Thank you, Penny, for starting this thread! It made me think about how I almost never reach for white pieces in my closet. Last evening, as I was contemplating ordering a pair of white chinos: my size, fits well, good quality cotton fabric, good price - this could totally be the new basis for my warm-weather outfits next ye..... Wait! What outfits? I don't wear white. Money saved, mistake avoided. Thank you again.

This thread is a good read. Looking through it, I see I made or barely avoided a couple more mistakes:

My winter boots and shoes are rarely worn, but I think I've gotten to a point where the majority of them are high-heeled. That is odd for me. If we move somewhere with real winter, I will have to select a pair of daily flat(ish) winter shoes/boots carefully.

The great big floral pattern: I didn't bite, but there were a couple times I almost did. They always look so cute, until I put one on and contemplate going out into the world. Then I just cringe and am uncomfortable as long as I'm wearing it. So I'm glad I didn't do that.

Losing weight, I've been buying things too small and then shrinking into them. I've stalled out on the reduction for a couple months. It's perfectly reasonable--I haven't exercised, so I'm not getting any smaller. I need to either get back on the wagon or return some things while I still can.

There were a pair of shorts and two tops that I thought would be wildcards/so cute on new, thinner me that I looked at later and wondered what on earth I'd been thinking. Way too skimpy and just foolish. Returned two, too late for one.

About a year ago I did KonMarie method on my closet. It had been relatively organized before, but somehow in a way that created more FOMO than her method. In my case, I focused on being organized with the finished items results rather than ruthless with the purging. I only donated things which no longer fit me both at once and, as I went along the year, because I have gotten significantly more muscular in the last year and like so many of us, my feet have gotten even fussier with age. I was beginning to think that there wasn't that much upside to being that organized and that it was just a bit obsessive.

But now I'm realizing that I don't think I have made any clothing shoes or accessories purchasing mistakes since I did my organization. I really feel like I know exactly where something is going to fit into my wardrobe and whether it is necessary or not.

The thing I am struggling with most is getting rid of some stuff which is a few years old and in ok shape which can be perfect during a hotter summer, and I haven't worn that much this year. But as everyone else is saying, it's been cooler than usual, so it is a little bit difficult to evaluate such items, and I have the room to think about it when next spring rolls around.

3style, can you sketch out the organizing method? I'm familiar with the idea of weeding out according to what sparks joy, but not how she organizes closets later.

I'm not at home for the holiday weekend so I can't add a photo right now. But if you do some searches on pinterest there are some good photos.

Basically, first off, she is against out of season storage for items except for the extreme items like parkas and swimming suits. Second she uses the approximation that items are typically dark in color and thick and long all at once and likewise that summer items are likely to be shorter, more sheer and lighter colored. So the basic idea is that on the left side of your closet you have your heaviest longest darkest items and things get shorter and lighter as you go up. She also has particular order of pants versus skirts and so forth from left to right, but I think that it makes sense to do that relative to what you want to end up having in the middle. I like to go: coats, toppers, dresses, pants, skirts, long-sleeved tops, short-sleeved tops, tank tops, then home wear like robes and old knit dreses. Within each category I start with heaviest darkest and longest and then make my way through to lighter. So it keeps me aware of quantity and function. For example I'll demonstrate black toppers. I have one heavy weight black black blazer, one thing merino boyfriend cardigan with dressy buttons and trim, in March I added a stretchy jersey lightweight long-sleeved blazer from jjill (to replace a silk cardigan where the sleeves had gotten too tight) and I have a cropped three quarter sleeves bolero jacket. I also have a thick Merino black knit poncho which can fit over absolutely everything. Anyway, I love black. But I equally love denim/navy/chambray so I feel like I don't need to duplicate any of my black items as I have another full similar set in blue. If I didn't like blue, then I would have probably two of everything in black at each warmth level, because I am not super fast with laundry and dry cleaning turnaround time. I also have one heavy duty woolen olive sweater and one olive linen blend. I love olive but I try to keep only as my special relaxation color (look at David Zyla) so I have to keep myself from buying too much olive. I also love patterns but I can keep reminding myself that I have plenty of patterns in each category except toppers and coats, because those tend to be the items I keep the longest and the patterns look dated too quickly or make patterned bottoms very challenging.

One added advantage to going by length is that on the right hand side you end up with a lot of clearance room underneath the lighter items. This leaves room for a taller dresser or laundry hamper or whatever than you could fit if clothing was in random order. I haven't relocated my drawers yet, but am planning to do so.

I tuck the out of season stuff in the left and right corners (called wing walls) which can't quite as easily be reached or seen.

I fold drapey sweaters and some athletic gear and pjs and such. In general I do less folding than she suggests because I find that I tend to equate folding with casual and also because I have big shoulders so I tend to want a little bit of stretching in the shoulders, but if it looks like an item is in danger of too much stretching then I fold it.

Hope that is helpful.

Yesterday I returned the very lightweight summer dress that was wonderful for extremely hot weather but not JFE. It was the perfect day and occasion to wear it, and I put it on and took it right off. That was a definitive moment. Luckily lunch was in the same shopping center as Nordstrom.
On the other hand, the not so flattering wide patterned crops have been worn so what I thought might have been a mistake was not. I might not get so much wear out of them, but they felt so good in the heat.

One thing I am realizing is to not judge all my wardrobe items by number of wears. Some categories aren't needed often, but it is so much better to have the right item in my closet.

Still trying to make the earlier dress I purchased for very hot weather work. I purchased a very lightweight cover for my arms yesterday but haven't tried them on together yet.

Yes, we all make wardrobe mistakes. I find often mine are when I'm trying to update my style. My boundaries seem very tight, and I can't tell when a new item expands my wardrobe perfectly and when it's a mistake. I can spend 20 minutes in the dressing room contemplating an item, and that item can just as easily become a favorite as become a mistake.

And sometimes those mistakes come in perfect to complete an outfit.

I guess the main thing is that this is a journey, and to not beat ourselves up.

Fashiontern here are a few stragglers that didn't come to mind immediately.

As far as toppers, I do like to own one classic button up Jackie Onassis style cardigan in a bolder print in a cotton or cotton blend that can be worn buttoned or open or with a light jacket over it for spring and fall.

Getting back to your post where you were asking about clothing restricting activities, and I said I wanted to get more crossover clothing, my newest purchase is a fitted but sporty cotton striped sweater with winter white, sky blue, light aqua, navy and predominantly heathered gray. I'm hoping that it will be nice for walking and then doing something afterwards. I learned from past mistakes not to get cotton sweaters which are too wide or long, because they don't sufficiently dress up more casual pants or shoes.

And thirdly, I remembered that I have a black heavy button down shirt that I don't wear in the winter quite as often as I would like, I think because I need to have an open neck and then cover it with a scarf or not depending on the inside temperature so I only wear button downs buttoned and under sweaters when it is cold but not quite cold enough for a turtle neck, which ends up not being very frequently. So anyway this fall I will use it unbuttoned as a casual jacket over knit tops.

Last winter I convinced my self that burgundy is such a practical color that will go with everything in my closet, so I bought pants and wool sweater in the same shade of burgundy. I tried ignoring the fact that I don't like burgundy. And it did relly go well with navy, black and grays in my wardrobe, but I hated it on me anyway. Forced my self to wear it couple of times, and did not feel fab in it. Felt guilty every time I saw it hanging in the closet and finally donated it before the winter was over. Relieved:)

"One thing I am realizing is to not judge all my wardrobe items by number of wears. Some categories aren't needed often, but it is so much better to have the right item in my closet." (Barbara Diane)

I am so with you there. Just because an item only gets one or two wears a year does not mean it is a mistake if it satisfies the need for that occasion. Most of my dressier items fall into this category; they also mostly stay in my closet for years, so eventually the number of wears adds up. And averaged against my favourite jeans (which usually get at least 200 wears before giving up) I think this is reasonable. I like the "30 wears" test of an item as a guideline for buying but don't stick to it religiously. Perhaps the question for certain items is -- would I like to wear this item 30 times if I had that many opportunities to wear it, and will I keep it for at least 2 years?

I haven't read all the replies here, but what strikes me about this post is probably unreasonable to expect no mistakes. After all, even Angie makes the occasional mistake, and she is a seasoned professional! I think that as long as we learn from our purchasing mistakes, we're doing well.

My worst mistakes usually involve buying bright colours. I have the odd colourful item that I enjoy (for example, I always have one bright or deep pink top in my wardrobe, I recently bought a burnt orange topper that looks a bit like a lab coat, and I often carry a red handbag), but my blacks, greys and navys get far more wear. I used to by duplicates, one in black and one in a colour, and then the black one would get eight times as much wear. Now, if I'm tempted to duplicate, I get two of the same colour!

I've also made mistakes buying dressy clothes that can only be worn in hot weather. I don't wear them! As soon as it's hot enough to be sweaty, I wear only casual clothes that can handle frequent washing.

Ooooh Aziraphale, the dressy item that is too light in fabric, in which you freeze to death the only time you wear it! How well do I know this... All Canadian women should be educated in school against this treachery!
Mind you I've discovered wonderfull, thin wool undershirts and layering long tee basics (Oscalito and Bernard Solfin) that one can wear under the said dressy items. Yes, it changes the look a little but it is a way to wear those dressy mistakes during colder months.

I make mistakes too.

The one I seem to repeat is buying based on the pattern/colour/texture and ignoring the fit or style.

And I agree with trying to replicate an idea or previous item - things change which makes it a challenge to do successfully for me.

I am fine with having a small number of pieces that get worn rarely either for occasions or just as a mix up. If I do not wear a piece one year I do not automatically discard it, but after two years I start to think that it might be time to do so.

Wow, thanks everyone for the great responses! Loving all of them - it certainly is a journey, and we're all learning a lot, including from our mistakes. Barbara Diane, terrific comment about not focusing too much on number of wears if an item addresses a specific need - it's important to be prepared for infrequent but foreseeable events.

Barbara Diane--What you wrote about having tight wardrobe boundaries really resonates with me! Most of my mistakes have to do with trying something new. I've even posted about sitting with the discomfort of trying something new--when is it "worth it" and when is it a sign that something just isn't for me?

I thoroughly enjoyed this thread because it made me really think about my shopping habits and my buying mistakes.

In contrast to you, I tend to hold onto mistakes and try to force them to work by buying additional supporting pieces that then become mistakes themselves. This is a lose-lose proposition. I have resolved to admit my buying mistakes and edit them from my closet earlier rather than later.

Then I read Karen13's and other's comment about duplication. Karen13 said that one of her repeated mistakes is duplication. She often gets so excited when she finds something she likes, she buy duplicates. She operates under a weird scarcity mentality - she will never be able to find this again! That describes me perfectly.

I am a serial duplicator. My worst offender used to be black slacks. But since discovering that I need more deep summer wear, I started buying beige linen wide legged cropped pants … in duplicate. Because I devote so much of my shopping time/budget to buying pants, I always short change myself on tops and accessories.

I have resolved to stop buying pants for the rest of the year. Period.

Sidenote: Style3’s closet organization was a fascinating read. Thank you for taking the time to lay it out for me. I could literally visualize your closet based on your description.

3style, thanks for the explanation, and for coming back with more details!

As I discover my style profile I am finding so many mistakes in my closet. It continues to be a challenging process.

It is a challenging process, Cheri Ciesiak, but it does get easier.