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Building a Wardrobe

Jen W

I am in the middle of planning my fall and winter wardrobe, and finally one full year from when I started building a wardrobe after an 80 pound post-pregnancies weight loss. Summer was really hard on my additions and I'm hoping to get some advice.

I started the season with:
a cotton skirt,
a pair of shorts,
2 cotton knit tank tops,
a cotton knit dress,
and a pair of jeans.

I added:
a bathing suit and rash guard,
6 knit tops,
a silk shell,
2 woven button downs,
2 pairs of shorts,
a linen skirt,
and a linen dress.

I had to invest heavily in shoes this year because I developed plantar fasciitis so most of my budget went to sandals and slip on sneakers. I basically wore everything one to three times a week and managed to wear out the jeans, the original shorts, 3 of the knit tops, and one of the woven shirts. I felt more put together than I have in years, a huge win! But my MOTG lifestyle is pretty brutal on clothes: lots of pool time, parks, zoos, play dates, and parent participation preschool (now kindergarten!) with my 3 and 5 year old love bugs.

Was there a tipping point in your own process where things stopped wearing out quickly because you had a few more items or invested in higher quality? I'm starting with a few more items than summer (6 sweaters, 2 sweatshirts, 2 long sleeved tees, 2 long sleeved blouses, and most importantly for the budget, 3 pairs of boots) and have 3 pairs of jeans to test drive coming this week. If you have practical advice (brands that wear like iron, special handling instructions, etc.) or just a big old dose of hope, that would be great! Thank you!

General

18 replies

Latest reply was from qfbrenda

Anonymous

Congrats on the new addition to the family and the weightloss. It looks like you have a pretty well laid out wardrobe. I am pretty new at this whole thing too, but I just had a suggestion for "wears like iron". I have had my Levis skinny jeans, purchased at the Levi's outlet for three years now and they get worn once or twice a week, except in the middle of summer (so about a month in Seattle). I wash them with everything else but usually hang them to dry. Just a suggestion!

Adelfa

Veteran

Washing inside out in cold water, gentle cycle, and hanging to dry makes a HUGE difference in wear. However as a MOTG you may not be willing or able to do this. You have such a focused wardrobe that I'm tempted to say what does it matter that the clothes wear out? At least you know they worked for you and you got everything you could out of them.

bommarkm

Just wanted to say congratulations on your weight loss! I'm interested in the replies to your question too. I've lost 60 pounds in the past year and am rebuilding my entire wardrobe too.

Kerry

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Congratulations! I, too, wash everything in cold (but not on gentle. I will have to start doing that) and hang to dry--that's going to be tough come winter! Sounds like you have a great capsule wardrobe thing going on--and having clothes which wear out is just one of the pit falls to a well worn wardrobe. You might start looking at replacing some of your workhorses with items of better quality--but I know that's a bit of a struggle when the alternative to cheap is nekkid.
But here's a guide to assessing the quality of garments which may be helpful. http://into-mind.com/2014/05/0.....de-part-i/

Jen W

Thanks for the practical advice! I'll have to check Levi's as I look for new jeans, avettestingray.

Adelfa, I hang to dry but will start washing inside out! Great idea! Totally willing to do that so I could start to save my budget for a few fun purchases. I don't need a huge wardrobe, but I'd love a leather jacket. Thank goodness 20 years of accessories still "fit", so I don't get terribly bored with such a focused wardrobe.

Kerry, congratulations on your weight loss!

Jen W

Alana, love "when the alternative to cheap is nekkid" and Into Mind. I'll have to go back to that post and start looking for better options. The 3 Dots tee lasted with no holes, but the GAP one needs to be worn with a scarf.

rabbit

Veteran

It's been my experience that when I have a very minimal wardrobe and and leading an active somewhat rough and tumble lifestyle (wrestling with kids or pets or gardens/physical work) things just wear out quite fast.

If I'm less active, I need to wash the clothes less often so as a result they last longer and get less abraded. Also the more clothes I have the more infrequently I wear them so they last longer (and shoes especially last longer if you don't wear them daily).

So sometimes I get lucky and find something that wears like iron, but in my experience, most items of clothing have a finite life based on number of wears, which I can choose to stretch out or compress.

ETA: the ideal number? That's tough, just ball-parking I'd say with knit tops maybe wearing them 2 times a week max if you want them to last a year, jackets and jeans are more durable than this of course. With shoes, what has worked for me recently is to have at least 2 options in any one category, so two casual but fashionable sandals, two (or more) booties, two fashion sneakers. That way if a particular type of shoe is really all you want to wear all week because of your activities or the weather, you can at least alternate day to day. I used to just wear one main shoe at a time and even leather would just get worn down within months.

Also I think Mo figured out numbers of items needed based on clothing lifespan and number of wears, her thread might be worth hunting for...

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I wash carefully & line dry too. I wish there was some way of knowing before buying but in my experience there isn't one I have $20 linen knit tees that are going into their second summer with no sign of wear & much more expensive tops that started to look shabby after a wash or two.

Sounds like things are coming together well

thimblelina

(website)

Veteran

Congratulations on your weight loss!

I tend to keep a small wardrobe and it is true things wear out faster. And now I sub in my clothes which means playground, art projects, etc. I'm in the process of expanding it a little bit more and boosting the overall quality.

I practically live in two pair of Hudson Collin skinny jeans, a dark wash called Belfast and a true black. The inside out wash and air dry drill really seems to work keeping denim sharp. I've also learned to be really careful about washing tees & blouses. I do them inside out & bagged on a hand wash setting, then hang dry. Anything to extend their useful life! I love clothes, but really don't relish the shopping, ordering, trying on & returning that goes along with their acquisition. If only I had a magic closet where I could wriggle my nose & conjure new pieces up!

Like you, I'm hopeful that with a slightly more generous number of items all of it lasts a little longer.

Sal

Veteran

Well done on the weight loss...and actually it is great to wear out clothes too...it shows they have been well worn.
Just my two cents worth
- I agree Levis are very hard wearing, I always wear out the knees on jeans and did so even more when my boys were younger, Levis definitely lasted well.
- I agree with Rabbit, two is awesome for shoes. It may take a while to get there though, it has for me. But I do like to alternate my footwear, more so than my jeans.
- While capsule wardrobes are popular you can just think of outfits. I like about eight different outfits so I can rotate around Monday to Friday (although the weekend may be the same for a MOTG). So that may be three pairs of jeans, six shirts and two casual dresses etc... Rotating was so that friends I always saw on the same day did not always see me in the same outfit...as often Monday is music day, Wednesday swimming etc

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Congratulations on your weight loss! Quite a few of us arrive at YLF after a big change like that.

I lost 35 pounds and had literally nothing to wear before joining YLF. So I know what you are talking about! It's rough. While it sounds as if you have a great little capsule wardrobe, it's also frustrating to know you'll need to replace it all at the end of a season!

As others have said, caring for your clothes properly helps. But, truly, if you're wearing shoes every day for months on end and knits several times a week, they're going to wear out no matter what you do. I wore out my casual sandals in two months this summer. I walk a lot, and they were the best walking ones I had -- and so.....

(Pausing to sob, because I love them...)

It's tough to fix on a specific number for anything but for me it has taken about three years to get to the point where I don't feel I'm ready to retire things after one season -- either because they're too shabby to go out in public at that point, or I have worn them so much I'm sick to death of them!

One trick I used to "beef up" my wardrobe (when I could not afford to replace it all at once at retail) was to visit a few consignment stores and thrift stores to supplement my basics. The prices were easier on my wallet and this allowed me to experiment with colours and styles I might not have considered. I rarely shop at thrift or consignment now because I've decided that I prefer a very current look, but it was truly a godsend for me during that three year building period.

celia

Veteran

Congratulations on the weight loss and for beginning such a fun (and tiring )process of building a wardrobe.
Small children and the related activities tend to make clothes last less even if you are very careful with them. But , then again, all activities that are somehow repetitive and use the same items of clothing have the same effect. Even if you invest in high quality items.
I think you have to identify the items that you want to keep for a long time and pay the price for it(say, a fabulous cashmere sweater) and the ones you can go cheap because they will last a season(t-shirts, for example).
Even when you have an item you love you won't be wanting to wear the same way next year when season comes again.
I do find that it comes to a certain point when the items that linger in your closet because you love them and are indeed good quality, and the clothes you fill attracted to when shopping all go miraculously together.
And, to be honest,quality and durability are it and miss sometimes.
I had clothes that I babyed and just died on me, and cheap items that I mistreated and look as new. Go figure.

Elly

Veteran

I'm one with a minimal wardrobe and constantly have to replace tops and jeans. I would say that you need at least 8 tops and 3-4 everyday bottoms, plus as many toppers as your climate requires (I like to have 4 mid-weight toppers, plus have fleece for the weekends).

Jen W

Thanks for so much great advice and encouragement!

Rabbit, thank you for the advice about numbers. I'm thrilled to have a few more shoes already lined up for fall but may try to find another pair of slip on sneakers based on your great advice. And I will definitely be looking for Mo's thread.

Caro in Oz, I think that is one of the challenges for sure, figuring out which things will last has nothing to do with price sometimes!

Thimblina, you've hit the nail on the head completely! More than the financial investment, it's the investment of time that is the hardest to fathom. I would love to have a magical closet too! I have a pile to returns to make this week and I'm still on the hunt for a lightweight jacket.

Kiwigal, I really like your idea of outfits and a rotation. Great idea!

Suz, I'll join you in a good cry. I have the Bernias in a different color and they are the best thing ever! Sadly mine are also worn out. I appreciate knowing that it took 3 years to build your wardrobe. It's very encouraging. And I will have to check out a few thrift and consignment shops when I get a few minutes away.

Celia, so true! You can work hard to baby things, but it sounds like some things just have a finite amount of use in them. I have definitely pushed things to the end of their usefulness.

Thanks again for responding. I feel infinitely better today with all of your help! Next up, learning to bold on the iPad so I can format my responses better.

Jen W

Elly, I like your breakdown. That seems like just slightly more than I had this season and would hopefully mean slightly less wear and tear. I'm on the hunt for toppers and have a lot of returns to do!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Jen, what is your climate like? And do you have a good coat for winter? That was one of my first YLF purchases. It took a big hunk out of my budget but I am still wearing that coat three years later and expect to be wearing it for at least another 3-5. If not longer.

Jen W

I live in San Jose, CA which has a pretty temperate climate. Lucky me, since it makes wardrobe building a little easier! I bought a nice wool coat in January for a trip to Paris, but I'm in need of a few transitional jackets since that is a longer period of time for us. The mornings are already cool, but it doesn't get really cold until January. And "really cold" is relative, but now that I've lost some weight I seem to run colder than before.

I'm returning jackets to Talbots and the GAP today, a thicker sweater from JCrew should arrive this week. I have a hard time with fitting my upper body since my shoulders are broad and my waist is straight. I'm thinking I may have better luck with blazers because of the cut. Back to the chase!

qfbrenda

Veteran

It sounds like you are heading in the right direction. I had to do the same thing after a 30+ lb weight loss. It took me about 2 years to feel like I had a functioning wardrobe.

About the shoulders... I have shoulders as well--definite inverted triangle--and have the best luck with knit jackets. You can find all kinds of jacket shapes made out of knit.... motorcycle jackets, blazers, etc. The knit jackets tend to be stretchy and forgiving for large shoulders.