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Summer wardrobe numbers

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I’m in the cellar, sorting out my summer stuff so that when I want a specific piece, I’ll be able to find it easily. Decided to count things while I’m at it. These aren’t the most logical categories—they’re a blend of clothing type and available storage bags. For each category, I’ve given the total number and the number of OGs, from before my son, who is 18.5. Nothing is too worn to wear, but there are some things, like the Breton striped T-shirt dress, that I’m really not feeling right now.

T-shirts and tank tops: 17 (5)
Shirts & blouses: 17 (7)
Summer sweaters: 7 (0)
Dresses: 31 (12)
Jumpsuits: 4 (1)
Pants: 9 (4)
Skirts: 19 (6)
Blazers: 4 (0) + blue blazer w/c should be reserved for summer. I ditched a bunch of blazers when we left Fla 2.5 years ago, wonder now if that was the right move. C’est la vie.
Shorts: 12 (1) includes a denim skort which is very faded in some places. I take that as a positive.

Grand total is 120 (& change—I took 2 shirts up to wear with my cord skirt last week, and kept a few tank tops upstairs all winter, in case I wanted to wear them as undershirts (I did not))

Dressing

25 replies

Latest reply was from Stagiaire Fash

Anonymous

Wow that's a long time! I guess the only piece of clothing I've had that long is my wedding dress.

ChristelJ

Veteran

Have your been wearing the older pieces all this time? Impressive you have conserved so many.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Suntiger, the suit I wore to my wedding and the two-piece dress I wore for my reception are long gone!

ChristieIJ, for the 8 years I lived in Florida, there were a lot of things I couldn’t wear, even summer things. Some were too dressy but others didn’t work for other reasons, like the rough-textured woven top with fringe that was too warm for summer there, even though it is sleeveless, or a 2-piece blue & white floral dress that seems current again now, but would’ve looked fuddy-duddy not that long ago. I also rotate things in & out as my weight fluctuates. Lately I’ve been enjoying my old 501s. The nice thing is that I don’t really have to buy things. I have a couple items on my wish list, but if I don’t come across them, I won’t be naked.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

No shorts? Or are you still sorting?

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Still sorting!!

LaPed

Veteran

Wowza, that's more dresses/skirts than I've owned in my whole tomboy life, even if I combined all seasons! I think your style moniker might be "sporty femme" or "Title Nine poster child" or something, assuming that most of these are the fun, functional, "just do it" types of skirts and dresses you've shown us in WIWs.

Like Jenn, I wondered about shorts, but I suspect you sub in skirts/skorts at times when I'd reach for shorts.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

And finished!

Final total is 120+ items.

Being a poster child for anything requires being both cute and pathetic, in an appealing kind of way, right? I think I’ve got it, lol.

LaPed, you might be surprised about the dresses & skirts. Half are what you guessed, but there are also some flat-out dressy ones. I want to style them in not-as-dressy, funky ways like I did that Trina Turk floral dress (with the metallic floral boots, body stocking, & a ls T-Shirt underneath) so that I can wear them more places—after the pandemic. You look great in your trousers. I want to learn to wear the couple pairs I have that well.

ETA, I just realized that 50 dresses & skirts is nearly half. The oldest one is a Lanz sundress from when I was in high school.

Anonymous

Looking forward to seeing your summer wardrobe

shiny

Veteran

What's an OG?

rachylou

Veteran

What strikes me is— you’re a dress gal!

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Shouldn’t it be an OBG ( oldie but goodie)?
I guess you are really exemplifying the saying that the most sustainable garment is the one you already own?
I’m kind of astounded- did you always trust you would lose all the weight or did you just not think of editing items out, as you once said?
If you have that many in your winter wardrobe as well it is a pretty large wardrobe overall.

rachylou

Veteran

I read OG as ‘Original Gangsta’. That’s the ghetto rat in me coming out

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Thanks, Nikki. I’m looking forward to weather warm enough to wear it!

Rachylou’s got the lingo. Yes, OG is “original gangster”. https://www.cyberdefinitions.c.....ns/OG.html I’ve never seen “oldie but goodie” abbreviated anywhere but ylf.

Jenni, that weight came from an unhappy period in my life. When I ballooned up close to 200 lbs, I had to buy fat clothes. There was no way I could deal with the thought that things would stay that way forever; I got rid of those clothes as soon as my waist was approaching 28”. The size I am now is the size I’ve been most of my adult life. That’s why my clothes are this size. You are correct that editing out was not a thing I thought of often, but when we moved 2.5 years ago, I did take donate several 30 gallon garbage bags full of clothes. And now I’m back to me.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Well, I’m still impressed. Many of us are not able for whatever reason if up that many pounds to go down again that amount.
Unless surgery!
Original gangster... OK. Never heard of it but thanks for the definition. I have heard of oldie but goodie not just on YLF, but maybe not abbreviated.

N

I'm so glad you have lots of clothes you love, including some originals. I really need to build my closet up to maybe not that level of items but a lot more than I have. I think I have between 20-30 maybe in total and therefore most pieces get one 1-3 times a week. Thats washed between 50-150 times a year. They certainly get worn out in a year or two. Whereas if you have closer to 200 pieces I imagine they'd be worn 10 times a year or so meaning you can keep them for many years.

Synne

Veteran

Interesting numbers, and how great that you are keeping inventory! Just out of curiosity, do you keep clothes for more sentimental or for frugal reasons? I remember reading that you also pay for storage, so it can't be the most inexpensive option either. I am asking because I know you love style and clothes (that's why we are even on here to begin with ). Is your philosophy that what once was in fashion will be back in fashion, or do you own mostly classic pieces? Or something else entirely? Please tell more about this! I am curious. As you maybe know, I am an avid thrift shopper, so I do love searching for and wearing "oldie but goodies" my self.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

N, I agree with your calculus. I wasn’t thinking anything so specific when I got some of these things, but when I got this coat in 8th grade, I do remember my mother discussing with the SA that paying for quality is worth it, and telling me that I should take care of this coat because I’d have it for a long time. I don’t think any of us were thinking *this* long, but here it is. I assume you’ll rotate some things through your not-quite-so-small wardrobe pretty quickly, but keep some investment pieces, like a coat, longer—but probably not this weirdly long.

Jenni, yes, I’m familiar with the phrase “oldie but goodie” elsewhere, just not as an abbreviation. But OG is pretty much always abbreviated. I haven’t lost 100 lbs, couldn’t tell you the last time I weighed 100–probably 4th grade. My target weight is 132/60kg. I’ve been at 65 kg for a while, think it will take the warm summer weather to drop the rest. I don’t have the discipline right now/ need to use it for other things. In summertime, it’s usually been much easier for me to take off weight—too hot to eat, and I want to play and swim and just move. Florida confused me that way. Summer there is oppressive and long.

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Jenni NZ

Veteran

Yes sorry I realised before your last post above mine here that it wasn’t that much and had already edited my post.
That coat looks amazing!

N

Oh I love long coats! Just none will ever look that long on me...

I'm also stuck around 65.5kg right now. Want to get down to 63.5kg so only another 2kg to go. Probably would help if I laid off the cookies but my lovely MIL bought some for me yesterday. They were vegan ones which are hard to come by around here. Good job they were mini size haha.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Cookies from the MiL—worth it! Especially that she respects your decision and got you some vegan ones.

N

Oh honestly she is the best MIL you could ask for. She is super sweet. Doesn't meddle, doesn't even come in the house that often, comes over just to drop us some treats and off she goes. When we go to hers she treats us to like an amazing spread of vegan food. Couldn't ask for a better MIL. She is a rare one. There was a big earthquake a few weeks ago and I was alone with the kids, hubby was travelling on business. She rang me up in the middle of the night to check we were okay.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Synne, I think my clothes are pretty classic. You’ve seen my posts; do you agree? I don’t know as I’d say frugality or sentimentality, exactly. More just that I put an effort into getting a thing I like, and that feels like me, and then want to keep it. We grow and change, of course, but I think there is a core “me” that’s pretty consistent. I’d rather pull something out of my stash—saw several things last night that I’m excited to wear—than go hunting for new.

The storage locker is a massive headache! I thought we would be back and forth several times over the first couple years, bringing as much as possible with is each time, and then maybe have one small shipment sent. Instead, we haven’t been back at all. I think I’m just going to have it all shipped here. That means the money we’ve paid for storage there, at least since March 2019, when we moved into this place with a cellar as big as the storage locker, has all been wasted. But avoiding the shipping charges means continuing to pay rent on the storage locker, and that doesn’t make sense. Most of it isn’t clothing. Tbh, when I try to remember what all is in there, I don’t come anywhere close to as much volume as I know it is.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

N, that’s wonderful!!

PS: talking about my bodyweight is off track. At this point, I’m guided by the mirror/tape measure more than by the scale. Muscle weighs more than fat, so it’s possible I’ll stay at this weight and be happy, if I’m stronger/more muscular.

Synne

Veteran

Thanks for the elaboration! Will pop back in later with a reply.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

One other thought on weeding out. I have looked at this dress several times and thought I “ought to” pass it on. It was too small to wear when I got it, the color scheme is not my usual one, and when was I going to wear it? Now it fits perfectly, the brown turns out to actually be burgundy; I’ve discovered that I can wear it different ways, and am glad to have it for Easter brunch this year.

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