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gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

This might help.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/70157706667981456/

12 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Do you know the style direction you want to head in? Or are you happy with your current style? I think that's the first question -- so that you can establish your criteria for purging.

I consider myself a fairly ruthless purger, but even so, I rarely purge anything that I genuinely, actively love -- unless the fit is off, it is wearing out, it is truly dated, or it is completely unwearable in my lifestyle for the foreseeable future.

But it does depend a bit on what you tend to love. From what I've seen of your style so far, you tend toward a modern classic look with clean lines, and use accessories to change up your look. If that is correct, then you should have plenty of decent "for-you essentials" in your "I Love This" pile. (You may be missing some, but at least you'll have a few tops, a few pairs of pants, a few shoes, that are easily mixable with other items in your wardrobe.) Whereas people who tend to love statement clothes can end up in trouble if they purge anything they don't love because the backbone of the closet is gone once they get rid of the "boring" essentials.

I'm not sure if that makes any sense. I'm not feeling terribly articulate.

12 years ago

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Angie has masses of fantastic info on this.

http://youlookfab.com/category.....anization/

I'd start with the easy bit - things you don't wear & don't love can go without much pain After that it depends on how you want to think about your clothes.

I could never get editing to work for me until I worked out:

The general look I wanted to convey
what categories of clothes I needed e.g. casual, dressy, gym, beach
what types of clothes I wanted to wear for what occasions - like pants or skirts or cardigans or jackets
what neutrals & colours
what silhouettes.

Then I needed to decide how many items I needed in each category.

Then I looked at each piece of clothing to see if it would work within the framework I'd created from the above. Also if I had way too many items in one category I only kept the best ones.

This process wasn't a straight line for me - I did go back & forth over some of the above points.

Good luck & enjoy - it is such a worthwhile exercise

12 years ago

Refugee

Veteran

A simple 5 column spreadsheet has been really helpful to me. List items of clothing in the first column. Columns 2-4 are wardrobe hole, OK for now, and hearts desire. The final column is for notes and thoughts about the item. As you list each item place put an X in the appropriate column and add any thoughts. For example, let's say one of the items that works but you don't love is a red turtleneck. It would get an OK for now designation. Then in the notes section you jot down thoughts about what its shortcomings are or what attributes the perfect one has.
Doing this has really helped me keep my shopping list focused, prevented me from having orphans, and helped me see where I had unnecessary duplicates.

12 years ago

carter

Veteran

Great flowchart, Grad. Hopefully I won't end up in an endless loop!

Suz, you've hit on several points that resonate. Yes, for the most part, I'm pretty pleased with direction my style is taking. Modern classic with clean lines is exactly what I'm shooting for. I've gotten rid of most everything that really doesn't fit the goal, but I still find some things that don't particularly wow me but serve their purposes. I also have been trying to add some statement pieces lately. Unfortunately, these are the many of the loved orphans. Maybe I'm choosing the wrong statement pieces? I'm going to have to have to think about that one.

Honestly, I have way more clothes that work than I need. I want to get down to the best of the best (but still not minimal!) in terms of happiness factor and appropriateness.

As you can see, I guess I'm still a bit unclear about where I want to be, which makes it very difficult to get there.

12 years ago

Anonymous

I have been using Lisa's boutique idea. I edited my closet down to just the items that work for me (fit, lifestyle, in great condition) and then put the "maybe" items in the boutique (separate holding area). They are out of sight but not out of mind. If I find I need them, then I pull them back into the closet. This has really helped: my closet is pretty lean now, filled with things that really work for me, but there are other things that can get called up from the reserves if needed.

As for items I really love, but that I can't work into an outfit, I keep them and try to shop for something that will let that item work. (For instance I just bought nude pumps to go with two dresses that I was not wearing because I lacked the appropriate shoes, and I bought a cashmere sweater to go with a black skirt ( and that skirt was bought because I was having no luck finding black pants at the right length- man it just goes round and round!.)).

12 years ago

carter

Veteran

Caro, thanks for the link. I'll start working my way through the posts tonight. Of your bullet points, the only one I really struggle with (and may be THE problem) is "what neutrals and colors". I love most neutrals and most colors, and they are all well represented in my closet. Do you think it's absolutely necessary to limit these in order to achieve the perfect wardrobe? I honestly don't know if I'm prepared to do this. Help.

Refugee, love the spreadsheet! I'm a spreadsheet girl too. However, the sheer number of clothes in my closet makes it very intimidating. Just thinking about typing them all in is overwhelming. I would like to get where you are, but I think I'm several steps behind you at the moment.

12 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Carter, regarding the colors, I was right where you are a few years ago. My first baby step was choosing between black and brown as my base neutral. From there other color choices naturally flowed. Now I find myself down to a basic 4 with a couple accent colors thrown in and my 3 neutrals.
As for love the piece, but can't make an outfit, vs outfits I don't love - I would make an effort to best style the 'love' pieces with this downtime. If you can't successfully make them work you either need to move on, or make the commitment to getting what other support pieces needed to make them work. Just hanging them there because you love them in theory but not practice doesn't get you far with your wardrobe

12 years ago

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I agree with Mo on both points. I don't think you HAVE to limit your colours but it was one of the defining moments for me. It really makes everything more cohesive & it sure makes choosing a travel wardrobe much easier.

The other thing that helped me (as an eclectic who likes LOTS of things) was to re-frame how I thought of editing. Artists spend their lives refining their skills - they edit their palettes or their words or their notes. They get better at expressing themselves with less. I really want this for my "style". I'm sure this isn't for everyone but it really helped me

12 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Echoing the others on colours. I really found this difficult also and it took me a full year and a half on YLF before I could even identify my neutrals. I actually got to my colours more easily. I still wear a very wide range, by the way, and do not feel in the least limited. This is just what works best with my colouring.

Dark Neutrals: Navy, ink blue, denim rinse blue, charcoal grey, black. (With the occasional piece of chocolate because...well...a girl needs chocolate, right?)

Mid neutrals: Greys, taupes, lighter denims.

Light neutrals: Winter white, dove grey, white, some cream but not often near my face.

Colours: Most blues from baby blue through royal blue; all berry tones from raspberry to cranberry red; fuchsia, some teals, plums and purples.

If I am dying for a hit of bright yellow, I get it in an accessory or scarf. Ditto other loved colours.

This feels like plenty of range for me, yet it all works together seamlessly.

Re the "wrong" statement pieces: This is what I did at first. When I first began to give my wardrobe some renewed attention, I thought I needed to move away from my "boring" classic style. And the way I sought to do that was through colour and through pieces with a fair bit of detailing. After all, they would need at least one of these to qualify as "statements," wouldn't they?

Um, well...not really. Not for me. I learned that all the detailing ended up feeling fussy and so not me. I need to make my statement through cut and line and fit. And to some extent through colour choices as well.

A lot of my earliest experiments with more assertive items were purged a season or two (or fewer) into my time here at YLF. And I am still working at refining this.

12 years ago

Deborah

Veteran

I will just ditto Caro's first comment rather than repeating it all. That is pretty much how my wardrobe editing became more successful. I also have embraced a limited colour palette (but that works for me, it may not for you). I am slowly getting to the point where almost everything in my closet can work together and that was one of my goals.

My first and most important question when culling is "does this reflect my preferred/perceived style person?" And I work from there.

Good luck and have fun doing it.

12 years ago

Elizabeth P

Veteran

By no means is my closet edited, or minimal, but I did want to echo that honing in on a neutral has been very helpful for me, particularly in terms of shoes.

I hope you post your "journey" over the next weeks, I love reading how people go through this process.

12 years ago

Ariadne

Veteran

I don't have much to add tonight, but this is a great thread.

Has anyone mentioned having a "holding zone" yet, for items you think you want to purge but aren't sure about? I have a big Rubbermaid tote on the high top shelf of my closet. Holding zone items get tossed up there. Every season I pull it down, sort through it, and usually end up donating or consigning the lot. Once in a while I do pull something out again, though, and am glad for it.

12 years ago

carter

Veteran

Yeesh! Just lost a VERY long response to all of you. I will try again tomorrow from my computer instead of my finicky tablet. Please know that I am not ignoring your words of wisdom. So appreciate all of your insights!

12 years ago

Anonymous

This year I have been much more ruthless than before. No more holding on to things that might work in some future combo or lifestyle. I am trying to have only things in my closet that I really want to wear (over and over).

12 years ago

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

Yes! I love these purging and editing posts Caro, thank you for that link to all of Angie's closet organization articles

Several months ago, I created a Pinterest board of outfits I would wear exactly as styled. The fun thing about my board is that I am able to create most of the outfits with what I already have - and the specificity I have gained in dressing has made me really happy.

I am working on a checklist for myself, both for keeping items, and shopping for new ones. First, the item has to meet the 10's for happiness and fit, and at least a 9 for condition. Then I am going down a list of more specific questions about sizing and scale and details and color. Then I compare the item to my Pinterest photos. Does it fit in with my ideal looks? If so, it's a keeper. If not, I look at whether it can be re-purposed as a costume piece. If not... out the door it goes!

I should add that, at this point, anything that needs the purchase of something else to 'make it work', is on the chopping block. I'm tired of fussing with fussy clothes.

12 years ago

RunswithDolphins

Active Member

Carter. thank you for starting great thread! It is very timely for me too as I will be experiencig some downtime in the next few months. The advice from all the YLF pros is incredible and I will be referring back to it often. I really like the idea of a spreadsheet. I'm going to do the grunt work of sorting through my closet over the holiday break and then when I'm not very mobile after my foot surgery in late January I can do some editing from a sitting position. Thanks to everyone for sharing such great suggestions.

12 years ago

Joyce B

Veteran

This is a great thread. I can also use some of the great advice that was offered.

12 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for starting this thread. I don't have any great advice to add, but plan on taking bunches of it myself!

12 years ago

Anonymous

Definitely lots of good advice here! Not that I have much to add to it, but maybe if I re-read this thread enough times, some of it will stick for me!

I do wonder if I should at least start being more decisive about my color palette. I'm not a spreadsheet or checklist person at all, so that might be a good starting point that doesn't feel as much like work.

12 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I like that flowchart too. But I must admit the word "spreadsheet" applied to my wardrobe...well, it just doesn't work for my rather eclectic, emotional wardrobe approach to dressing (even though I have a strong organizational streak and I love structure), so I totally get that!

Here's one thing I found helpful. If you have a sizable wardrobe, I like the idea of tackling one category of clothing at a time. For example, I will pull all of the jeans and pants out of my closet and spread them all out where I can see them to evaluate what's not getting worn and why. Now, in my case, I find fitting pants problematic enough that I am slow to purge in this category -- I have some trousers I have barely worn in the last couple of years, but I keep them because they are classic and fit me well, and when I need them, I'm not frantically shopping for something that fits my thighs and is long enough to wear with heels. But focusing on one type of item at a time keeps me from feeling overwhelmed. I'll tackle the tees or the sweaters or the scarves on another day.

Which reminds me, I think it's time to tackle the scarves. Another scarf or two may have come home with me when I was Christmas shopping, and I need to get rid of some old ones I'm not wearing.

12 years ago

Anonymous

I'm where you are and am eagerly taking in the advice. You may also want to create capsules as you do this. When creating a fall casual capsule, I found that including a variety really kept me from getting bored. I followed Angie's blog post suggestions, subbing in things I owned. I was amazed to see that I have less variety than I thought.
http://youlookfab.com/2013/08/.....-for-fall/

12 years ago

E

Veteran

All of this advice is so interesting! My question would be: why do you want to cull? Is it that there are too many clothes for your storage space? Or do you feel overwhelmed getting dressed? Or is your closet full of clothes you're not wearing, which is just annoying? Or do you have a general feeling that you should own less/be more minimalist? Perhaps figuring out why you want fewer clothes will also help.

12 years ago

Anonymous

Carter, this is one of my favorite subjects! I hear you on the color thing, you might be one of those people who keeps a rainbow of colors on hand, or you might want to focus in on a few. Here is a great post on how to choose a color scheme for your closet. There is a lot of helpful info on the site; play around with it if you have time. One of the things that struck me the most is when the author described (in the second link) buying a bunch of clothes each season, only to do a massive cull at the end and then repeating this behavior over and over. She helped me stop the cycle!

http://into-mind.com/2013/05/2.....-wardrobe/

http://into-mind.com/2012/12/0.....nal-style/

12 years ago

carter

Veteran

I am loving all these suggestions!

Pam--Lisa's boutique idea struck me as a good one as well. I do think that I will apply this in some way. At the moment, I think I'll view my entire closet as a boutique and shop for my favorites in each category. I'm hoping that by starting there, I'll start to see the themes in style and color.

Mo--you are so right about how to deal with the orphans. I think Suz was exactly right in her realization of why she had some statement pieces that ended up as orphans. This kept me up quite awhile last night thinking through this. Some of my statement pieces just make the wrong statement for me, and they need to go.

Caro--love the analogy of an artist editing his work. This is exactly where I would like to be.

Oh, Suz--a year and a half just for neutrals! It looks like this may be much more of an evolutionary process than my wham, bam, done in three weeks plan. I do know that camel, tan, burgundy and light gray are not my neutrals. I also know that navy really only works for me on the top since I don't have/want to invest in the shoes, belts, handbags, etc to add navy in pants and skirts. I guess that puts navy in the color category for me rather than the neutral category? I am so relieved to see that you actually do have quite a few colors represented, and your wardrobe still manages to be so cohesive. You also completely nailed my statement orphan issue. Some of them just make the wrong statement, and I can let go of them.

Elizabeth P--you bet I will keep you posted on my progress! I need all the help I can get.

Ariadne--a holding zone is definitely a part of my plan!

PMC--you're exactly where I want to be!

LBD--wow! You are good with Pinterest. Awesome idea!

RWD--so glad we'll be going through this together. Please keep us posted on your progress.

Aubergine--I'm glad you've found a place to start. That's been a real stumbling block for me. Keep us posted.

Janet--I think your one category at a time is where I'll start. I'm thinking I will pick my faves in each category, put them all together and see if it starts to tell a story.

Joy--I love the capsule idea. I've been kind of doing this for a few months, but I haven't come close to mastering it yet. By the end of this brief period I hope to have a much better handle on it.

I'm off to start picking my favorites. I will take pics in the hopes that all of you will see themes and strategies that may elude me.

12 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I will add to what Joy said about capsules. It wasn't until I tried a fall (FL winter) capsule for the move here that I realized my long sleeve tops were mostly dark, and almost all were neutrals. I suppose in Tahoe I got away with it, as they were layered under yet more layers (jackets, sweaters), but standing alone as tops here they are yawn inducing as a group. He he. Seems I'd purged my only bright and colored l.s. tops last fall due to wear or fit troubles and never got around to replacing with more color. oops.

12 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

And along with the category on closet organization (thanks Caro), is a category on Wardrobe Planning. You might find the posts on closet editing helpful:

http://youlookfab.com/category.....-planning/

12 years ago

carter

Veteran

E-I have too many clothes period. I'm hoping that this process will flush out the ones that aren't 8s, 9s or 10s.

Claire-Those links are great! I will spend some time studying.

Mo-One of the things I need to be careful of is purging LS tees that may not be great on their own but are perfect under a jacket or open sweater. I'll have to keep reminding myself.

Angie-Thanks for the link. When I first found your site, I spent hours and hours reading through your old posts. I will definitely reread some of these for inspiration and advice.

12 years ago

Alassë

Veteran

Thank you for starting this thread, Carter! Great read. I second Mo's advice on choosing neutrals/colors (& Suz's) as well as committing to either style or buy-to-style your favorite standout pieces.

12 years ago

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