And I thought nobody gives a damn what I wear to work! - YouLookFab Forum

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And I thought nobody gives a damn what I wear to work!

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I always knew that I stand out with my own "dress code" at my office , which is casual to the point of baggy jeans and t-shirts (my office, not my dress code!). However I thought nobody really notices what I wear. Looks like I was wrong after all...
Yesterday I went to talk to one of my co-workers and she exclaimed: "How comes you have so many nice clothes? I never see you wearing the same thing twice: you must have a huge wardrobe!"
I told her that I share one small closet with my hubby and that I just mix up things I have so they look different. She did not believe me and said she is going to watch when I wear this skirt or jacket again! LOL
After that conversation I was thinking: maybe my wardrobe is bigger than I think. I know for sure it is bigger than a year ago - or more accurately I have more things I wear all the time vs. things which were sitting there and I had nothing to wear.
So I decided to have a mental poll of my fall-to-spring clothing, which spans 8-9 months for me. So this is what I have:
- 3 skirts;
- 6 dresses;
- 8 pairs in total of jeans, leans and trousers;
- 6 jackets;
- 3 denim jackets which I wear more in summer but sometimes wear them in the colder months too;
- 4 cardigans;
- 3 waistcoats;
- 6 tunics;
- 20 in total of button downs, blouses, t-necks, shells and other layering tops.
I may be missing something on this list but I think I got the most of items anyway.

I did not include the outerwear, footwear and accessories here, just indoor clothes.
Hm-m-m, maybe it is too many - what do you think?

General

35 replies

Latest reply was from Sveta

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

Pretty funny! Comments like that always make me self conscious too. I have a feeling my office mates think I am a shopaholic too. Your collection definitely doesn't seem like too much. I am in constant ongoing closet purge mode. Things that worked for me 10 years ago don't work at all now due to size and style change. I don't feel bad giving them the boot. It does look like I've been buying alot of new things lately but it's not always going to be like this. You don't have an excessive number of clothes. I think I must have 10 each of black and gray cardigans, jackets and layering pieces. I don't think twice about it because they all get worn regularly.

Queen Mum

Veteran

Sveta- that doesn't sound like a large wardrobe at all. You really do have a knack for remixing. Kudos to you for being so stylish with a not-so-huge wardrobe.

curious... how many shoes do you have?

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Yeah; it's nice to get noticed, but not so nice if it's in a more negative way - I have a few A-line skirts I wear almost every week, and I rotate around maybe 7 or 8 tops with various toppers.

I think your closet is of an appropriate size. Even a small size. I have more skirts, and definitely more cardigans and dresses! But no pants.

Barbara

Veteran

Sveta, your wardrobe is BRILLIANT!

You definitely don't have too much. Paring down a wardrobe to pieces you absolutely love to wear and then mixing them to perfection is what we ALL should aspire to do!

Thanks for the inspiration.

MNsara

Veteran

You have a very disciplined and cultivated wardrobe! I do NOT think you have too many many items, but you are most definitely the master of remixing and getting the most out of every piece!!

You'll have to check back with the coworker periodically to see how you're doing

crazyone

Veteran

Sveta: your wardrobe is actually small and quite well edited! I'm willing to bet that that coworker might have a bigger wardrobe than yours, but full of essentially identical items or things that are not-so-fab and then don't get worn.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Rita, I have purged so much there is almost nothing left from my pre-YLF days (can't believe it was just 1.5 year ago!)
Kim, I have:
- 3 pairs of tall boots (grey, tan and cognac)
- black slouch boots
- brown laceup combat boots
- black heeled booties.
- taupe oxfords
- red pumps
- animal print pumps
- black open toe pumps
- b/w/ ballet flats
- tan winter boots (outdoor only)
I also have nude Fidji and teal ballet flats but I wear them in warmer months mostly.
I think this is it for my dominant 8 month cold season (unless something escapes my memory now)
lyn*, how come you do not wear pants? You look smashing in dresses and skirts but I am sure you would look as good in pants...
Barbara, thanks, that makes me feel better - not that felt bad really.
I was just thinking if I should keep that new leather jacket I asked you about a couple of days ago or is it too much... (I did not include it in my list as I am still thinking). Is it too much to have 7 non-denim jackets?

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Oh, and she was not mean or negative at all. It was more like "wondered admiration" (this is how I like to think about it anyway)

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I think this is the highest compliment actually! It means you are remixing effectively so that she thinks everything is new every time. I would say you have a perfect size wardrobe. Some of us are struggling to down size (ahem) and aim for numbers under a dozen in each category.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

No pants. Pants are terrible, nasty things. (*makes Gollum face*)

I will wear skinny dress pants if I absolutely HAVE to wear pants. I do wear jeans though.

If I start wearing pants, people know I've stopped caring about how I look and ask me if I'm getting depressed again. LOL.

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

I don't think your colleage was being negative...sounds like a compliment to me! You are such a pro at remixing, that everything seems new! Your wardrobe is large compared with mine, but actually, the numbers sound about what I'd like to get to in terms of versatility and remixing fun.

I love all your WIW outfits, btw...I think you have a fab wardrobe!

Coincidentally, I just saw that earlier this season Banana Republic had paired with Lucky magazine to pick and restyle 13 BR pieces into 31 outfits. Even after staring at just one week's remixed outfits I had trouble immediately spotting the repeated items (i.e. pants worn in two outfis, etc)...so I don't blame your colleague for thinking your wardrobe is expansive. Again - you are totally my remixing idol on YLF - your style journey has been very impressive to watch!

Isis

Veteran

Sounds like a great wardrobe for you!

As for the 7th jacket, I think that is also so personal, 10 may be the right number for one person, a single jacket for another.....If you love the jacket and will use it, 7 is the magic number for you!

Aida

Veteran

Sounds like a small, well edited wardrobe to me (I reread your numbers several times in awe, my wardrobe is definitely larger but I am not yet at the point where I can say "I love all/most of these" which I have a good feeling you are at; I don't think I'm even at loving "half" yet!) Your remixing skill is impressive, I would take the comment as a compliment

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Hmm, I am sure I missed some things in this list: I wrote it at work from memory but I think it is not more than 10% off.
Mo, this is interesting - why a dozen and not 10 or 15?
lyn, I see, you wear jeans - it is just pants you do not like. I can understand that unless they are skinnies or really wide legs.
MPJ, you got me blushing here! Thank you!
Isis, I think 7 is my lucky number...until another fab jacket comes along!:-)
Aida, honestly I don't think I love 100% of it but I am editing ruthlessly what I don't love so I am getting there!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Sveta, I was rounding off hee hee. I am actually at 20 on some things (dresses, coats/jackets, and pants), 15 on most, and 10 on others (like shorts/capris). I know Queen Mum was aiming for a dozen in general.
You have the right amount if you feel great in all of it and none is going unworn!

ironkurtin

Veteran

I bow to the master. That's amazing!

Anonymous

Sounds like you are a treat for the eyes at your casual workplace! Take the comment as a compliment and revel in your fabulosity.

tarzy

Veteran

Who cares how many pieces you have?

What you HAVE is style, and that's what makes it all work!

Lisa

Veteran

Personally I would take your colleagues comments as a compliment. Your wardrobe is EXACTLY the type of wardrobe I have been striving for, for almost a year now. As I mentioned in this thread I am doing probably one of the world's slowest closet purges ever. And my end goal is to have a wardrobe that caters to my equal 4 season climate with all pieces worn at least twice a month. Perhaps even more often within a month but I have to start with some type of numeric goal for myself.

I think your ability to remix outfits so well speaks to the very cohesive wardrobe you have. When I see your outfit posts I try to remember what items I've seen before. Only a couple bold pieces ever stand out to me. As Mamapicklejuice mentioned, I also had a difficult time picking out the repeat items from the BR/Lucky magazine out remixing they had on the website a few weeks back. It's not that easy to pick out repeat items when they are mixed well.

Thanks for being a role model for me!

Anonymous

Your wardrobe is what I'd like to have, small and functional and full of great pieces that can work in different ways. You definitely don't have too much, especially since you are working.

rae

(website)

Veteran

I am also staring in wonder... you really must be the remix master!

catgirl

Veteran

What Lisa said. That is a brilliant wardrobe if you are remixing that effectively. And I rarely notice your repeats unless you point them out. YGG!

Scarlet

Veteran

I got a very similar comment recently at work. I wasn't really sure how to take it. I think your wardrobe is actually quite modest in size and you do a great job with it.

Kari

Veteran

I think your closet contents are quite controlled, especially compared to mine. I think it's just that you pair your different pieces so creatively that no one notices that you are actually remixing the same items in different ways! Also, the elements of your wardrobe "play" well together.

Irene

Veteran

I've been told I have many stuff too, and it's true -yet only partly. I have too many shoes, I will admit that. But as for everything else, I think I'm pretty fine. I've been kind of being a bit more daring lately, wearing things I've had for a couple of years but didn't feel like me at that moment, and now they do. It feels like they are new, even to myself, but they are not. Also, most of my friends keep things for like two years, and then toss -especially shoes, since they go for cheap- whereas I can keep an item for years (I go for classic styles so they really don't go out of fashion).

Queen Mum

Veteran

hehe...re the dozen.... a dozen seems like a good number for us non-metric Americans
and I think that given your climate and the number of months out of the year that you wear jackets, 7 is not too many at all.

Queen Mum

Veteran

oops, double post

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I am so grateful for this inventory, Sveta, because I also aspire to a very lean but very hardworking wardrobe.

At the moment I have (probably) not enough of certain items (footwear, belts, tops, jeans, different types of tights) and (possibly) too many of a few items (layering Ts that are not good quality).

I already have more skirts than you do (even with my bare bones barely functional wardrobe!) but not as many dresses. However, I don't feel too badly about that because I know my mileage might differ from yours and what works in your wardrobe might not be the right item for mine. Still, your list definitely gives me a good place to start and I thank you so much!

I can see that with jackets, you really get a lot of mileage. Also, a brightly coloured skirt has given you a great piece to play with. I would like to add more jackets and a bright skirt to my own inventory!

Thanks again for this!

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Thank you all for your "therapy"! You know that I am still deciding to keep or return that new leather blazer, right? So today I went to Danier's and told the SA that I am still thinking about the blazer, that I already have 3 leather jackets and coats and maybe it is too many. She told me: "Stop thinking. Do you know how many I own - 40!"
After that my own 7 jackets look like a meager number...

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