Sitting in the sun, counting my money... or, rather, clothes

I don't know why this song came to mind, but I was just playing around with my Excel spreadsheet and tallied up the number of items I have in my wardrobe in various categories. This is just for the cold-weather season and includes only things that get actively worn because they fit well. I really like this size wardrobe and I can go for at least 3 weeks mixing and matching stuff to avoid repeating outfits. The only thing that I might change is perhaps add some work dresses (the 3 that I have I never wear to work - they are too short or too bright for my "work style") and maybe some tunic-length tops - I have longer blouses but they are not quite tunics.

Jeans - 6
Trousers - 3
Skirts - 4
Dresses - 3
Shirts and blouses - 10
Sleeveless tops - 4
Long-sleeved t-shirts - 5
Turtlenecks - 6
Pullover sweaters and knit tops - 7
Cardigans - 7
Jackets - 3
Knit jackets - 2
Waistcoats - 1

Coats - 4
Scarves - 7
Tall boots - 3
Short boots - 3
Booties - 2
Flat oxfords (indoor) - 1
Flats (indoor) - 2

I am so glad that thanks to YLF I was able to clean up and "functionalize" my wardrobe. I don't think it has ever been excessively big but it was great to replace the things that really did not fit well with better-fitting or better quality items. It is also amazing to realize how few items I actually need to make it through a season.

14 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

This is a great realization!

Meredith1953

Veteran

Sounds like you have great variety and a lot to work with! I need to do a little clothing number crunching myself!!

Great realization! I'm not sure I could specifically divide between warm and cold weather seasons like you, but I'm taking inventory, too! It's really eye opening when you start to figure how much truly is excess weight that doesn't get utilized.

Louise

I think this is a great idea, I need to do this a quick peek at your list and it looks like I'm really lacking! X

MNsara

Fun peek into your closet (sort of)! 60ish closet pieces. Does this cover work and casual wear?

It seems so clear and simple, and when I think about the variety in each category, say 3 tall boots + 3 short boots + 2 booties, it sounds just right

Makrame

This is both work and casual, because for me it does not make sense to really separate the two. Much of the time I can wear jeans to work so it is pretty easy to use my work clothes for casual activities. I do have a few small dedicated capsules that were not included in this list: gardening, hiking, running, skiing, loungewear. I keep those clothes separately and that makes it easy to find them when I am doing a specific activity.

Now what really scared me was totaling the numbers. I thought I did not spend too much last year since I wasn't doing a wardrobe overhaul, just updating, but I spent more than I thought. So this year for the spring/summer season I would like to really focus and try to set a budget. Of course, I bought a few pairs of boots that will last for a few years, so that's part of the total spending.

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