Adriana, thin sweaters work for me in slightly cooler weather, but I run hot and walk a lot, so 70s isn't sweater weather for me. 50s or 60s on the other hand...

shevia, hah! I do think California's climate is close to yours. Maybe I'll adapt eventually. We went to a flea market last weekend with the temps in low 60s and everyone was complaining about how cold it was. I had on a t-shirt and a faux leather jacket and it was PERFECT for me.

slim cat, some of those look/fit issues could still be wear/tear. Items do change shape through wash and wear cycles, and sometimes those changes are so subtle we don't even realize they're happening until things just start feeling...off. And, of course, style preferences and changes in taste do happen! That's another reason I've been trying to keep a smaller closet, as it allows me to buy less, but update more over time.

Sal, some of my favorite temps to dress for are right about 60-70, and we've been having plenty of those days recently. Perfect for light scarves and jackets. Over 70 and I start getting warm, but it still means cool morning and evenings. I'm really enjoying winter here!

kkards, it took a lot of tracking to start gleaning useful information, but now that I have some averages, I have a clearer idea of what's not lasting as long as it should and can avoid pieces with similar qualities in the future. That's going to be really helpful to me.

Sisi, it is fun to meet new challenges. Keeps you from falling into a rut!

JenniNZ, I've retired pieces because of those synthetic fibers breaking too. It's the first step in the structure collapsing entirely. I know this, because I kept a stretch jersey dress beyond that point to use as a swim coverup and it eventually just stopped bouncing back from being stretched and turned into a lumpy, misshapen mess. You might already know this but there are a couple of solutions for those microfibers getting into the water. I throw my synthetic items into a Guppy Friend bag when I wash them now to catch the microfibers. There's also a thing called a Cora Ball that I've been considering because it's even easier. You just toss it in the wash with your load and it catches a good percentage of the fibers without you having to separate out all the synthetics manually.

Joy, my friend visiting earlier this month asked me if she should pack for "shorts and sweater weather," and yes, that's exactly what it is! I am definitely enjoying having bare legs under my skirts and dresses in January!

Bijou, you made me look, and the silk slip dress I was drooling over at Johnny Was is back in stock. Hmmmmm....

Style Fan, yes! I would bet that just knowing why you retired things and when you bought them would make a difference in your mindfulness about acquisitions!

Suz, I am finding that it doesn't take that many purchases to make a big difference in functionality. I used to find a hole and plug it two or three ways just to make sure I had things covered, but now I plug it one way and then wait to see if that was enough before proceeding. It's working really well for me. And you're right! There's slow evolution happening too.

So I suppose I could count all the things and multiply by 30 to know how long it would take to get that many wears. That might be workable eventually, but for now I’m still moving things in and out with weight changes. There is a pair of jeans I started wearing again this month that I’ve probably worn a dozen times—but before that, I didn’t wear them for 3 years. Then again, I know that I basically wore a dress, 3 skirts, and a pair of pants from October through December. None of them were new this year, so they must all be over 30. I might start a limited list of a few items just to see if I’m actually wearing them as much as I think.

Back when I was counting wears (way before joining the forum!), I was always astonished how many wears bags, outwears, and jewellery got. Even if I had a bag for one season, if I was carrying it every day, it shot up way above 30! It's one of the reasons I don't hesistate to update those things regularly now.

Thanks, Jenn and Carla, for your thoughts on duplicates. There are a few pieces in my closet of which I have exact dupes that are all in use (favorite dark wash skinny jeans, black tanks -- great mind think alike!), exact dupes that are held in reserve (a favorite pair of black dress booties waiting for the others to wear out), and dupes in more than one colorway (like your mariners, Carla: in my case, 3/4 and short sleeve scoop-neck tees and my favorite popped-collar blazers). I find it very useful for my style, where I really crave consistency, but I can also appreciate want to leave room for tweaking, especially with your very small wardrobe.

What you said here, Jenn, really resonated with me: I used to find a hole and plug it two or three ways just to make sure I had things covered, but now I plug it one way and then wait to see if that was enough before proceeding. That's definitely something I'll have to think more about!

One more question: how do you decide when it's time to retire a garment because of wear?

@Jenn - I just wanted to thank you for such an informational post, with so much applicable wisdom. Very HELPFUL! ❤️

Ditto what Carla said! (And if you don't have the energy to reply to my question above, don't worry about it -- I didn't mean to thread hijack!)

Notsaf, I'm starting a new thread for your question, because I want to hear what others say, too!

I am laughing about your flea market story! I love the seasonally confused outfits of California. Talk about DYOT and anything goes! I remember seeing people at the beach in winter wearing sherpa trucker jackets, flannel shirts, and wool beanies - with flip flops and shorts!

It's so true, nemosmom. My 18yo son commented that California fashion is ignoring the weather and wearing whatever you want whenever you want.

(and THANK YOU, runcarla and notsaf, I am grateful for all your valuable additions to this thread, too!)

Jenn, makes sense that you'd take a "wait and see" approach to holes. Because what seemed like a true hole in the old climate might end up being an illusory hole in the new one! Or at any rate, a shallower hole, one that you can plug more easily with a single item.

For "Seattle summer" weather (i.e. your winter) -- long sleeved lightweight tops, for sure (I hardly wore these, except layered over, in Ontario and wear them a lot on their own here in Vancouver); also cropped pants with bare ankles; lightweight scarves for layering. I wear denim jackets a lot in those temps -- and very lightweight sweaters that can be stuffed in a bag if it gets too warm.