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Jenn's State of the Wardrobe

Anonymous

The last time Jenn wrote a post evaluating her wardrobe https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....bers-heavy, I learned a lot, but I stubbornly refused to evaluate the rate of turnover in my wardrobe because I like living with my head in the sand.

Her second post https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....bers-heavy caused greater reflection. After all, I knew I has increased my buying rate in 2017. But by how much and was 2017 unusual in the greater scheme of life? Perhaps this would be a good exercise for me after all.

The problem is how to start. I obviously have a comprehensive list of every single item purchased in 2017. I also have a spreadsheet categorizing my wardrobe to the beginning of time.

What I don't have are concrete numbers of donated items. I can tease this information out by comparing spreadsheet backups to my current one, but that is a lot of work.

I decided to follow Jenn’s example as closely as possible, but omit the number of donated items this year (for now). The main thing is to start the process and then keep it going into the future.

Thanks Jenn!!!

Let me caveat this by saying I had a major wardrobe turnover in 2009 due to weight loss and the start of a new job. I had a similarly large turnover in 2017 due to a change in work schedule from five days in the office to three days office/two days telework. At least that is what I am telling myself at the start of this project.

Dressing

34 replies

Latest reply was from

cindysmith

Veteran

I wish I had the skillet/focus to do lists and spreadsheets of my wardrobe. Looking at it in black & white would probably drive some points home with me, and seriously change my behavior when it comes to shopping and wardrobe churn

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I will be back to respond more later this evening, Sterling, but it was so nice to have last year's numbers to refer back to this year. I highly recommend the annual review.

Anonymous

Sigh. I see the wisdom, Jenn. Look below to see what I have completed.

Cindy -- I could help you design a simple spreadsheet, if you like. If you don't want to use a spreadsheet, I could help you in other ways. My advice would be to start really small. I started with just my work clothes. Once I got that under control, I started to add in other categories.

Anonymous

.

Nomad

Your analytic posts are my very favorites on the forum, Sterling! I'm eager to follow along as you keep breaking down your categories.

You and Jenn inspired me to take my laptop into my closet and inventory everything (minus gear/activity-specific clothing, accessories, and coats). I was unpleasantly surprised by how many things I have! But listing everything in categories and calculating the numbers was definitely enlightening, and should make it a lot easier to keep things balanced as I keep culling.

I was especially struck by your comments on the sports/fleece jackets and whether they project the image you want. For most of my life, if I wasn't dressed for work or a particular event, I would only wear jeans, casual tees, and athletic/gear jackets. I still dress like this a lot, but recently I gave myself permission to wear "real" clothes outside of work (even if it does make them wear out a bit faster, which was part of my mental hangup). "Does this project the image I want?" is a powerful question.

Sal

Veteran

Sterling - your closet looks pretty lean to me!!

I think wrt jackets/blazers your thinking is right. If your work changes in a year or two you will likely want updated ones anyway.

With weekend casual dressing I am also drawn to sports oriented jackets - pockets, comfortable, and nice colours. I don't mind the look with jeans, leggings, joggers etc - as long as the shoes are cool!! I think there are hybrid versions that might suit you perfectly,

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I agree with Sal...your closet looks quite lean so far. I'm really impressed by the scale of changes you've made over the past few years. It feels like you've really begun to zero in on what works for you, and you haven't been shy about molding your wardrobe to suit your needs.

The short sleeve blouses caught my eye, because I also have very few of those. I think I just find sleeveless more versatile, because they're so much easier to layer over.

Anonymous

Srah -- I can't tell you how incredibly useful my spreadsheets have been to me. As an example, I adore lounging clothes and bags. Every single time I was in a mall, I invariably stopped by those two sections to touch everything in sight. I frequently bought sale items and added them into them into my spreadsheets. The numbers slowly increased (especially lounge pants/lounge tops). I soon had more than I could wear. I used this information to make myself stop browsing those sections at the mall. It was painful at first. Now it is habit to walk by, secure in the thought that I really do have enough.

A second example, I calculate cost per wear. I was able to define dollar amounts for specific categories that exceed the range of a reasonable cost per wear. Having defined this dollar amount gives me pause and allows me to reason out how much I really want it. Most of the time I walk away. On the flip side, I really do use every single one my purses/bags/belts. I can support buying higher quality/pricier bags and belts because the cost per wear goes down so fast.

I hope you have fun with your project. It is a bit addictive. If you have any questions, reach out to me.

Sal -- my closet feels lean only because I started with the easiest, most straight forward categories. As I move into pants/jeans/knit tops, the numbers and turnover rate will increase. Those are the categories that I expect to learn the most about. I expect there will always be high turnover in the pant/knit top categories, but perhaps I can tease out a lesson that will help me avoid too many mistakes in the future.

Jenn -- thank you so much for helping me with this phase of wardrobe evaluation. It is obviously a very useful tool. When this is all done, I am going to print it and keep a hard copy in my closet to remind me of some of the lessons learned. For example, compromising my standards when buying long sleeve button down shirts is always going to be a losing bargain. Admit it. And just keep looking until you find the one that fits. And that might just be a semi-fitted Brooks Brothers shirt in white or blue. Maybe that style is not trending, but I wear those shirts more than any others.

Anonymous

I came to the conclusion that I had to recategorize my spreadsheet. For example, I have sleeveless tops listed under "WORK" and under "CASUAL." I understand why I did this, but it would be so much easier to track if all sleeveless tops were listed on the same exact page. Counting across pages is rife with the possibility of error (not to mention confusion).

So that is what I am going to do today. Rather than having "WORK," "CASUAL," "LOUNGING," "ATHLETIC" pages, I am going to have "TOPS" and "BOTTOMS".

The numbers will be more concise and much easier to evaluate. My evaluation will still be items donated or purchased from January 1, 2016, to present. Nineteen months worth of data. In future assessments, I will work off the calendar year.

Joyce B

Veteran

Would it be possible for you to share a picture of your spreadsheet?
I am not as disciplined as you are with fashion, plus I am in the middle of a transition so I cannot know for sure where my wardrobe is going but it would help me to better analyze why I am such a fan of certain categories such as shoes and jeans. Maybe I just choose the hardest to fit and go with it until I have more than necessary. There is always the fear that I will not find properly fitting shoes the next season/year so that is why I try so hard until I find the few that really fit.

Anonymous

Hi Joyce. I just completed the new versus old version. Look at the pages across the top.

The first is the OLD version. Just three simple pages (Work, Lounging, and Accessories). Quick and easy to use on a daily basis. It literally took a second or two to enter data. But as I found yesterday, counting across pages was frustrating.

The second is the NEW version. A lot more pages (Tops, Bottoms, Toppers, Athletic, Lounging, Accessories). I will have enter data onto multiple pages. I am guessing this will be frustrating the first few weeks, but perhaps become habit after that. It will certainly making counting easier!!!

The single problem I have is that the older version easily differentiated between "good" clothes and "less good" clothes. Now they are all bunched up together.

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Anonymous

Reminder this is based on 17 months of data. There will always be some confusion due to addition/subtraction in both 2016 and 2017. This will cease to be a problem going forward. NOTE the number of items that come in at “8.” This must be some number I have stored in the back of my brain as the “perfect” number.

Button Down Long Sleeve Shirts: 8 (bought two in 2017)
—2016: 22 (-16)
OMG. What happened here. There was major upheaval in this category. I got rid of all short sleeved button down shirts. I just didn’t like the look of them. I got rid of all shirts that gapped even the slightest or weren’t sufficiently long in the body. Anything that was sheer was out the door too.

And I may not be done yet.

My problem is that I can’t seem to find MY silhouette. I used to believe it was a semi-fitted Brooks Brother’s long sleeve shirt in a solid color like white or blue. I was influenced to try different cuts (tunic, oversized, fluid). I tried them, but they never quite felt right to me. I often felt like they were wearing me and not vice versa.

I like button down shirts, but the sizing has to be absolutely correct. This means the shoulders, length, and chest measurements have to correct for MY body. I have compromised myself too many times and it shows in the numbers.

Short Sleeve Blouses: 2 (purchased one in 2017)
—2016: 2 (-1)
I got rid of one short sleeved blouse in 2016 and bought another one in 2017. So the total remains 2, but there was still turn over in the wardrobe.

This is an under-represented category in my wardrobe, but not one I will readily change. Although useful for certain specific situations, short sleeved tops do not generally project the image I desire. I either want long sleeve or sleeveless tops to form the basis of my wardrobe.

Sleeveless Tops: 10 (five were purchased in 2017)
—2016: 8 (-3)
Three items were trashed in 2016 because they were essentially too used up for donation. I bought five new sleeveless tops in 2017. These are a favorite. I am hoping to wear them most of the year either on their own or under nicer cardigans.

Knit Tops: 9 (four were purchased in 2017)
—2016: 11 (-6)
There was a lot of turn over in knit tops over 2016/2017. I found a style of knit top that suited me well and I opted to duplicate many times over. It was a choice. I have no regrets because I am certain all will be worn equally over time. Also knit tops do not present the same challenges as button down shirts so there is added incentive to prioritize knits.

Long Sleeve Tee Shirts: 7
—2016: 7 (bought two in 2016; did not remove any in 2016)
I love the feel of a really good, heavy soft cotton tee shirt against my skin. I discovered that buying Eileen Fisher silk tee shirts was a waste of good money. I honestly preferred the Caslon tee shirts in terms of … well, everything. I rarely wear the Eileen Fisher silk tee shirt.

Short Sleeve Tee Shirts: 8 (bought 2 new tee shirts in 2017)
—2016: 13 (-7)
Again, a lot of turn over in 2016. I had purchased quite a few tee shirts from Old Navy in early 2016. Those tee shirts literally feel apart along the seams in under five wearings each. I tried to fix the seams, but I couldn’t keep up. I eventually bit the bullet and tossed every single one of them. I discovered that buying cheap tee shirts is a waste of money. I now buy Caslon and Gap and have never been happier.

Athletic Tops: 8 (bought 2 new tops in 2017)
—2016: 6 (-)
These are an item that I wear for one purpose only. I usually buy white because I like it. I haven't had the problem of yellowing under the arm so I have not had much turn over in this category. The two new tops were bought for a vacation trip out west. I needed an undergarment that would keep me warm without adding bulk. YLF recommended Uniqlo Heatech. They worked perfectly. I probably only needed one for the trip, but I was uncertain about laundry so I opted for two.

Camisole Tops: 8
—2016: 6 (+2)
A staple in my wardrobe. I wear a camisole to sleep in year round. If I wash them correctly, they last several years. I buy them at Christmas time each year when they go on sale. I usually buy two.

Anonymous

Very helpful, Sterling. You and Jenn are inspiring me to keep inventory and records. I have started several times but not kept at it. I know that turn over is greatest with bottoms as well as wears because I have fewer of them. I wear the same bottoms 3-4 seasons of the year but with different tops, footwear, and toppers, so those categories are larger. Most bottoms are also plain so can be teamed with more items. My print bottoms are least worn, especially if not summer weight

Anonymous

Joy -- I think the major time crunch in on the front end. Once you manage to pull all your information into a single format (spreadsheet or word document), it is really easy to keep up.

I cannot tell you how much information I have gleaned about my style preferences and buying habits from maintaining my spreadsheets. Oh, and for me, it is really relaxing.

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you along the way.

gryffin

Veteran

Sterling - I keep lists but not spreadsheets. This was amazing. If I get some free time I'm going to try this. Very instructive. When you were writing about fleece and finding something dressier but just as comfy have you considered s knot/pints blazer or fleece blazer like the James Perse? Just as warm and snuggly but more polished and dressier. Just a thought. That's a wardrobe hole for me so I've been keeping an eye out in this catagory

Joyce B

Veteran

Thank you for sharing your spreadsheets, Sterling, they look useful. I think I will add just what I need to figure out for the time being: shoes and jeans.
Its good that you realized what works for you, I would think in warmer regions you need a good number of well-fitting tops. My Summer tops last forever because I only wear them for a few months, which is nice because I love them.

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

I wonder if using some sort of tagging/keyword function would be helpful--it would allow items to be categorized simultaneously in multiple ways (weekend, work from home, casual Friday, black tops, hot weather, layering pieces etc.)...but maybe some of the closet apps already do this...

Nomad

"Oh, and for me, it is really relaxing." Sterling, you don't know how happy it makes me to hear that you also find spreadsheeting to be a soothing activity.

I had a tracking spreadsheet for things I've bought this year (# of wears, cost per wear, etc.), but this thread inspired me to go back through all my old stuff and finally add it in. I'll never know the number of wears or the cost per wear, but at least I have accurate totals now.

I'm sorry to hear you had such bad luck with Old Navy tees. Either places have been skimping on their quality lately, or it's just hit or miss by batch; I have three long-sleeve and 3/4 sleeve tees from Old Navy that've lasted since 2011, even though they get a ton of wear. The fabric is nubblier than it used to be (maybe I should take my sweater pill shaver to them), but they're all still fully intact and fine for casual wear or layering.

Anonymous

Gryffin -- I seriously considered that James Perse blazer. I have a broad back and I need a size 14 in order to move my arms about freely. The blazer only went up to size 12.

Emily -- what a GREAT idea. I will do some research and talk to people at work. They might have some ideas for me.

Srah -- I have older tee shirts from Old Navy too that lasted a long time. It was just those that I bought during Spring 2016. They are all gone now. I don't really want to bother with them again though.

Oh, and there is a whole bunch of women in Atlanta that find spreadsheets to be therapeutic! I know because I literally just spent five days with them. Of course, they use their spreadsheets a bit differently .....

Joyce -- whatever tool works for you is the perfect tool. Now and always.

Lynn

Veteran

This is very intriguing Sterling and Jenn. I read Jenn's original thread and thought this would be a helpful endeavor. Sterling you have shown again how helpful this can be. I especially like your question of is this the image I want to project Sterling. Now that I have retired I feel that I have descended into wearing just athletic gear which is fine for home and exercise but I would like to present a more polished image out and about in the world. I think it is time for me to do a really detailed look at my wardrobe.

Anonymous

Join us, Lynn!!! Let us know what we can do to assist you.

Oh, and don't forget, I originally resisted Jenn's analysis because I was afraid of what it might reveal.

Greyscale

Veteran

Spreadsheet twin! I did the same for a color column (mine is of course mostly monochrome...)

Your post and Jenn's inspired me to finish my wardrobe overhaul this weekend. I'll post about it some time soon I hope.

Chris987

Veteran

I LOVE these posts sterling and others who use this type of analysis. I started tracking purchases quite a few years ago initially as a way to see how much I was spending my on clothes.

I added daily outfit tracking for almost a year and the main thing I got from that was that I have a small number of workhorse items and a whole lot of only-wear-occasionally stuff. That bugged me. Recently I figured out the reason it bugged me....I don't have enough things that I really like, too much "just ok". That fits my intuition. More recently I decided I want to spend far less time shopping and having some data about how many days a month I shop has been hugely useful. Without a spreadsheet full of real data is just be floundering around. I have used spreadsheets and advanced formulas for years in my job so I'm used to the concepts

I know the spreadsheet thing is not for everyone but it really is great if you can get into it. Example:

What? I bought how many tops in the last three months? Really? Gulp? And I only like 3 of them? What's up with that? ....and then I can go see exactly what I did and MAYBE do something about it

Anonymous

Reminder this is based on 17 months of data. There will always be some confusion due to addition/subtraction in both 2016 and 2017. This will cease to be a problem going forward.

Dresses: 0
—2016: 2 (-2)
Donated the “wedding guest dress” that I kept in my closet. I hate wearing dresses. I never feel natural or authentic. In 2017, I finally gave myself permission to stop wearing dresses to all those functions I was told I had to wear a dress.

Skirts: 1
—2016: 5 (-4)
Currently I own one single black pencil skirt for “emergencies”. I haven’t worn this skirt thus far in 2017. I am literally only keeping it for “emergencies.” If I do not wear this skirt during the winter of 2017-2018, I will donate it.

What surprised me is how many skirts I purged in 2016. Evidently, without realizing it, I have been in the midst of a wardrobe overhaul.

Casual Bottom for SUMMER: 8 (purchased five in 2017)
—2016: 3 (-)
This was an under-represented category in my wardrobe. I discovered just how lacking I was in this category during the 30 x 30 challenge. I had a few but no variety. I added five during/immediately after the challenge.

Casual Bottom for WINTER: 2
—2016: 2 (-)
Grey ponte pants that are only worn at home because they are older and not really suitable for work or going out. They were purchased in 2014 and are still in great shape. These warrant the label “BEST BUY.”

Jeans: 6 (one for field; three blue; two white)
—2016: 6 (purchased three pair in 2016)
Jeans are a relatively new fashion purchase for me (influenced by YLF). I bought my first pair of white jeans in 2013. I didn’t start buying blue jeans for fashion wear until 2015/2016.

Jeans are not really a favorite for me. Except for winter months, I find them restrictive and hot. I probably didn’t need to buy the three blue jeans in 2016. They were impulse buys based on a flurry of posts on YLF. I think if I had bought just one pair, they would have been successful and I would have been pleased, but three pair? This is a prime example of an individual not fully comprehending her wardrobe goals or style needs. I will wear them this Winter, but I truly have no need for any additional blue jeans.

Dress Pant: 5 (four were purchased in 2017)
—2016: 17 (-16)
There was a MAJOR style upheaval in 2015-2016. I made the conscious decision to update my pant style. I had worn classic pleated and flat front slacks for so long that I couldn’t bare the thought of putting them on again in the morning. I literally purged all of them from my wardrobe and started defining from scratch what I wanted in a work pant. This was hard because a part of me kept wondering if this was a phase and I would wake up one morning with nothing to wear.

I am not done. The evolution will continue into 2018. I am prepared for that.

Dress Pant Ponte: 4
—2016: 4(-)
I discovered ponte pants on YLF. They are an absolute favorite of mine. The single problem is that I can only wear ponte less than half the year so these are really winter pants. I made the conscious decision not to add to my collection for the time being. I want to focus my resources into the above category.

Athletic Bottoms: 7
—2016: 6 (+1)

Lounging Bottoms: 10
—2016: 10 (-)
What can I say? I like to lounge about in the evening and weekends. For years, every time I went to the mall I came home with yet one more pair of lounging bottoms …. especially if they were on sale!!! My spreadsheet allowed me to finally rationalize that I had sufficient number to last a few years.

So this was not as difficult or horrifying as I feared. There were a couple of categories (button down shirts and dress pants) that were characterized by major upheavals. In one case, it was conscious. In the other, it was more organic.

One thing that did not come out in this analysis were the trends that may or may not have affected a change I think that could have been captured in the brief accompanying writeup. Jenn? What do you think?

Anonymous

Greyscale -- I so look forward to your analysis!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris -- our motivations are the same. I felt my shopping/spending was out of control and I wondered what to do about it. It an intuitive "feeling" that something was wrong, but I had no idea what it was or how to define "it." [This was ALL pre-YLF]. I started out just making lists and trying to get a grip on that information. Eventually, I started playing with very simple spreadsheets as a way to learn how to use them. Each year I added in one new feature that might or might not be of use. For example, I don't really need to know the last time I wore something. How often does that ever come up in a conversation?

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

So here's what I see.

Tops: 60
Bottoms: 43

That's not terrible! If I count my dresses as both tops and bottoms, I would have 56 tops and 23 bottoms. But! I don't count athletic gear and lounge wear. (I should probably start doing that next year, for gear, at least....I just started tracking wears on it a few months ago.) Your ratio of bottoms to tops is higher, but I know you have an easier time shopping for those, and in a hot, moist climate, you probably have to wash them more often too.

Your write-ups seem to do a good job capturing the reasons for changes. Doing it every year will force you to do the thinking about what's changed in that the period, so that seems a reasonable way to go about it.

I'm wondering if, instead of multiple sheets, you could just add another field in your spreadsheet for the major category? Then you could sort by column depending on what data you wanted to tease out. Would that be easier or harder for logging than switching between multiple sheetS?

Chris, you track how many days a year you shop?! Does that count online and window shopping? I shudder to think!

Anonymous

Jenn -- I went back to the original spreadsheet format. It is organized by work versus casual. That means on a given day, I usually only have to enter information on a single page. The new format forced me to consider each page and I didn't think I could remember to do that on a daily basis. Perhaps Emily's suggestion of tagging is the ultimate answer. I'm going to think about it over the course of the next few days. Thank you for the analysis. It always helps to have a second set of eyes review the same information.

Paula

Sterling, I've read your and Jenn's numbers with fascination. What it bring to mind for me are some style/image trends....You like long-sleeve well-fitting button-downs, knit tops and comfortable tees. Pants, it seems, but not necessarily jeans. No dresses, or skirts, but lounge-wear, for sure. When I analyze things like this, I ask myself, "what does this information say about this person? She is someone who likes to look ____, ____, and _____. And feel _____, ____, and ____." I wonder, looking at what your wardrobe stats show that you like and dislike, how you would fill in those blanks.....And what would that say about the image you're trying to project? (Musings on a Sunday night...:)

Anonymous

Paula --

She is someone who likes to look PROFESSIONAL, CAPABLE, and AUTHENTIC. And feel SOFTNESS and SAFE.

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