The great wardrobe pare-down of 2015 Part 1: Casual tops

Hi ladies!
As a relatively new YLF member, I'm setting my first YLF challenge for myself. In the past year or so I've been feeling a real need to pare-down, streamline and rebalance my wardrobe, so I've started by taking an inventory of what I have. The results showed me what I already knew but had refused to face head-on: that the majority of what I have in my closet appears to be for an aspirational life in which I sit in little Parisian cafes, or browse art galleries, or attend trendy book clubs on a daily basis, rather than my real life in which I spend 5 out of every 7 days in a professional office environment and change to my cozy sweats when I get home. On weekends I hang out with my husband and baby, but the Parisian cafes and art galleries are few and far between.
Up until recently, I've been lucky to have a fairly relaxed shopping budget, so I have a closet full of good quality clothing that fits me and that I actually like, but that I never wear. I just think that is wasteful. I'd rather see it go to people who will actually wear it. My problem is how to decide what to get rid of. Time and time again I've started the paring-down process, only to be frustrated by my apparent inability to figure out what I actually do not need. So this time I need accountability, and my accountability is to you, ladies.
I'd love to do this in one fell swoop but that just isn't going to happen, so I've decided to start with the wardrobe category that should really be the easiest: casual tops. Apparently I have 29 casual tops. Note that this does not include loungewear, workout gear, tank tops/camisoles, sweaters or outerwear. I've done the calculations and based on there being 96 weekend days in the year, theoretically I would wear each of these approximately 3 times per year - but in reality the wear would actually be a lot less because I'll often wear a tank top with sweater, neither of which categories actually appear on this list. In my opinion, that's not enough wears to merit a place in my closet. I want to pare down by about half.

Here is the list:
4 short-sleeved t-shirts (white, 2 black (crew neck, V-neck), 1 blue canvas)
6 long-sleeved t-shirts (2 cream, black, grey, chartreuse with lace, burgundy with ruffle)
10 shirts (white, embellished white, chambray, dark wash jean, olive, bird patterned, red plaid flannel, blue plaid flannel, sailboat patterned, short-sleeved floral)
4 flowy/swingy tops (blue ombre, black/white patterned, blue batik, cream/blue/orange patterned)
2 marinieres (1 cotton, 1 light knit)
1 short-sleeved polo shirt (green)
1 fitted cotton top, short-sleeved, with peplum (blue sparrow pattern)
1 turtleneck (black)

I realize that since I am new here and have never posted a single photo, you ladies aren't familiar with my style. So really I am just looking for any sage advice and/or support.
For reference, I live in an area with a temperate climate - much of my wardrobe gets used in multiple seasons. I am 40 years old. I would consider myself a classic dresser with artsy and retro twists, and in my professional life am firmly on Team Dress/Skirt, although on the weekends even though aspirational me primarily wears skirts (we'll get to that little collection later), actually I'm often in my jeans. I like having a polished appearance. I tend to look young for my age, which is great, but one of my goals is to start dressing in a more sophisticated (but not overdone) manner.
I appreciate any words of wisdom you may have and I will report back later...
Sorry for the novel, and thank you!

11 years ago

annabelle

Veteran

Welcome, Jennifer I love having a pared down wardrobe. It helps me enjoy every article of clothing to the max. It sounds like you really understand yourself and your lifestyle; congratulations! and have fun with the husband and baby. I think you should do one last trip to Paris before thinning out your wardrobe, right? Please do post photos when you get the chance. I'm always inspired by other women's outfits here at YLF.

Meredith

Almost every aspect of my life is casual, but I still like to have variation in my day to day life. For example, dinner out with my husband, lunch with a friend, and volunteering are all casual dress events, but I wouldn't necessarily want to wear the same outfit for each occasion. Can you break your casual days into more specific categories and make sure to keep a few appropriate pieces for each? Looking forward to hearing what the others suggest!

thimblelina

(website)

Welcome!

First off, I would begin by packing away rather than hauling away so you have time to make some swaps & give things second chances.

Secondly, I would focus on two categories: fashion basics and things you absolutely love (and I mean love on your body!) The reason I say this is because the white tees, black sweaters, chambray shirts and navy blazers of the world are kind of the glue that hold a lot of other more ambitious looks together. If you already have them, why buy again? And things that just make your heart sing when you put them on are very important; don't ignore or dismiss them!

If you have an avalanche of similar items I would sort through with one of two metrics, the first being Brigid Rae's' 'one and done'... Pick your favorite black pencil skirt and bam! out go the rest. Or if you really LOVE pencil skirts, for instance, use Mo's approach from A Moderate Wardrobe and apply her rule of threes: one dark example, one light example, one bright or printed example and then call it good.

I would examine the space I have & keep only what can be comfortably stored; I wouldn't, however, get hung up on numbers or limits overall. You've already bought this stuff, the sunk costs are done.

And then what I did when I had younger kids was just step up my every day style quotient a little. What was I 'saving' things for anyway? And so what of something got spoiled if it wasn't being worn in the first place? You might be surprised that some of those Paris cafe looks translate well to park dates and kindermusic classes with comfortable shoes and a slouchier topper.

Anyway, just my 10cents. Have fun with this! You'll find so much help here!

Krissy

Active Member

Thimblelina, what good advice! I'm also considering cutting down on a few pieces in my closet that I just no longer ware. One and done - sounds like a great rule.

Helena

Well I think thimbelina nailed it ... So I'll just add my vote of support and look forward to updates!!

Oh, I forgot: use Angie's M(om) O(n) T(he) G(o) archive or her color ensembles for looks you can start to put together with elements you most likely already have! You might find a few pairing tweaks and half a dozen new touches like a fluid cardigan, a pair of amazing ankle boots, a blanket scarf, etc give you an instant wardrobe makeover.

Jennifer

Thank you, everyone, for your support and ideas so far.
Never fear, I won't dispose of the staples. But I just have to confirm to myself what those staples are, in my case.
I also agree that the Paris cafe outfits can work at kindermusik with a change in footwear. But I still don't need 18 Paris cafe outfits.
I'll have to look at the MOTG archives....wasn't aware of that series!
Part of what is driving this, other than the wastefulness element, is that I am running out of storage space. Ideally I would like to get my wardrobe down to the point where everything fits comfortably into my (rather large) closet plus my chest of drawers, without any overflow into the guest bedroom, Tupperware bins, etc. I don't like the fact that currently, I can't see everything that I have in one glance. I want the elegance of a pared-down wardrobe that annabelle refers to....
(And annabelle....I wish a visit to Paris was in the cards right now....I may be able to manage a whistle stop in London later this year but I probably won't get back to Paris for a few more years yet!)

harmonica

Welcome! I support you on pairing down the wardrobe and starting with what you think is the easiest focus area. Looking forward to your updates and feel free to post pics. There are so much insight and help at this forum!

Beth Ann

Greetings, Jennifer! I'd encourage to consider the following first:

1. Toss any items that are slightly worn or ill fitting. Casual tops are rarely worth serious repairs or alterations.

2. Toss tops that are serious outdated (Remember those swingy tops with empire waists and puffy sleeves?)

3. Toss any item you don't enjoy wearing

4. Toss anything you can't work into 2 or 3 outfits.

This usually gets me close to my number goals!

Anonymous

Hi Jennifer! You've already received the best advice here - so there isn't much to add. When I hit the wall you've described, I get ruthless and determined, and go through things with an objective eye as possible. It's not like you'll never be able to buy a new top again, so get rid of anything in those points Beth Ann and Thimbleina laid out. Go for it! And welcome to YLF

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

Everyone's got such great advice already. I agree with Beth Ann that a great way to start is to get rid of anything that is worn or woefully out of date or doesn't fit. Then start trying to build outfits with what's left, using Angie's ensembles and capsule wardrobes for inspiration, and see what seems to work well for your lifestyle and makes you feel good. Maybe you could consider doing something like project 333 with a limited number of items, packing the rest up out of the way temporarily, to get a visual and spatial breather. Several members here have done that and found it really helpful, even if they don't stick with a totally minimal closet forever.

I'd also consider brainstorming about how you might be able to wear some of your casual tops at work or for more formal situations. Maybe you can't or don't want to, but it's worth a thought.

I've constructed a list of numbers of stuff I want in my wardrobe, but it took me several years of being at YLF and trying different things before I realized what really works for me. I don't think you necessarily have to have a list or numbers, either - setting a limit based on what fits in my closet and drawers is where I started and I suspect that's what a lot of people do.

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