I never thought I had a big wardrobe until......YIKES! - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

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

I never thought I had a big wardrobe until......YIKES!

nancylee

Veteran

Thanks to Angie's recent post on the merits of SYC--and my own growing sense that I currently have "enough" clothing--I decided to tally up my current pieces to see what exactly I own. And I was SHOCKED to discover that I have 138 pieces in my closet. And if I add in shoes/boots, bags, and scarves the total jumps to 223.

Wow. I always thought my wardrobe was pretty minimal....and I think it was before I found YLF. But since that happened I've been on a buying spree of epic proportions, and now here I am....15 months later...sitting on a what seems like a pretty huge wardrobe. I know there are many on YLF who can rival this collection, but I 'm feeling like I should definitely apply the brakes and evaluate before I buy one more thing. I do dress for four seasons, so my clothing needs vary widely. Still, I'm feeling like an SYC is definitely in order so I can accurately identify how much of this stuff is actually being used.

Clothing Inventory*

4 pair skinny denim (two dark blue, one white, one coral)
8 pair bootcut denim (three dark blue, two mid-blue, two white, one army green)
2 pair black pants (one cigarette, one straight leg)
3 pair bermuda shorts
2 casual skorts

10 skirts (two long, eight knee-length)
12 knee-length dresses
2 casual maxi dresses
2 sweater dresses
2 evening gowns

33 tops/blouses
20 tee shirts (long and short sleeve)
12 cardigans
4 cashmere v-neck sweaters
1 heavy cowl-neck sweater

5 blazers/kimono jackets
1 fur vest
2 wool winter coats (one long, one knee-length)
1 down puffer coat
2 raincoats
2 leather jackets (one real, one faux)
1 denim jacket
1 military-style jacket

2 bathing suits
4 beach cover-ups (tops/pareos)

14 pair boots/booties (includes one pair hiking boots)
28 pair shoes (includes sandals and flip-flops)

26 scarves/wraps
7 shoulder bags
3 crossbody bags
8 clutches (4 casual, 4 formal)

*(Does not include yoga/workout gear)

Dressing

18 replies

Latest reply was from Mo

JennyAnne

(website)

Veteran

It doesn't look like too much to me if you have the room and wear everything sometimes. Nothing wrong with not having a tiny wardrobe (says she who is too scared to even go do a count).

Jjsloane

Veteran

I'm afraid to count mine too! Good for you on the counting. Do an assessment, but don't beat yourself up unless you are living in a hoarding (buried alive) situation by this. This could be a good number for you, but you might find you need to swap some of the items out for new ones (see me sneeking in shopping "needs" for you?)

Anonymous

Not too bad for 4 season dressing, as a matter of fact.
I like me a big wardrobe !

christieanne

Veteran

I don't like to think of things in terms of "counts" and "how manys" but whether you have functional, wearable things. I am so not a minimalist but at the same time I feel better knowing I can locate the right thing to wear for an occasion without chaos all over the bedroom. I like to see things and not have alternate storage areas or under bed boxes and that type of thing.

It seems like SYC might be good for getting the focus on this fabulous collection and not worrying about adding to it

K. Period.

Veteran

Another vote for "that's a-okay!" As long as you feel like you wear the items and know what you have, there's nothing wrong with a big wardrobe. I have lots of things that I rotate in and out of plastic storage bins based on what I need for the season. Putting my things together into capsules really helped me feel in control of what I have. It let me keep my big wardrobe, toss the things that I knew were orphans and I wasn't going to revisit, and still have an under control closet. Ain't nothing wrong with big!

Sylvie

Veteran

Actually your count looks about right. My wardrobe tally of clothes, coats and shoes is 126. I'm not counting scarves and jewelry and orphan clothes that need to go out the door/get repurposed.

I think my wardrobe is lean but adequate. Even if I had the most efficient, multipurpose wardrobe in the world, I can't see myself going below 100 items without getting bored. To get down to 50-80 items, one would have to reduce the color palettes to the point where it wouldn't be fun for most people.

Tanya

Veteran

I also think that your wardrobe is more than okay, especially for a 4 season climate. Nothing wrong with lots of options as long as they all get worn.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I have roughly the same numbers as you (clothing, not with the shoes and bags) and I'm quite happy with it! I purged *down* to this amount lol. I have about 50 tops, 15 sweaters, 20 jackets and coats, 25 pants and shorts, 20 dresses and 10 skirts. 35 shoes and like 8 bags, but I only use 2 lol. If you wear it all and can store it - good on you! Enjoy!!

Sara L.

Veteran

I probably have more since I store out of season items in bins in the garage. I rotate clothes from the bins to my closet twice a year and do a closet purge at the same time. As long as you have room and feel like you wear all the items, I think it's fine to have a big wardrobe. I refuse to feel guilty about my clothes since I have the space and don't really shop much (I just hold on to things for a long time).

nancylee

Veteran

Thanks for making me feel better! It's good to know so many of you think my count is within reason. After I posted I actually went back and tried to figure out how many of my items are worn vs. unworn, and while some definitely get more use than others I could actually say most of them are pretty useful. I really do feel that I could get dressed for any occasion with no worries, and I couldn't say that a couple of years ago. And that's enough for me. I actually don't want to have a wardrobe any bigger than is necessary. I actually get overwhelmed if I have too many options, and I don't mind wearing the same things over and over again. This is probably why I hyperventilated a little when I tallied everything up!

JennyAnne, Zapotee, Tanya, k can shop, Mo, Sara, thanks for reassuring me about my number of items...and for wisely reminding me that four-season dressing requires a little more variety.

Jjsloane, there are probably a few items that could go on the chopping block.

Christieanne, I agree with you completely on keeping everything in one place and in view...it feels so good to be able to get dressed quickly and easily. So, to your point, maybe I'm not so much a minimalist but a "functionalist."

Sylvie, you make a really good point about variety vs. boredom. I do think a certain amount of variety is necessary just to stay interested in your wardrobe. And I like your description of a "lean but adequate" wardrobe....sounds good to me.

Anonymous

Nancylee, you have the most beautiful, organized, curated closet! And you know what you like and what looks good on you. I guess you bought everything recently and it's all still in style (I have to say I'm wondering about the skorts!), but as you get tired of a certain thing, or it gets worn, maybe you can do the one in one out.

nancylee

Veteran

Thanks for the kind and wise words, Claire. I probably bought about half of my wardrobe in the past 15-18 months. I came into YLF with a good collection of basics...pencil skirts, tees, dresses, some jackets...but they were pretty boring on their own. What YLF has taught me is how to incorporate trends (I owned no skinnies or booties before), take some risks (a fur vest), and allow my wardrobe to evolve in more interesting ways rather than always playing it safe with basics.

The skorts! haha. You guessed right..they've been around for about ten years, and I wear them less and less often. This may be the summer they get demoted to hiking/tennis gear.

Lisa

Veteran

I was well into the 200s when I joined YLF. It's taken me over a year to purge down to under 150 items.

cheryl

Veteran

For a four season climate I think that sounds like a great number. I'm team large wardrobe though, lol. I like a lot of different colors so have a variety. If you are happy with the amount of clothes you have then I think Claire's idea of one in, one out might be good for you.

jayne

Veteran

Nope, got over 300 and am perfectly fine with it. My Philsophy, there are 4 seasons of which I have different wardrobes. So 50 pieces of clothes each, easily not too many. Then another 5 shoes for each! and that leaves the other 800 items to be gear, scarves, jewelry. I have no problem with this. You see plenty o bloggers try to do 30 for 30 and go nuts with boredom, so let's be honest, 30 is not enough for even 30 days!

velvetychocolate

Veteran

I haven't tried to count the number of items in my closet, so don't really know for sure.

What I do know is that your list looks to me like something I'm literally going to cut/paste/copy onto a list for myself! It looks just ideal to me. Well organized, enough tops/bottoms for all seasons etc.

In fact, one thing that jumped out at me is that you might want another pair or two of non-black, and non-denim pants, depending on whether you think you'd wear them. Other than this, the whole thing looks just about right to me.

rosee

Veteran

Your number is very reasonable, especially for a 4-season climate. Not to worry. Apply the 1-in-1-out rule for future purchases if you want.
I have a total of just over 300 pieces, but these are several different sizes that I'm hanging on to (I've gained a lot of weight and I'm still trying to lose it). Each size is less than 100 pieces though. I've been editing (and giving away) much of this over the past few months.
I've been reading the blogs, with ideas like 30 pieces for 30 days and 100 items maximum, and while these are inspiring to better edit and combine pieces, I don't think they need to be a hard and fast rule, and those rules can be too limiting so as to be really functional. Enjoy what you have, it sounds like you have a very functional working wardrobe.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I wanted to add that a varied lifestyle can mean more pieces as well. If you do a lot of activities from going to the theatre to dirt bike riding, you are going to have a lot more capsules to deal with than an office worker who mainly stays home to spend time with her family.