It's that time again! I like to check in on my closet every year around my birthday and the start of school in mid-August. Last year's post is here and 2016 is here. Settle in, folks (or just skip ahead to the pictures.)

Over the next year, I'll be spending a lot of time in southern California, in preparation to relocate fully next summer, so my wardrobe will have to start transitioning to that climate, as well. I'll probably only keep a few pieces of deep winter clothing, for trips into the mountains and back to Colorado. I think I'm already set up pretty well for layering, so I'm hoping that won't be as big a shift as it initially might seem. The winter LOWS in SoCal are roughly equivalent to the winter HIGHS in this part of Colorado.

This is my entire wardrobe, except lingerie and sleepwear.

Dresses: 7
--Last year: 8 Some churn here, as I got rid of a couple of older dresses and added one. Most of my dresses are casual, but I have one little black cocktail dress that works for dressier occasions. All shown in Pic 1.

Toppers: 14
--Last year: 16 I'm including any top layers that would be worn indoors in this category. They're shown in pic 2 below with pullovers and outerwear. I suspect these mostly-transitional indoor toppers will become my winter outdoor toppers in LA.

Outerwear: 3
--Last year: Didn't count. Shown in pic 2 with toppers and pullovers, except for one parka that's not pictured. I had planned to add a dressy winter coat this year, but now am thinking that won't be necessary in SoCal.

Jeans: 3

--Last year: 5 I got rid of my colored jeans. They never fit quite as well as the blue ones, and I no longer was enjoying wearing them. At least one pair of my boyfriend jeans (both well over 30 wears) will probably rotate out soon, in favor of something new, though I don't know what yet. Shown with pants and skirts in Pic 3.

Pants: 4
--Last year: 6 This is low, as I retired some well-worn pairs without replacing. I would like to add a new silhouette like cropped wide-legs, as well as something killer for travel. Shown in Pic 3.

Skirts: 7
--Last year: 4 I added three skirts for summer this year. I suspect that was probably one too many, but all three are on track to hit ten wears before the weather cools down for good. Won't be purchasing any more skirts for a while. Shown in pic 3.

Tops: 28
--Last year: 48 This counts the pieces in pic 4, plus the pullovers from pic 2. Things get a little weird here, because last year, I counted things like graphic tees and layering tanks in this category. Many of those tees are gone, others have been moved to gear, and I'm not counting the layering tanks anymore because they're used exclusively for sleepwear/underwear.

Shoes: 12
--Last year: 12 More or less one-in, one-out, though I may need to add a couple pairs for SoCal, while still keeping my winter boots in reserve. Pic 5.

Accessories: 12
--Last year: Didn't count. I'm now counting scarves and hats, but not jewelry, or winter gear like gloves and beanies (which are shared amongst the family). Pic 5.

Handbags: 7
--Last year: Didn't count. Shown in pic 6.

Gear: 17
--Last year: Didn't count. I only wear the items in Pic 7 for athletic activities. I have too many items in this category, and it's almost all well-worn. I'll be practicing one-in, two-out. Maybe. Or maybe this is just fine for working out 3-5x per week.

Total Main Wardrobe: 97 items (114 with gear)
Last year: 99 (without gear, handbags, outerwear or accessories)

Looking at wear levels:

(ETA: For clarity, these numbers are over the life of the garment, not just over the past year)

More than 25 times: 42 (last year: 14 items)
5-24 times: 62 (last year: 63 items)
Less than 5 times: 10 items (last year: 22 items)

I'm really proud of these numbers. Most of the items in the "less than 5" category are either brand new (NAS), very dressy, or sentimental pieces I'm not willing to part with. I feel like I'm really achieving my goal to WEAR my clothes, and I hope that continues.

THANK YOU, if you've managed to read this far. I know the numbers thing isn't for everyone, but it is useful to me, so I hope some of you will find it interesting. Your reward, as always, is closet pictures!