Priorities for a small wardrobe. - YouLookFab Forum

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Priorities for a small wardrobe.

LJP

Veteran

I've been thinking about how to get my wardrobe down to a size I'm comfortable with (probably 2/3rds of what it currently is) and most importantly, how to keep it that way. I need some help.

There are 3 issues :

1. I have no need for a lot of clothes. Covid seemed to have decimated my social life, and I'm also not spending money on going out the way I used to . All I need clothing for is to grocery shop/run errands and to exercise . I have a different career now, outside of fashion , and it comes with a dress code: BLACK. So I own every black thing out there. Idon't wear any of my work clothes outside of that building, which is ridiculous, but I also want to wear something else when not at work! I consider my work wardrobe a separate entity .

2. Since moving out of our house 6 years ago, I have far, far less storage space, which is fine, but it also means that I can't hang on to anything that doesn't get worn . I also find a large wardrobe anxiety-inducing, and stressful . I feel much more at ease and peaceful with a careful selection of clothing .......and I'm admittedly not there yet.

3. I love clothes. What can I say? I have lived, breathed, sold, bought, merchandised, made, designed and thought about fashion since I was a preteen. I like variety, to an extent, and I want /love to be current and to indicate my knowledge of fashion and style. I am not a classic dresser, and don't even own plain t-shirts, straight leg jeans, cardigans, blazers, straight leg trousers, tailored shirts, - any of that stuff . So any ideas of "throw on a scarf to change the look" are laughable to me.

Does anyone else out there share these thoughts , or has downsized their closet to a tight edit that still feels fashionable? I end up donating a lot every year, because I like to have pieces that reflect new silhouettes. So it results in a lot of closet churn, which is an issue unto itself, but I do pass on some really great clothes .

I look forward to comments, thoughts, ideas.....

L.

Dressing

48 replies

Latest reply was from Kyle

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

As the worst possible person to advise on downsizing a wardrobe I will give it a go . There is no way you should reduce to all black all the time or you will be risking your emotional health (imho of course). Find the pieces in your wardrobe that are the most amazing, make you feel great, you love to wear and compare everything to that. Plan for some wardrobe churn and implement one in one out - if you need to keep your wardrobe smallish give yourself pre-permission to have some shorter term pieces that will be sold or donated when you need a change. Get rid of all the shoes (and clothes) that are not comfortable. Finally, buy clothes that fit you now.

Runcarla

Veteran

Classic dresser, not particularly trendy, and expert at deferred gratification. (I have my own issues around clothes and consumption and should probably see a shrink! Thank you Mom and thank you Catholic upbringing!) I don’t believe I would have any suggestions that would help you much. If finances aren’t an issue, why don’t you do as you like and surf the trends/buy the clothes that fit, and responsibly re-home what doesn’t work? No remorse.

If finances ARE an issue, set a quarterly budget - and once the quarterly sum is gone - you’re done.

FWIW, the financial folks I’ve consulted suggest 3-5% of your annual take home as a reasonable number. If fashion is your passion/primary hobby increase the amount.

PS: youngest DS wears a uniform. Black Lulu ABC bottoms and a grey or sky blue sports shirt (CBI Health - I think you might know them.) He has assembled a summer and a winter capsule built entirely of warm autumn coloured mix and match pieces. He is satisfied with his work uniform and happy with his social capsules. Any $ for fashion and style goes towards his outerwear (teal puffer, cognac leather jacket - no black!) and social capsules.

Lisa

Veteran

I love clothes, fashion, and dressing seasonally. I also have multiple activities in my life that require different capsules of clothes (for example, my horseback riding clothes will not work for a business meeting).

Years ago I thought I wanted a small, minimal sized, seasonless wardrobe. But when I gave this a try, I hated it. I craved not only more variety, but also seasonal materials and colors. When I adjusted my wardrobe to accommodate these desires, I became much happier.

I realized that what I was really attracted to was the simplicity that comes from owning a seasonless wardrobe and a smaller number of clothes. When you have less (in number, colors, or both) the outfit combinations that you can create are less. BUT, I can do the same thing with my larger wardrobe, if I plan in advance what my outfit combinations are.

I have a large sized wardrobe (>200 items) but I don't try to create endless outfit combinations from it. My wardrobe is a number of different capsules that are unequal in size (for example, my business capsule is small since I WFH often, while my summer capsule is larger because I live in an area with a long summer season).

For each capsule, I have a core group of outfit combinations that I enjoy and I repeat those often. But I also have enough variety in my wardrobe that I can mix things up when I want too and it's always a delight when I do discover a new outfit combination.

I had to find that sweet spot between number of clothing items, variety in styles and colors, and simplicity in having prearranged outfit combinations to made me happy with my wardrobe. I wish you luck with your journey!

Dee

Veteran

Oh, I'm right there with you in many ways. Since retiring due to the cutbacks during covid, my social life has shrunk tremendously, and so have my wardrobe needs.

I decided to do a complete inventory of my wardrobe back in July, breaking it down to the actual number of spring/summer tops, shorts, skirts, dresses, pants, etc... and I did the same for the fall/winter.
Yikes! I now had the real numbers of how much clothing I actually owned, and it was much more than what most fashion articles would suggest is a suitable amount.

I decided to focus on just the spring /summer stuff first and then figure out the following:

- What do I love and wear often?
- What feels excessive or neglected?
- Do I repeat favorite outfits, or feel like I have “too many options”?

Then, I targeted the overgrown categories and paired down on the duplicates that weren't at all necessary.

NEXT it was time to get tough with the clothing that was hardly ever worn and examine why.
From this, I was able to create a DO NOT BUY list.
I culled approximately 50 items from my closet and donated them to a really nice but smaller local charity store nearby.

From all of this, I learned what my true style preferences and colour palette were, so why bother reinventing the wheel? I just need to stay disciplined and recognize that I need a simple, casual day to day wardrobe and not stray from the styles and colours that actually work for me. I'm also surprised at how much fun it's been fooling around styling my own clothes differently. I think that's where the real magic is at for my own personal style. I'm not sure if any of this is helpful to you, but my wardrobe feels much more functional and manageable now. However, its still a work in progress.

Indigoprint

Veteran

when you are not wearing Black, what do you like to wear that fits your lifestyle?
Do you like jeans, or something more tailored?

Runcarla

Veteran

That sounds like a big job, Dee, but profound examination that provided results like a manageable wardrobe and insight. Good work!

Carol

(website)

Veteran

Do you know Hannah Louise Poston? Probably. Everyone seems to know all the names, influencers. She's a make-up YouTuber who ended up becoming really known for fashion philosophy. Some of it is the "improve your wardrobe type," but some is stuff like "is Kibbe out of date and problematic?" She is fun--her latest video I saw had her agonizing about how to wear the "butter yellow" trend.

Anyway, one video did stick with me, though I don't know that I follow it well. It's about "matching your wardrobe to your lifestyle," and she has a pretty good system.

I also love a small wardrobe, but it proved frustrating to curate. I have some great basic pieces and a bunch of fun stuff I probably don't need. When you think about it, we don't need much at all. I have one pair....no, two pairs of jeans now. That is plenty! I went a year without having jeans at all, and that was working at retail, where everyone was wearing jeans.

Here is her video, if it takes you to the middle, just start at the beginning. It's not really a whole new philosophy, but more of a now-I-know-what-to-get-rid of-video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?.....038;t=772s

Star (Lise)

Veteran

I so relate. A small(er) wardrobe is something I think I want want but cannot implement. I have no answers, just empathy. Everyone's input is interesting so thanks for raising this topic!

Cee

Veteran

I can only speak for myself with my own fairly modest wardrobe. In the last few cool to cold months here I've worn:

2 coats
2 jackets
10 crewneck T-shirts
1 jersey shirt
2 dress shirt/blouses
4 skivvies ( turtleneck T-shirts )
4 skinny rib knit polonecks ( turtlenecks )
2 cashmere polonecks
2 knit V-neck vest tops
3 knit V-neck sweaters
1 chunky knit poloneck
1 chunky knit crewneck tunic sweater
1 chunky knit V-neck tunic sweater
2 pair denim jeans
3 pair trackpants
2 pair sneakers
1 pair of dress shoes
1 pair boots

Star (Lise)

Veteran

CEE that is the size wardrobe I aspire to. Around 50 pieces for winter, 50 for summer and 25 for shoulder seasons. I realise this is not that small but it is a third of what I have now.
My problem is not buying a lot. It is editing too little. I do tend to fall back in love with out of favour items over time though, and my clothes are in various sizes due to weight loss/gain so they are not all wearable at any given time.

Dee

Veteran

LISE- I find particularly if you're a classic dresser, you can hang on to items much longer than most of the trendy items. Yes, its great in many ways, but also its easy to keep these items way past their usefulness and enjoyment, and then your closet starts ballooning out of control, and you feel guilty and overwhelmed about whether its time to let them go or not.

TO ANYONE ELSE WHO IDENTIFIES - I find when you enjoy clothing and fashion and consuming it like we can these days with all the influencers, fashion YouTube channels, and online shopping sites, it's really easy to get carried away. There's so many really fab options that look wonderful, and so you think I want this and that, often without much consideration to how you really live, whether it truly suits your proportions and your actually needs. You can get totally caught up in the fantasy of it all until reality finally comes crashing down. It's taken me this long to finally get real with what I actually prefer and wear and be content with my own personal style. Okay, that's me done now, lol.

Star (Lise)

Veteran

Dee everything you said is absolutely valid and correct. I very rarely buy trendy items due to mostly buying 2nd hand. I don't buy much in general. No fantasy life purchases ever. Careful colour palette selections. Attention to fit. The EDITING is my problem. Like you said classic pieces last and I really only let items go when they are seriously worn out or I really know I don't love them any more. Because I am retired and have quite a RATE attitude to dressing a little bit of wear and tear does not bother me. BUT the big edit is coming one of these days :). Thanks for your insight.

unfrumped

Veteran

I am struggling with the same thing ! So maybe not much help.

I also awhile back watched Hannah Poston on very intentionally listing one’s various REAL lifestyle/ activities & percentages of time spent, and comparing tgat to wardrobe. Not a new idea at all but her video resonated more. Plus you don’t HAVE to match them- for example one let’s may not go out a lot but enjoys high variety then, and may “ lounge” a lot but tolerates high repeat/ frequent laundry. I work in yard a lot but am happy with a small number of specific items across my range of temps—e.g. about 2 of each as I prefer to do small loads of laundry. But still lets you ponder if you’re aligning things purposefully or not.

I have a yen for shifting to “seasonal “ colors, but am finding that works against me. It leads to having too many items that have a shorter time window for wear, if you consider temp factor— ans my climate does have 4 seasons but also pop- up warmer/ cooler days— and then occasion. So am trying to see how to make certain colors work across seasons better ( I mean of course they work, but I want them to “ feel” right to me.

I am currently having to make frequent OOT trips to help an ill family member- some trips where date is known in advance and some have been leaving urgently.
This has really focused me on which color combos I might love but in which I don’t have a tight versatile capsule, especially when thinking, comfortable but not sloppy. Very granular thinking— I might have a jacket or over-shirt that is in a favorite color , but I will not choose it for travel. Also realized I have a lot of items that I launder “ carefully “” ( I love the softness & drape of rayon- blend T’s) , but either hang dry or just a few minutes in the dryer. This is easy when at home, but not when doing laundry in a motel! ( Or husband doing laundry!)

So these are all very random thoughts, but relate to how my wardrobe gets more bloated because items or outfits might prove to be not versatile enough to work for enough occasions, or my best travel capsules are not in my favorite colors, and so on.

Irina

Veteran

Are you going to retire next year? If yes, that it will be a perfect time to edit most of obligatory black pieces.

I struggle with the wardrobe size, too. Not because of financial or space issues. It is more a desire to simplify. I’m a fairly minimalistic in house decor, makeup, appliances, jewelry, gadgets, furniture, supplies and pretty much anything else.

My wardrobe is about 150 pieces and it’s the same size I had it in my working days. Now, in retirement, I would like to bring it down to about 100. How to manage it? I need new pieces, new blood in my wardrobe to keep it exciting. For me, it is not about being a classic dresser or not. I just get bored wearing the same clothes all the time.

One of my goals for this year was to find new ways to wear my older pieces. You know, it’s not exciting at all to me. Most of my clothes is so edited and in limited color palette, that it is already mix and match. I sell more on Poshmark, editing out what is not 100% successful items (mostly due to compromising on fit). It takes time to sell. And costs are recovered at less than 50%. But I have time to do it and don’t mind. In a future, money from my sales will become a bigger part of my clothing allowances.

I also hope that changes in my lifestyle will eventually correct my buying habits. I will still buy new clothes and shoes but maybe just a few to keep this enjoyment I get from new and fresh. There is a creative element in coming up with new silhouette and seeing how a new addition makes older items feel exciting again.

LJP

Veteran

First of all - I do apologize for this poorly written post. I banged it out quickly even though I had thought about it first for awhile, but had trouble articulating what I wanted from it. My question is : how do you set priorities for what to buy when you need so little? For example, I would LOVE to buy brown suede or leather boots, and new brown suede bag, and a brown plaid coat - but for what? To go grocery shopping? It all seems so silly!

I hold my work wardrobe completely separate from my other clothes - both in my head and in my closet. Other than black jeans, I never , ever wear any of it outside of work. For one, I have 2 cats whose white hair makes wearing black at home impractical. And second , I simply want to wear more colour and other things when I'm not at work! I think my sense of self is so integrated into what I do because I spend all of my time there, that I want nothing to do with those clothes which remind me of work !

Jaime - lol, minimalist advice from you ! But yes, I have already done a big edit, and now have the pieces I wear and like. My issue is moving forward - I love new things, new colours, new silhouettes, but obviously need none of it, technically speaking. Yes, giving myself permission to allow for churn is probably the simple solution .

Carla - I don't have a budget, per se, and maybe setting one for the year/season would be a good way to help clarify my priorities. I don't have a huge budget where I can buy whatever I want, but I'm not going without , let's put it that way.

Lisa - thanks for your thoughts. I think your climate, needs, and wants are quite different from mine. I live in a defined 4 season climate and keep my colour palette fairly reigned in . Colours stay consistent from season to season with a very few exceptions.

Dee - thank you! (for understanding my poorly written thoughts) . I have already undertaken a thorough edit of my closet, but I know it's still too big for my goals. I don't know how many pieces I have - maybe I should count them? One thing you mention that I don't do is spend time playing around with outfit combinations or alternate styling of the pieces I do own. I'm not terribly creative in that regard and don't love trying things on - I'm super impatient and just want to put two pieces on and go. It's why I drift toward statement pieces rather than basics, because I can just put them on without layering and styling. My question for you is this: how do you decide what newness you'll invest in while still maintaining a smaller wardrobe?

Indigoprint - yes, I'm in jeans when not at work. And some kind of statement top . When at home I'm in sweats .

Carol - thank you ! I'm not familiar with her, and am out of the loop with YouTube people , but will take a look today

Lise and Dee - great thoughts , thank you. I am the opposite of a classic dresser, which is why longevity in my wardrobe doesn't happen. I don't care for the way I look in classic pieces and most of them don't fit my body shape . With short hair, classic clothes can look very masculine and plain, and I just don't think I can pull it off .

unfrumped - we live in a similar climate and I agree with your assessment of seasonal colours in a wardrobe when you want to maintain a small closet.

Irina - I'll probably cut my hours down to 3 days a week by next year at this time. I could retire altogether, but do like the extra money, and having something of purpose to do . I am scared of full-on retirement to be honest. I agree that buying just one or two new things can refresh a wardrobe, and I also agree that experimenting with existing clothes isn't all that much fun. I don't enjoy it either. I'm not going to start buttoning up a shirt backwards just to see if I can make it look more modern, lol. I honestly think I did better when I took myself off this forum and away from fashion influence on IG and Substack, but I also missed the community !

Dee

Veteran

LJP - you're likely much more creative than you give yourself credit for, but if try-on sessions aren't your thing, maybe just honing in on a few style words to guide your future purchases might help. You've already figured out how certain classics dont work, but what are the elements that actually do? That's how I decide if something is worth adding or not. I feel I need mostly basics (70%) and maybe 30% statements. Otherwise, I find it much trickier to get dress. However, your basics and ratio will likely be different from mine. You just need to define them. When you care about fashion, it can be lots of fun but sometimes its a bit of a struggle too.

kinnick

I think you have done a great job of articulating your clothing issues. Reading through your post I realized how much getting older (mid 60s) has affected my style. I want to be reasonably in style but not over the top, not frumpy, and not sloppy. Like you, I hate to try my clothes on and put outfits together. So what I am trying to do is find a silhouette that I am comfortable in and repeating it until it feels tired. I find that if I keep one aspect of the silhouette (for instance, pants) in a current style that helps. I was in London a few years ago just before retirement and went to Red leopard for color and style advice for retirement. Idid not find them particularly helpful but for one piece of advice - keep your shoes current as they are the key to not looking dated. Because my silhouette is consistent I don’t need as many different styles of shoes however I spend more on an individual pair because I wear them a lot in the season.

Once you reach a certain age no one notices you anyway so you really are only dressing for yourself. I try to pay attention when I wear something that I feel good about and use that as a template. I give clothes away pretty quickly if they aren’t working for me. I have stopped feeling guilty (well, mostly) about mistakes because I generally buy bridge brands that others are happy to get.

I think your idea of using statement pieces so that you don’t need a third piece or accessories is brilliant. So much easier for those of us who don’t enjoy putting outfits together. I will incorporate that strategy into my wardrobe.

Such a thoughtful post from you. Thanks.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Interesting perspectives! Thanks for sharing, everyone. Enjoyed reading through your thoughts!

LJP, my two cents, FWIW

I'm giving you permission to churn at a higher rate! You love fashion and style, and enjoy it. Don't rob yourself of that joy! The world is in a bad place. Get your jollies where you can! Life is too short. Don't stop adding the new in thoughtful ways. I'm nodding along with Irina.

The aim is to keep things out of a landfill. Pass on items to good homes for free because there is a buzzing secondhand market, and you can make use of it. I pass on my own items to good homes for free. The secondhand market would not exist without an excellent firsthand market! Different cogs in the same wheel. This will keep the size of your wardrobe manageable.

Wearing a uniform daily VERY much limits your wardrobe size and need for other things. I get that! I've been there. That will improve when you semi-retire. You'll wear more of your fun stuff within a year - by the sounds of it. Don't edit out too much now.

I live in a small space with limited storage! I share my small WIW with hubs! And I don't swap out seasons. It's all there! Also live in a 4 season climate. It can be done, and we can explore that further.

Get away from IG and Substack! I've suggested that before! Stop following influencers and their ads that make you want to buy things. YLF is not social media, though. There are no ads, and there is no selling of items (YLF is very unique on the internet, in that way). It's a pukka supportive and engaged community, and staying here is a good thing!

SarahD8

Veteran

Lisa you and I have very different styles, relationships to the fashion industry, and approaches to wardrobe management -- but, I can very much relate to the situation of loving clothes but having a lifestyle that does not require a lot of them.

With that in mind, my response to your query "I would LOVE to buy brown suede or leather boots, and new brown suede bag, and a brown plaid coat - but for what? To go grocery shopping?" is -- "Sure. Why not?"

I mean -- a coordinated complement of boots, bag, and coat in a color that is simultaneously neutral, classic, and currently trending seems like something that you would get a lot of use out of and would have a high happiness factor. That's totally legitimate!

Of course the trick is drawing a boundary around it, right? I think that's probably a matter of deciding for yourself how many pieces you are going to buy in a season or how much you are willing to spend. And prioritizing will involve some constellation of considerations like what are you really excited about, what can you actually find at retail, what items in your wardrobe are wearing out or need updating, and what can you stand to say no to.

In a consumerist society I think it's really hard to get off the hamster wheel of wanting. Goodness knows I am often pretty bad at it. I think you would have to train yourself to do something like -- once your monetary or item-number budget is "spent" for the season, every time the wants arise redirect your thinking to the joy of the items you chose.

Sal

Veteran

I support keeping your work wardrobe seperate. I bet you look awesome there so I would focus on the out of work wardrobe. I would definitely do one in, one out for the work wardrobe as you may cut down to three days a week.

For me, I focus on only adding a certain number of pieces and I do work off a shopping list. I also have a do not buy list. I am not too rigid with it. I will buy more than I intended in 2025 but not a whole lot more. My current do not buy list is heels of any type, black for casual, blazers (that's a new addition) and summer dresses (another new addition). My focus for the rest of the year will be tees and tanks, and maybe some updated shorts (if I can find longer ones that suit me which is a big ask).

LJP

Veteran

I will reply in depth later this evening but I have to say this : Angie , this is the second time you have used the word “ pukka” in a reply to one of my posts and I STILL have no idea what it means in this context ! I even googled it . Lol!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

"pukka" means: genuine, authentic, real, proper, actual - hope those similar words make sense!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I'm late here, but I certainly commiserate with your situation. I don't wear a uniform to work but I only work outside the home a few days a week now, and in my WFH days I have very little true *need* for anything other than hiking gear. I mean, if I didn't love clothes and fashion, that's probably what I'd wear almost all the time. But that would make me sad.

So I've reconciled myself to some churn. Some years I barely turn over anything, other years I turn over fully a third of my wardrobe, maybe even more! It seems to go in cycles of five to seven years.

I love what Sarah DB said -- if you'd love the boots, the bag, the coat and you'd get wear from them -- why the heck not? Life's too short to go without if you don't have to. As she points out -- this is a trending but classic neutral, one you love, that suits you, and the richness and softness of the textures would give you a lot of pleasure.

Like you, I don't have a fixed budget. I do have a ballpark amount to spend but it is flexible, and because I work contracts, I'll often take more work in seasons when I want (or, occasionally, need) to buy more stuff. I also don't set a number on my purchases. But I do think that can be an effective way to do things -- like Jenn's 5 piece wardrobe, where she allowed herself 5 new statement items per season (along with replacement essentials). You always hear about that kind of thing working best for classic dressers, but Jenn is a very bohemian dresser and it worked well for her.

In terms of how I prioritize what to buy when I need very little, it goes a bit like this:

1. True needs like bras, undies, PJs. (ugh, boring...but necessary).I grit my teeth and update them and then thank myself for doing so the whole year long! So much nicer to have nice things against the skin.
2. FOOTWEAR. It's a big chunk of any budget and for me is also really necessary. And finding comfortable stylish and current shoes is a real challenge at times. Also, as Kinnick mentioned, shoes really update a look.
3. Trendy or interesting bottoms. This helps me feel updated more than new tops tend to do. That's just me, though. I think it could work equally well the other way!
4. Newer silhouette tops or those that have new details.

For me, an updated silhouette is more enlivening/ exciting/ fun than a new colour. I love colour and crave it, but I know which ones I like and wear well and rarely add another

Indigoprint

Veteran

Love what Angie said regarding passing on.
Enjoy what you love.

Brooklyn

Veteran

I agree with Angie and SarahD8. I think you should give yourself permission to buy new items as long as you are ruthless about editing. And also set some limits on purchases (by number or budget). You might consider putting together a plan at the start of Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer about what silhouettes/colours/ideas you want to incorporate, so that you can add/remove items in a disciplined way and avoid impulse purchases.

Suntiger

Veteran

Agreeing that having limits is the key. Some ideas:
A fixed number of items that you own, or fixed amount of space (aka no storage bins)
A set number of purchases per year. I personally don't believe in $ budgets cause you could buy 10 fast fashion items for the cost of 1 nicer thing. That said, it's definitely worth thinking of the purchases as far as how many hours of work you had to do to earn them.
Back to the limits...
A limited color scheme (overall or for new buys)
Months that you shop and no buy months
A limited number of shops you check (or just in person/just online)
One (or more) part of your style that stays constant, and others you're free to update at will. Agreeing w Suz about shoes and bottoms.
A few trends to focus on per season and skip the rest, or tick off several trend boxes with a couple items

Also- yes to the compliment of brown pieces! From what I've seen of your wardrobe they'll go easily.

Liz

Veteran

In your second post, you asked: "My question is : how do you set priorities for what to buy when you need
so little? For example, I would LOVE to buy brown suede or leather
boots, and new brown suede bag, and a brown plaid coat - but for what?
To go grocery shopping? It all seems so silly!"

What I hear in your question is competing priorities. You LOVE fashion and value it as a hobby. It forms part of your identity. You also, these days, are valuing spending less, not cramming your closet full of items, having less churn.

And yes, you're right: buying new items to wear to the grocery store is silly. As is, on some level, buying anything new when we already have perfectly good clothes in our closets. (I know you get this; you think about stuff like this.) As is buying a certain item because a distant "They" deem it current or fashionable. There's an "emperor isn't wearing any clothes" silliness to it all. Of course, we can also make the argument that any of our non-functional hobbies and pastimes are silly (sports, fashion, collecting, train-watching). There's also something intrinsic about a love of beauty and pattern and color. I'm always amazed, when looking at early/historical daily life, that as soon as people have the ability to do so, they are adding embellishment to their textiles, baskets, pottery. Is it silly or is it intrinsic? Maybe a bit of both, at times.

I guess the question for all of us is: How much of that non-functional "silliness" would we like to participate in? And how do we find the place where the values and priorities we hold don't compete quite as much? Personally, I've used both a number-of-items limit, or a $$ limit at different times. Along with a one-in/one-out guide. Those force me to meld my delight of the creativity and hobby to the functional world that I live in.

I like Sue's reference to Jenn, and her wardrobe. Jenn bought (buys?) a certain number of chosen-with-delight-and-care clothes each season, that created a small, distinctive wardrobe that absolutely didn't rely on plain t-shirts, straight-leg pants, or plain shirts. Maybe reading through her posts would give some clues to how she went about identifying the items worth making it into that collection?

Olive Green

Veteran

I so relate. Changes in clothing requirements as we get older are quite difficult to keep up with, for me. Changing bodies may be the same weight but are different shapes, feet dislike heels, and my waistline is a dim and distant sigh.
It was constant tweaking for a while, nice clothes looked really off and went to the donation, and a few retirement fantasy lives were enrobed.
Some of that worked out great, and it’s what makes me buy duplicates of the workhorses.
And I still want to preorder everything Lemaire in the Uniqlo drop, wear a sweeping long coat over a matching outfit, and it might need block heeled boots and a background of steaming trains….

judy

Veteran

Nodding along with those that are saying "give yourself permission" !

Personally, I'd love to see you at the grocery store with your brown suede bag :). And I mean it. I might even come up to you and say where did you get that gorgeous bag?

Be fabulous wherever you are, even if it's just at home or the grocery store. Wear and use your beautiful things. I think using and wearing our beautiful things (and I know you don't get to so much at work...I bet your black outfits are great too but because it's compulsory can feel limiting) actually ups our satisfaction level, which leads to less mindless consumption.

The need for novelty, newness, is creative. And letting yourself have the thing you really want and spending the money on that instead of things you only kind of want, is a way to have a smaller wardrobe.

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