577 Sat, 16 Aug 2014 16:13:19 +0000 Alana in Canada 1332577@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don't undertand, Mo. You buy something--and then before you know whether you like it and before you have even worn it?--you buy another just like it? Is that what you are saying happens? I may have done that in buying my pants, tunics and leggings for my "new" fallwardrobe--but, as it is my foirst time setting up a wardrobe, conciously, it would be pretty hard not to. But I wouldn't expect it to continue.  LACeleste on "What if you made yourself wear what you have first" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-if-you-made-yourself-wear-what-you-have-first#post-1332567 Sat, 16 Aug 2014 16:02:08 +0000 LACeleste 1332567@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hi Mo, Starting 2 months ago, I started this very approach inspired by your spreadsheets and excellent wardrobe analysis. I will let you know how it turns out. Thank you for getting me on track.