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How well do you know your closet?

Sarah A

Veteran

As one of my May Madness SYC activities I have decided to start tracking cost per wear more accurately than "oh pennies... yeah, i wear that all the time!"

So, I sat in my kitchen, opened an excel sheet and started writing down every piece of clothing I wear (socks, bras and "knickers" got a free pass). I decided that clothes in the box in the basement awaiting give away would be exempted as well. Then I went into the closet and dresser to see how I did. I missed just 6 items which made me feel pretty great, knowing that I have a good grasp on what I have. Shoes are next up!

What do you think? How well do you know your closet?

Dressing

24 replies

Latest reply was from Sarah A

Meredith1953

Veteran

Not as well as i should! But I am getting better. Smart of you to track this. I am trying to get more systematic but it all takes discipline and time.

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

Oh, I am so tempted to try this! I am positive I'd forget all kinds of stuff, but it would be a great exercise, I think, to see the items that don't get fair play time in my life.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I did something similar recently. I used pen and paper; I don't seem to have either the practice or the patience to get a spreadsheet together. I stopped after dresses, skirts and sweaters, but I was very accurate as well.
Physically taking pics of all of it was something, too!
I like exercises like this a lot, but sometimes feel overthinking isn't helping me. I need a balance of logical and emotional approaches to my wardrobe

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Way to go Sarah - that's totally inspiring!

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I do this on my StyleBook application It's nice to see the moneys tick down :p

Anonymous

Hmmmm, I've just spent all day in my closet (finally, alone with my clothes)! And I decided to rearrange things to sort of jostle my brain. I had everything in rainbow order, regardless of what the item was and I switched to denim together, knits together, skirts together, etc. As you saw, it sparked a bit of creativity!

Sarah A

Veteran

Meredith, it actually didnt take as long as i thought it would! I plan to update the wear frequency column once a week when i review my outfit photos.

Jenava, you totally should do it! It was a great little check up...

Mo, I totally agree there is this emotional element I have yet to figure out how to manage. I love the idea of getting pictures but never seem to manage to get that far!

TS, thanks for the cheer! If it wasnt for trying to get through your May Madness i might never have gotten around to writing this stuff down.

lyn*, I am going to have to check that app out! thanks

ETA: Claire, you have had a fab closet day! I am sure you could write down everything right now!

Echo

Veteran

This is a great idea! I've just started a SYC in order to familiarize myself more with my own closet. I know there's currently a lot of unexplored territory in there, and I need to make some changes. I shudder to think about CPW on most items, but hopefully after this period of self-imposed austerity I will be able to improve that!

sarah

Veteran

You get an A+!

I now know my closet very well, given that I did a major closet overhaul last weekend!

ManidipaM

Veteran

Thinking alike, Sarah!

I put together my Complete Closet spreadsheet a couple of months ago; and I will be tracking cost of new items as I add them --- the old ones are too old for me to remember cost accurately (though a ballpark figure can be elicited as I'm tracking my wears now at least). Like you, Sarah, I find taking photos means I can track weekly --- even if I don't save the photos, I have the info this way.

The other thing I've been doing for the last few days: building capsules in virtual space. So essentially without looking at what I have. I find my recall is much better than to the earlier Complete Closet exercise I did. But there are some garments that don't come to mind readily, either because they are behaving as orphans or because I've outgrown them in some way --- which is telling all on its own. If I don't reach for them in my mind, chances are I won't be reaching for them in real life --- unless I actually make a concerted effort.

So yes, I'm getting to know my closet pretty well at the moment!

christieanne

Veteran

I have done some overhaulin' in past few months (just did the opposite of Claire - took the closet from knits together, sweaters together, etc. and colorized. Except for bottoms, those are pretty much by type) but I could not write a list of what is in there. What a great effort.

Deborah

Veteran

Wow. I would love to do this but I might have to do it in a couple of sittings as Im pretty sure I will get bored or distracted lol

Sylvie

Veteran

I know *exactly* what is in my closet. Everything (except gear, underwear, accessories) gets tracked in the spreadsheet.

anne

Veteran

Well this is very interesting and good on you.

For myself, I can't quite get around to doing it. I have a small wardrobe and don't find that I "forget that I had" things. I am certainly drawn to buying things that are similar to what I already own, but I manage to stop myself actually doing the purchasing!

Astrid

Veteran

I think I could remember almost everything when I would take the time to think about it. My closet is really small at the moment, so that this excercise wouldn't be too hard. Maybe I should really do it.

ironkurtin

Veteran

My basic rule of thumb is, if I try to remember what I have and I forget something, then it's time to reevaluate why I own it.

Sara L.

Veteran

Interesting idea! I like lists and spreadsheets but I don't have any urge to catalog my closet. Maybe because I have a pretty big closet and I would feel guilty that I only wear some items 3 or 4 times a season. I have the space and I don't shop very much (I just tend to hang onto things for a long time) so I don't really want to add guilt where currently there isn't any.

Lisa

Veteran

About a year ago I created an excel sheet to categorize my closet. I listed the bulk of items I own it. Blazers, Jumpers, Cardigans, Tops, Jeans, Trousers, Skirts, Dresses, Shorts, Shoes/Boots, Handbags, Scarves, T-Shirts and Tank Tops. Eventually I added a cost per wear section to track how often I wear my items. I have used this list to whittle down my 250+ item wardrobe to a current count of 146 items. Having a 4 season climate and tracking CPW really helped me whittle down my clothing over time. I am also much less prone to repeat purchases now.

cheryl

Veteran

Yay for you! I have a spreadsheet and I just recently added cpw and times worn to mine. I love the spreadsheet and it helps me put things together i normally might not think of.

MsMary

Veteran

Genius idea, Sarah! I am going to try it right now!! I think I know my closet very well, but it will be interesting to see if I'm right!

Anonymous

I wish I had the stamina to go about doing something like this. What a fun exercise.

rae

(website)

Veteran

Great job! I just recently pulled everything out and sorted by loveability of the pieces - I had less than I thought I did, and I have less now after purging some "meh" items. I think it's practical to know your closet, since it cuts out that surveying step when planning outfits.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Also, when looking for purge items for a swap yesterday I did a quick count. I now have 47 black items, from belts to jackets, shoes to layer tanks. Interestingly, I only have 3 black dresses (2 of which came this week), 3 black skirts (1 I'm trying to sell!) and 3 black pants. By contrast I have maybe 12 brown items now. A few years back, this would have been close to even. I have evidently made a concerted effort to choose black as my new basic neutral.

Sarah A

Veteran

It has been exciting to hear how many of you do have spreadsheets or other list tools and how they have helped you to identify trends, gaps, purge items and desires. I am looking forward to seeing where mine will go.I am trying to find my sort of optimum number of various items...tops, bottoms, dresses, accessories, that will keep me interested in my clothes yet not overwhelm the space available for them. As current my list is 91 items total... but i havent finished shoes or accessories yet... i am going the same way Mo, I think the only brown thing is one belt, and i handbag i intend to dye blue when i get some time.