Small and large are relative, and I have never thought to count the number of items I have. I am constrained by a tiny closet. I do have "overflow" kept in tubs in storage, but have slowly and methodically been whittling this down, with goal of having everything -- all four seasons plus special occasion wear -- fit in my tiny closet plus available dresser drawer space (this includes pj's, sweats, loungewear, exercise gear). There is no longer anything under the bed -- hooray! -- and I've only got about three crates now in storage, including one crate filled entirely with "in case I gain weight" items that have not come out of rotation in years, as my weight has been stable. This is MAJOR progress for me.
I have been considering doing another major cull soon, and I imagine I could get my wardrobe down even more. I like culling and watching my empty hanger stash grow; it gives me satisfaction! But, it's true I probably wear 20%-30% most often. I am getting quite used to taking a 20% workhorse and accessorizing it to wear it in different ways, over several seasons, and for different occasions (work to after work to casual).
I've probably had the best success keeping the shoe population to a minimum. I have two shoe hangers on the back of my closet doors, to fit 20 pairs of shoes (not counting boots, which line the top shelf). It used to be that I had an under the bed box jammed with out of season shoes and would rotate. I culled way, way down and now all my shoes are in the closet. If I buy a new pair, one pair has to go.
Probably the most difficult capsule for me to cull is work wardrobe. That's not because I wear these most often -- on the contrary, I wear them the least, since I work from home. But, I always have to be ready with professional wear for the occasional meeting in office, or for a business trip. I do focus as much as I can on pieces that can do double duty, not just for work, but this isn't as easy with some items, particularly blouses and dress pants. I just don't wear dress pants all that much outside of the office, and for work I prefer high cut modest necklines but for the rest of my life this just isn't the most flattering look on me. That said, every work-suitable blazer I own gets worn to death. Those are easy to dress down with jeans.
Well this is long winded-- your post gave me food for thought! I'd say that a couple of strategies are working for me to move towards a more minimal wardrobe:
1) Sticking to neutrals for dresses, tops and bottoms, with one or two signature colors for interest. I have learned over time that the most versatile blouse color for me is white. This strategy enables you to use your clothes as the canvas, and to rely on accessories (shoes, purse, scarf, jewelry) and jackets to add interest and change things up.
2) I only need ONE pair of bootcut, ONE pair of skinnies, ONE pair of straight legs, and ONE pair of trouser style jeans. Likewise with say, skirts: one black, one patterned, one bright color. Or sheath dresses: one black, one navy, one gray, etc.
3) Everything Angie said in her blog today My capsules aren't color based. I have pretty much given up on earth tones, for the most part. I don't look as good in them, and it seems to double my wardrobe. My capsules, instead, are based on purpose: I have an overly large "going out" capsule, next is the "every day running errands" capsule; and smallest of all is the "business/business trip" capsule. Then I also think in terms of seasons: winter/fall is biggest due to our climate, spring and summer much smaller. I look for items that will span multiple seasons.
4) Planning for trips helps me a lot! Even if it's all just fantasy planning: "If we were going to Europe in the fall for a week, what would I pack in my suitcase?" Such planning always seems to help me see which are the most versatile workhorses in my wardrobe.
5) Giving myself permission to re-wear over and over the items that make me feel like a million bucks. Regardless of the fact I may have worn it last time someone saw me, or even the day before. It's a shame not to wear such items as much as possible!
