Jenn and Suz inspired some wardrobe work today. Jenn inspired me to count again, and Suz inspired me to think about my shopping/churn. What I discovered both surprised me and did not surprise me. #1: my wardrobe is still midsized: no surprise. #2: I hang onto things: somewhat surprising. I have some churn, but much less than I thought. In a way, this does make sense, because I know I have been bringing less and less to consignment over the last two years. A review of my closet bears that out. But ultimately, I was most surprised to see the real evidence that, while I have struck gold in some areas, I am really stuck in others.

So, here are the numbers.... (for the record, I am not counting undies, sleepwear, gear, tees, or accessories). Total without outerwear and shoes is 97; with is 130.

tops: 27 (mix of old and new, some I adore, some I avoid. This is where I make the most mistakes, and where I hang on to things I don't wear. Apparently I don't know how to buy tops unless they are really really interesting.)
sweaters: 15 (all are dark, mostly variations on black and grey. almost all are more than two years old; several are more than 7 years old, one favorite is more than 10 years old. only two are from last year -- black and olive. I consigned the pink one I bought on a whim while traveling.)
cardigans: 3 (all 3 are more than five years old).
dresses: 16 (major growth here, 9 of these purchased in the last year)
bottoms, non-denim: 15 (JCrew fits me well; 3 pairs of Teddies purchased in the last year -- all the others are more than 3 years old; this list also includes 2 pairs of ponte pants/leggings I am inclined to ditch -- not the Kit and Ace ones, but a pair from the Loft and a pair of Lysse leggings I did not wear last year))
denim: 8 (one pair of JCrew cropped flares from this summer; 2 pairs of AG stilts bought a year ago, the rest older; I have tried a lot of jeans but not kept them)
shorts: 3
indoor jackets: 9 (one brand new JCrew Ludlow jacket bought on deep discount - $90 -- otherwise, the white blazer is new this summer, the rest are several years old. still trying to decide if I should keep or consign the Reiss jacket)
skirts: 1 (still hanging on to one old black wool pencil skirt ... just in case....)
outerwear: 8 (4 wool, 1 puffer, 1 leather, 1 rain, 1 travel)
boots: 12 (2 tall, 1 Frye harness, 1 cowboy, 8 bootie -- bootie collection exploded over the last two years)
sneakers: 3 (Stans, Tims, tan suede) (not including gear here)
pumps: 4 (blue wedge - actually wear; black heels, wine okalas, spectator Any Liu)
oxford/loafer: 2
sandal: 4

Here's what i bought for the spring and summer:
5 dresses
4 pairs of pants
4 tops
1 pair of shorts
4 pairs of shoes

Of these, I regret one top purchase and one dress purchase (just not getting enough wear). I am wearing (or will wear) all the shoes. The top I regret does not work well on my body and was very inexpensive; I will consign it next year. So, not bad overall. I expect to wear all the other items next summer if they still fit.

Looking ahead to fall and winter, I have a couple of brand new items waiting to be worn (plaid long vest, new black JCrew blazer, new PG booties) and many pieces in my wardrobe that I am very excited about.

Still, I would like to refresh my knitwear, and maybe swap out some of the darker sweaters for one or two really nice other colored items. (I think this is what my birthday gift will be this year.)

Also, I need to try to get a handle on what is happening in the "tops" area. It is the least cohesive and least satisfying area of my closet, by far. it's like a flea market -- a bit of this, a bit of that. I don't seem to be able to sustain a point of view across my tops AT ALL. If you can provide help there, I would appreciate it!

This has been really helpful to me. I hope it hasn't been too boring. I'd love to hear all your words of wisdom!