Purging - doing the math - YouLookFab Forum

I was up in the middle of the night last night purging sundresses out of my closet. No lie, at 2 am my mind was whirling about ordering hangers and such lol. But perhaps the penny has finally dropped for me on quantity/quality.
I grabbed my last 2 spaghetti strap, knit, a line sundresses and tossed them on the pile. I was using them to lounge in. But that's a slippery slope and besides, it creates visual chaos if I hang them in with my other dresses. If I fold them in the lounge drawer they look a rumpled mess and besides, I can lounge in shorts and a tank if it's hot, right?
Anyway, part of the impetus was the blue day dresses on order. I got to thinking how one versatile daydress could take the place of 3 of these others. And then I got to doing the math:
If I keep one of the blue dresses on order, that will make 7 daydress/sundress options in my closet. Now that I'm leaving FL, I will have about a 3 month warm weather season. If I wear a dress once a week, I will only have 2 repeats of each dress a YEAR. If it gets crazy hot and I have a 6 month season, it is still only 4 repeats a year. That doesn't even get into different shoes or belts, or a jacket vs a bright cardi.

The big banner over my head reads: you don't need more, this is perfect, silly!!

I know this intellectually, but it's different when you actually 'get it'. Sounds dumb but that was my late night epiphany.

14 years ago

Stephanie

Veteran

From my experience, I think when you're used to thinking a lot about what to buy next, it's hard to get used to the idea that you don't need anything else. So I try to put the extra energy into purging (e-bay, donations, etc.), making sure everything I have kept is at its best (alterations, etc.), and coming up with new ways to wear the things I kept.

(website)

That's so true, Stephanie! And sometimes for me, it's the newness buzz. After the first year or season the dresses (or whatever) start to gradually get pushed to the back and I almost don't 'see' them there anymore. They become part of the background decor of my closet, rather than go-to items I'm pulling and wearing. That's the other danger of having too much. New seems to win out and the old just keeps getting older lol.

rae

I feel that the old keeps getting older sometimes, too - especially with dresses, for some reason, moreso than other items. And for me, it's still hard to know *before* I buy whether or not something will be a favorite or a "favorite mistake." I think this is why I duplicate a lot now. I just wear the same outfit over and over, but in different colors, lol.

shipskitty

I think dress styles can "age" faster than some other styles - especially print dresses and those with unusual features. I know that I recently got rid of what was originally a cute dresses with a hanky skirt. It still fitted, it looked ok on, but OH I felt sooooo dated when I wore it out earlier this year. When I got home I threw it in the wash and it went straight from there to the donate pile.

anne

Mo I love your reasoning with this, but have one small query. you said
"If I wear a dress once a week,". Do you really only wear dresses that infrequently? I wear them at least 5 times a week in the hottest weather, and more than once a week in slightly cooler summer weather.

Anonymous

I love these midnight revelations and I think you're on to something Malina! I really agree that the more you have, the more you have that gets "old" and fast. I typically keep a dress for a year or two and then I get tired of the print (granted, I've never owned a very fine investment quality dress yet). Like Kim was saying about her magic dress the other day...it was starting too look dated to her and she was tired of looking at it in her closet. I've also been thinking about buying things too early in the season and then not getting the newness buzz I want when I finally get to wear them. I do love when I get that "new spring/fall wardrobe" feeling from buying a small collection of new to me items for that season. I tend to wear the new things I love like crazy, not caring how many times people see me in them. So I'd rather have less than more, and then not keep them as long. I can still get a pretty low cost per wear because I wear them so much.

PS Get some rest today, young lady!

@Anne - actually, yes, maybe once a week in Tahoe would be accurate. It's not a very warm climate to start with. Add to that, many times on my day off we are joining friends for more active pursuits that aren't always dress friendly. I can't wear dresses to work ever - it's a uniform. If I think about it, I wear a dress maybe once or twice a week here in FL even, where it's definitely hot!
@Claire - isn't it interesting that many of us find with our dresses that the old just keep getting older? I used to only think in terms of acquisition in my wardrobe. Now that I'm thinking of size and manageability, I have to consider 'freshness' lol. How long is too long? At some point it just becomes holding on and isn't getting worn anymore.
I'm planning on trying replacing 2 items each year in each category (except tops - that's 6 or 8). At that rate, my pants will completely turn over in 8 or 9 years gradually, my dresses about 8 years, my skirts 7 years, etc.
Of course some things will get purged long before the 8 year mark, and some may last 15, but I'm content with the thought of roughly a quarter of my wardrobe being under 2 years old. I guess we all have varying needs of 'freshness' and I'm still finding mine.

Meredith1953

Hi Mo,
Sounds like you had a really productive epiphany and late night session. I am trying to pare down my own wardrobe. It has been said that we wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time. I want better clothing that lasts longer and that I will enjoy for many years. My vow is to pare down to ONLY what I am actually wearing. Everything else must go unless it serves a unique function that would be difficult to duplicate (for me this is formal wear which don't wear much of). Then when I KNOW that I am actually wearing everything I own I want to try to analyze it for "issues". and identify the gaping holes that exist in my wardrobe. Always needing to remind myself to dress for my real life and not my fantasy life. Maybe with a smaller wardrobe I can just boost it with accessories (scarfs, belts, hats, shoes etc.)

jayne

hmmm, finding it hard to purge things that are in a way basics that come in and out of style. They don't go out of style really, but white shirts go in and out of my style so for a few years I use, and then they hang and then they get used again. Cannot see why those should go. So purging has come to a halt for me on those types of things. But I am tending to see a trend to trade up, finding a new white shirt I love better means the old one is automatically out the door. I don't have a rigid policy on it, but it just feels right. Summer clothes have been purged so much I don't have any! he he

Isabel

Mo, I hear you !!!!!!! Once I packed up all my clothes and gave them away a few weeks ago, it suddenly hit me that I don't WANT so many clothes ever again. Part of it is maturing ( not aging, LOL ) because I think we start to know what works, what doesn't , and ( for me at least ) I listen to my gut a little more. I don't want "make do's " anymore......GOOD FOR YOU !!!

( This extends to other things as well...the other morning I was up at 5 and cleaned out our bathroom/broom closet. My husband got up and asked what the "heck" was going on....I told him I just couldn't take the closet anymore ! LOL ! )

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