Anybody else need encouragement to stay in the closet? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Inspiration

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Anybody else need encouragement to stay in the closet?

unfrumped

Veteran

I need to keep using discipline and my style goals to “stay in my closet.”

By that I mean, I’ve just about finished gathering most , though not all of my clothes within my closet. I don’t get any awards on being minimalistic or even staying just in my closet because in the bedroom I have 2 dressers that mostly contain casual wear plus some scarves and clutches.What I’m trying to do is have all 4 seasons of work/smart casual-dressy casual in the closet.

Two main motivations:
Seasonal: We actually have 4 seasons plus changeable weather within a given week mid-season. So I want to have more balance over 4 seasons and not over-buy for the hottest or coldest days, and I want access to trans-seasonal clothes instead of doing major season change-outs , and want to re-mix and/or layer a bit more to use more items throughout the year. Exception is I will have to moth-proof store some sweaters for part of the year.

Crossover capsules: I want to wear items more often during the year and then refresh as needed, so want to do more overlapping of work wear with social-wear by being able to use items in both capsules via combinations , footwear or accessories I can’t really wear to work; plus not “save” nice work items just for work. Wear ‘em and update them. When I move stuff out of the closet and out of sight, I miss out on some good outfit possibilities. Or on testing new items across both types of capsules--and across seasons--so it's easier to see if a new piece really adds something.

I did some editing/purging that helped but I can see I’ll have to keep up more discipline. But I think it will be good.

One thing that gave me some more hanging rod room was to move some cabin-cozy casualwear off hangers and out to the dressers. I love to hang everything—even cozy after-work sweaters & tops & flannel shirts and such. That did help keep them in sight and easy to change into after work, but these items are less a part of my remixing plan and also I’m not in a rush or as critical of the results when I wear them, so I’ve moved them to drawers, purged some stuff to make room and vowed to keep that capsule smaller.

I know many people do big seasonal changeovers or simply have such limited space in the main closet that my approach would never work. But I'm trying to focus on it this year in keeping with Team Wear Now/Buy Things That Make a Difference

14 replies

Latest reply was from cheryl

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I keep all seasons in one closet, and as you might know, that runs the gamut from FL sundresses to Tahoe boots. I do keep loungewear / active wear / layer tees and sweaters in dresser drawers. Coats and jackets go in a spare room closet. but everything else goes in the one closet with 4' rod. I never run into what I hear others here say - I bought an exact copy of ____ that I didn't even know I had. I know exactly what I have and can see it all. Even my sweaters and layer tanks are folded on end so I can see them all in a glance when I open a drawer.

This post has 2 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

rae

(website)

Veteran

I also like to keep most things in one closet - I used to separate, but I hated not being able to see it all, as Mo said. Only socks, swimwear, gear, and layering/pajama/very casual tee shirts go in a dresser. I feel that this is helpful when dressing in the am - I can scan everything in one go and pull it all out at once. No forgetting what the options are or running all over the apartment.

Runcarla

Veteran

Everything in one closet, and the dresser for smalls, t- shirts, sweaters, sports gear, some shorts and pants.

Tanya

Veteran

I have two closets, it is just the way my apartment is built. There are also items stored elsewhere. One ( a bigger one) holds all the knit and woven tops, skirt, pants, jeans and blazers/jackets - everything is hanging, plus boots and some shoes. The other one is for dresses ( that hang) and everything folded:knitwear and sweaters, plus the rest of the shoes, all the bags, accessories, sleepwear and underwear. I have a little extra storage thing, kind of like an armoire, that coats and dance dresses/costumes live in. Finally, all the loungewear is in a bin under the bed. It actually is lot more organized than it sounds

Deborah

Veteran

Unfrumped my goals have been similar. Pre YLF I used to have separate my clothes into Summer and Winter (even though we do have 4 distinct seasons). So one would be in my walk in closet, the other in my the closet in the spare room. I would then have a huge holding zone ( 3 huge plastic containers) which would live in my garage. I had clothes everywhere! Now I have everything, with the excecption of my winter coats, in my walk in closet... and it feels very good. It is more workable, items are worn more frequently, and generally speaking, what I have in that closet, I love.

unfrumped

Veteran

I think it's always about understanding what works for you or what isn't working.

rae and Mo, you are so organized and neat!
Tanya, your system seems to work for you and it's practical.
runcarla, I'm encouraged!
Deborah, I am trying this (or, it's not something completely new--more I'd gotten off track) because I wanted a different result. So, don't keep doing the same thing!

Just this weekend while moving stuff about I found several good summer outfit combinations I had no idea were possible, because I didn't have the parts in the same vicinity to spark the idea.

For me it also suggests what types of things I CAN store outside the closet (oh, that's how hit starts, though...). Meaning, items that aren't nearly as likely to be remixed. I have some heeled dressy sandals that will only be worn with the most dressy of outfits--if ever, but they seem classic and they fit so I'm keeping. But they're not gonna appear in my real life anytime soon and I "know" I have them, so they're in the spare closet.

Sara L.

Veteran

I envy you having a large enough closet and a small enough wardrobe to have all your clothes available at all times. I don't have a very big closet nor space in the bedroom for more than one dresser (which I share with my husband). I change clothes out seasonally but I never buy duplicates - I know exactly what clothes I have. I try to keep clothes out that can be used in the shoulder seasons and only pack away things that are very summery and very wintery.

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Very admirable unfrumped! i will completely admit to not even considering something like this. The difference between our summer and our winter is -40 Celcius to +40 Celcius and you need a wide range of clothing to cover all of that.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I'm with Shannon. I do two main closet "switchovers" each year (fall and spring) with minor ones in winter and summer where I exchange various pieces. It's not a question of space. For me, it is mental clarity. I hate seeing my super lightweight linens together with my heavy wools, my strappy sandals with my heavy boots. It confuses me.

I like the switchovers. I always edit when I do them. And I edit and purge in between times, as well. For example, tonight, I just off-loaded seven items to my step-daughter!

I never buy duplicates. I have a small wardrobe (relatively) and know everything that I own across all seasons even though I do switch up the closets.

I admire your perseverance and I think if I lived you your climate I would do as you are doing.

Agnes

Where i live we have two seasons really with short messy transitions when anything could happen. I pack away most of the things I wear in winter when its summer because I really wont be wearing them. I haven't even worn a pair of jeans for 3 months becasue its too warm.

But tank tops, tshirts, cardigans and light jackets all stay in the cupboard all year because they get worn all year long.

I do however keep out lots of accessories all the time, because in sydney you really might need a sunhat or an umbrella anytime, even on the same day.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

I really want to edit my clothes and stuff down (and remodel my closet) so that I can fit everything into it without having to do any seasonal swaps. Our house has 3 closets, one of which is used for storing tools and decorations, but it doesn't have a coat closet. Coats and jackets are either stuffed in with everything else, hung on hooks by the front door, or piled on the sofa. At the moment my clothes are a huge mess that is really overwhelming my bedroom.

The closet is crammed full of stuff and next to it I have an extra garment rail that is acting as a holding zone, plus a big pile on the floor of things that I want to eBay or give away. There is one huge suitcases stuffed with summer and "maybe" items next to that, and another one under the bed. Also under the bed I have a plastic crate full of gardening/workout clothes, and a duffel bag full of gear that I wear during field work. My shoes are mostly on a shoe rack on the closet floor, and socks etc. are in a plastic drawer set inside the closet.

I'm a pretty messy person by nature so I can go for weeks without really seeing the piles, and then suddenly I will think "what a mess!" and have a big frenzy of putting everything away. But when I do this I run into the simple fact that I have too many things for the available storage area. Maybe I should get a small dresser for holding the off-season stuff and gear -- it would look neater than the giant hot pink suitcase in the corner!

jayne

Veteran

I admire your goals to try and have one real wardrobe that lets all pieces be used all year. I don't know where you live but do you have season style or color changes that effect this goal? I tend to only wear black in winter for example. and white in summer.

So I am with Suz and Shannon, but I do have serious seasonal weather changes also. I like different materials and styles in summer. Like safari.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

It helps that we don't have that much of a seasonal shift around here. I can happily wear jeans year round (although I did that even when I lived in New Mexico) and it is rare that I would go out for the day, even in summer, without at least stuffing a cardigan or jacket in my bag. When I visit my family in the US in summer it is much hotter, so I do have a fairly small collection of things for very hot weather, but most of my clothes can be worn year-round.

cheryl

Veteran

I like to keep all of my clothes together and out and available. We have four seasons and some things obviously wont be worn at certain times of the year but I still like them available and visible.