I'm running late! I usually take some time to evaluate my wardrobe in August, but August was a doozy this year and I didn't have a chance to pull out all my clothes and do the big sort until this weekend. You'll want a cup of coffee or tea for this one because it's a lot of info. 

Friendly warning: if you don't like numbers or are bothered by posts about wardrobe size, now's the time to click away or skip ahead to the photos. I track purchases, retirements, and wears because I'm interested in learning more about the durability and longevity of my garments and gaining insight into my own consumer habits. It's never a judgment on anyone else's choices. 

Previous iterations of this post: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.

Let's do this!

The current count:

Total Main Wardrobe: 84 items (98 with gear)

This is my entire wardrobe, except lingerie and sleepwear. The count includes shoes, bags, and scarves, but not jewelry or strictly functional cold weather accessories like gloves and beanies. I also have a small holding zone that currently has three items in it. 

Last year's total: 84 (97 with gear)

Wear levels (not including gear):

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

More than 30 times: 50% of wardrobe, 42 items (last year: 44 items, 52%)

10-29 times: 29%, 24 items (last year: 27 items, 32%)

Less than 10 times 21%, 18 items (last year: 13 items, 16%)

Takeaways:

I suspect these numbers are a bit off. I have missed some tracking over the past few months (just a day or two here and there) and I'm several weeks behind in transferring info from my calendar to my spreadsheet. It's still pretty consistent, though I'd like to have fewer pieces in that "less than ten" category.

Since last report, I've added 21 items, so I’m replacing about 25% of my wardrobe per year. Put another way, that would mean I expect my items to last, on average, 4 years. I definitely seem to churn through essentials on a pretty regular basis, while collecting statements for the long term. I'm okay if that causes my wardrobe to grow a bit over the long-term, but hopefully not by more than a few pieces per year.

The median number of wears is 30.5 for items currently in my closet. It was 32 last year. The mean number of wears is 47. That was 42 last year. In general, my wardrobe is still lasting well past the 30-wears mark and the mean number of wears for items I retired this year was 46.

The Nitty Gritty (breakdowns by Category):

Dresses: 10 (last year: 8)

I'm wearing my dresses more than ever these days and am actively expanding this part of my wardrobe. I wear them several times each week, especially in the summer.

Wear count on my dresses ranges from 4 to 78 (previously 2 - 97).

Outerwear: 3 (last year: 4)

That 35-wear-count item that never changes is my trench coat. I don't care. I still love it and at some point I'll go someplace where I actually need it.

Wear counts range from 35 to 225 (previously 35 - 212).

Jeans: 1 (last year: 1)

Different pair from last year, though.

Wear counts range from 147 - 147 (previously 47 - 47)

Pants: 3 (last year: 2)

I have another pair on my fall wishlist.

Wear counts range from 12 - 99 (previously 35 - 79)

Skirts: 2 (last year: 5)

Why wear a skirt when you can wear a dress?

Wear counts range from 8 to 45 (previously 4 - 54)

Toppers: 11 (last year: 7)

I'm including any top layers that would be worn indoors here. A lot of my statement pieces are in this category, and they stick around for a long time.

Wear counts range from 7 to 64 (previously 7 - 52)

Tops: 22 (last year: 23)

Why do I have so many tops and so few pants? I'm going to try to allow some attrition here.

Wear counts range from 3 to 116 (previously 3 - 98)

Footwear: 10 (last year: 11)

This is kind of a cheat because I just realized I have one more pair I haven't added to the spreadsheet yet. Oh well. Numbers are pretty stable.

Wear counts range from 12 to 116 (previously 7 - 157)

Accessories: 13 (last year: 14)

This category includes scarves, belts, and hats, but not jewelry, I also don't count winter gear, like gloves and beanies, or masks, all of which are shared amongst the family. Bags are counted separately below.

Wear counts range from 3 to 54 (previously 3 - 54)

Handbags: 8 (last year: 7)

My favorite Fossil crossbody is still going strong with over 500 wears.

Wear counts range from 1 to 539 (previously 24 - 455)

Gear: 14 (last year: 13)

Gear includes swimwear and clothing I only wear for exercise. Nothing exciting here.

Wear counts range from 11 to 89 (previously 18 - 86)

And that's all, folks! Congratulations and thank you, if you've managed to read this far. Your reward is a peek in the closet, but we're about to watch the finale of Stranger Things, so I'll be back with pictures shortly.