Thank you Claire for this wonderful and inspiring post. I miss you when you take a break. I am on team large wardrobe but so admire your ability to do this and to enjoy it. I am trying to weed out the not so great items from my closet so this definitely helps. Please post often and keep us updated.

Wow, these are some marvelous comments, keep 'em coming. A lot of you have raised some very interesting issues for further conversation as well (I'm looking at you Ornella!).

I should probably give you some background on the 10-item wardrobe. Jennifer was an exchange student in Paris and noticed that her host family (and Parisians in general) had a few really great clothes that they wore in heavy rotation. Her host mother in particular had roughly:
",,,two wool skirts, one cotton skirt, 2 cashmere sweaters, 3 or 4 lightweight blouses, 2 coats (one for winter, one for spring) and a couple of pairs of Ferragamo-esque flats."
You can read about it here (scroll to the last post on this page):
http://dailyconnoisseur.blogsp.....&reve and here:
http://dailyconnoisseur.blogsp.....drobe.html
Jennifer is a work at home mom of two little girls. She is an author *waving to Suz* and has appearances on TV, speaking events and book signings. She also has a night life (a little jealous here) so she has tailored the concept to fit her life. She has lots of T shirts for day-to-day as well as a special occasion capsule filled with glamorous cocktail dresses and heels. Her whole point is to buy fewer items that are better quality, but make it work for your climate/lifestyle.

Deb, I have 10 items for F/W and another 10 for S/S. So far that seems about right for me. In the transitional seasons, I have the most variety, because I'm able to wear maybe 15 of my items since it's neither too hot or too cold. I don't pack my winter items away in summer because I sometimes need them for overly-air conditioned buildings. Also, I do not count shoes or bags in the 10 items, but there is one woman in the minimalist community who does!

Ornella, you're right, it should be fine for someone to see us again in the same (really great) outfit. Do you think this is easier for you since you are European and it's more common where you live? Or was this something that Flavia inspired you to think about? We should talk more about this. You (or anyone) should feel free to start a thread if I don't get to it quickly enough.

Anne, I don't include gear, loungewear or sleepwear in the ten items, but trust me when I say these clothes are minimal as well. For gardening (which really is just standing there watering at this stage) I wear whatever I have on. This may be moot since my garden isn't doing too well!

Suz, the reason for the dresses was 1. I was ready for a new summer silhouette and 2. I wanted something comfortable for at home wear that looked a little nicer than the yoga capris I lived in all last summer after I got sick and 3. I was tired of trying to put together outfits with skirts and tops whenever I went out. I was jealous of all you fabbers with your easy summer dresses. How easy is that? Just throw on a dress and sandals and you're done. Some of them are as comfy as a nightgown. I was inspired! I have a very good handle on my "activities" and I didn't really have to think about it too much. A causal dress will take you pretty much anywhere around here. Because it's a dress it's always seen as fancier than the equivalent in pants/shorts/capris and a top. For some reason I feel it calming not to be super trendy, so this is not a concession for me like it might be for you. I don't feel frumpy at all, and I'm dressed a bit nicer than most people around me. I would never want you to squelch your creative, novelty loving side Suz! I think you dress perfectly for your personality and your life. Please don't ever change.

Lisa, I have thoroughly enjoyed your DH closet challenge series! In considering your (and Suz's) climate, I remember living in Pittsburgh. I hadn't developed much style at that point, but I remember living in about 10 items for at home in the winter with my children. I had about three pairs of jeans, 3-4 turtle neck shirts and 3 wool pullovers. Then I had church clothes, which were separate. Maybe this is a lot more about personality and less about style.

Textyle, interesting observations. I hope you get all of your FFBO's sorted. I'm enjoying only having one handbag too. It keeps me very organized and pared down (it's a clutch).

Mtgirl, I also refuse to buy anything that requires a camisole, lol. It sound like you've hit on a strategy that really works for you. If I have to do anything really dirty, I'll wear my gear. But I found that I have a threshold for money spent on things I'm willing to wear around the house. All of my dresses were $12-20 each. For that reason, I'm not afraid to do laundry (bleach!) in them or cook (with an apron, of course). Had they been $100 dresses--even casual dresses (and I suspect that a few of them probably cost that when they were new) I think I would have saved them for going out instead. That would have been too big of a chunk of my budget to risk ruining something.

Peri, those are some good thoughts. If I count both summer and winter wardrobes, shoes and accessories and coats/jackets I am right around 33 items. As for the summer clothes wearing out sooner, I get your point. I guess I'd rather have five dresses that I wear out and get to buy five new ones next year than start with ten dresses and have to wear them for two years, IF it even works that way. The way I see it is that for the same amount of money, I have five nicer dresses than ten cheaper (synthetic, poorly assembled with a bad fit) ones. Of course I can't tell you that the cheaper dresses will always wear out faster. We all know that polyester can live in a landfill for centuries, lol! And of course better dresses are not always more expensive (see above).

Pastrygirl, forcing is no fun, neither the "forcing yourself to wear clothes you have and don't want to wear" nor the opposite "forcing yourself not to wear clothes you have and really want to wear". This really all should be in good fun. When I was posting outfits often, I felt like I had to impress everyone with a lot of different combinations so they wouldn't get bored. Never mind that nobody knew when a certain shirt or skirt had driven me crazy all day with it's fussiness. Sometimes certain outfits just work best a certain way. I started out putting things I wasn't wearing in a spare closet, but eventually getting rid of them completely helped me stop feeling guilty about purchasing them in the first place.

Claire, your thought processes in paragraphs 4, 6, & 9 mirror my own. Funny thing is that I have a much larger wardrobe - I've worn the same 4 or 5 tops all summer and get sick of that - but my quality standards are just as high. Thank you for sharing!

Claire, thanks for this thoughtful post and conversation. You have got me thinking about why this approach doesn't appeal to me as much as I think it might. I don't want to say as much as I think it should or ought to--that's too strong, and judgmental, whereas I want to remain observational here--but as much as it might, if I . . . what, which is what I'm pondering. One thing I come up with is that I love sewing and creating new things to wear. And I've thought of sewing for other people, but I really don't want to deal with pleasing other people with my sewing. (It's hard enough to please myself!) But I wonder if my sewing hobby isn't a big part of why I don't see myself going too minimal in my wardrobe anytime soon. At the same time, I often really get paralyzed by the decision about what to wear, because I have too many clothes, and a lot of them are a little off in some way.
I was thinking just the last couple of days about how much anyone notices about what someone else is wearing. I was thinking specifically about shoes, and what would happen if I just wore my very best arch-supporting ones to work (I have plantar fasciitis now)--they are an old pair of Ariat clogs. I realized that I couldn't say for sure what any of my coworkers were wearing on their feet for the last few days. And I'm pretty attuned to fashion, right??! Ha ha!

First of all Claire - thank you for sharing your process with us all! Second - please, please post both your WIW outfits and your thoughts on the forum more often! I am so inspired by you - and I need some words of encouragement from you on a regular basis!

After getting to spend the day with you and Vicki a couple of weeks ago (which was such a treat!) - I went right home and looked up Jennifer's blog and watched all of her videos on the 10-item wardrobe that same night! And oh - I felt such an adrenaline rush in imagining having such an easy, high-quality fashionable wardrobe - I mean, i wanted that!!!!

So, I started going through my closet - oh, it was (still is!) hard! - and I'm not done yet. (Which should tell me something right then, about having perhaps just a few too many items in my wardrobe???) I also sat down and wrote down exactly what my activities are for spring/summer - which boiled down to 80% of my time working from home, 10% of my time working at the animal shelter, and the rest is spent on going out with girlfriends at least once a month, game-night with my neighborhood girl-gang, the beach, once a month theater (dress-up), once a month movie, working out at least 3 times a week, and then other miscellaneous events. However, my wardrobe was heavily weighed in the direction of dressing up for theatre, concerts, etc. - what????

So, I started in on some lists - one was wardrobe "holes," one was outfits I can wear for everyday - and how I can easily and quickly modify them if I need to quickly run over to the shelter - which means dressing down even more than I do when working at home - animals can be pretty destructive on clothes - or, if I need to quickly meet someone, head to a meeting, fill in at the bookstore, etc. (which means dressing up more than I do when working at home.) This helped me to organize my thoughts and gave me focus.

I have a lot of clothes - so, I started with making 10-item capsules - one for working at home and one for going out - and then how to alter them if they needed to be dressed down or up. That has really been helpful for me. It was/is important for me to feel good while working at home - since that is where I spend most of my time - and, it doesn't take a whole lot for me to feel good - a comfy pair of jeans, a fun tee and shoes, and I'm set. Then, if I have to go out - I can switch out the top - either dressier or casual-er - depending on where I am going! So - that's where I am right now - not where I want to be yet - but in the process of getting there - which I am really enjoying!

One last thought - my husband and I love watching the International Home buying episodes on HGTV - and one of the things that is almost always a given is that if the people are from the U.S. - no matter what home they look at, they always think that the closets are too small! So funny how we think that we need such big closets to hold all of our stuff! I would bet that that is part of the reason that many European Women have smaller wardrobes - because they don't have room for a larger one!

OK - I'm rambling - so will stop for now. Thanks Claire!

Oh I so enjoy your posts, Claire! You write so well and I love reading about your journey to your 10-item wardrobe.

I know that I want to have a closet full of things that I love, things that fit well and are comfortable, things that work for my lifestyle, and things that I want to wear. I also know that I still have more pieces than I need, even if I don't know what my ideal number is.

One thing I've learned is that when choosing something to wear I heavily favor the new things. So I should probably start with not buying so much!! But I do enjoy shopping and I do like trying new things.

I've been tracking what I wear for 8 months now and it's been interesting. While I've found that I do wear the majority of everything I have, it's discouraging to see that a number of items were only worn once or twice. That seems so wasteful.

I plan to keep playing with my numbers and hope to find MY ideal size wardrobe.

Such a great discussion! Thank you for sharing your journey. Since turning 50, I've had the overwhelming need to simplify everything in my life, but I think it's going to be a long, slow journey because nothing else in my life has actually changed;-). I bought Jennifer's book and found great inspiration there, as I do from your posts. It may take me awhile, but I'm looking forward to the day when my closet, house and my workload are greatly reduced!

Claire, I enjoyed reading your post. I am subscribes to Jennifer's YouTube channel and read her blog when I remember. I love the 10-item wardrobe concept and think I'm at a point in my life where I am more comfortable investing in better pieces that will last longer and look better.

Thank you for yet another inspirational post, Claire! I've missed having you around. Your choice of a very small wardrobe is very fascinating. After some trial and a lot of error, I've come to realize that I'm not a true minimalist. However, a smaller, defined and high quality wardrobe is definitely something I yearn for, too. One of the reasons a 10 piece wardrobe would be impossible is my climate. Having only 10 pieces in winter is completely impossible, and i would also struggle in fall and spring. I realize that you don't count shoes and outerwear, but still.

I'm intrigued by the aversion towards wearing the same outfit twice, particularly within a short time frame, and have started another thread about it. It has to be about deeper cultural concepts than we probably reflect about on a daily basis. To me, that is one of the significant differences between European and American dress codes.

Wow, I find this post so very inspiring. I'm an aspiring minimalist and I want to come back and look back at your old posts to see your wardrobe in more detail. I'll also take a look at the blog you linked to, etc.

I've been doing my take on Project 333 for more than a year but with somewhere between 40-50 garments, not including accessories. Your post here inspires me to do so much better. My problem is that I don't always succeed at finding wardrobe items I love. Often I think I am going to love an item but as I wear it I find it shifts uncomfortably or has some other flaw. I keep it in my wardrobe for lack of anything better.

Thanks so much for sharing this and I want to echo others-- I would love to see you on the forums more often!!!

I just watched some of the videos and am intrigued by the idea of "extras." Do you have an "extras" section as well? What would a reasonable number of extras even be? I'm a blazer addict. I can think of one right now that I could live without, but I do really like it and plan to wear it when I go out tonight. Would a blazer like that "need" to go? Versus my black Gibson blazer that I would wear every day if I could!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! You've really inspired me to move forward with my plans on cutting back. For the last year, I've been really working on finding my style. Well, now I've found it, and I can't seem to stop wanting new things to spice it up, yet I find myself gravitating to a few outfits and only wearing different ones because I feel obligated to do so. Well no more of that! I have enough cheap things to get me through without anything new, so I think it's time to start saving up and investing in quality pieces. A 10 item wardrobe sounds so extreme right now, but other aspects of my life I've minimalized have been addicting, so who knows where I'll go with the closet purging?

Oh no Marley, you drank the Kool-Aid! Just kidding. I wish I was there in your room hanging out with you while you were playing with all your fabulous clothes. Promise me you won't throw everything away. You're a mood dresser, eclectic and very creative. You might need a slightly different version of wardrobe than I do. I hear you on realizing that 80% of your time is spent at home. That's me too. Maybe that can just govern your purchasing decisions in the future.

Susie, I think that's fantastic if you're wearing most of what you have on a regular basis. Keep doing what you're doing and the perfect plan for your wardrobe will eventually present itself.

Ingunn, there's probably a way to count only core pieces and not the ones that keep you warm, but that's okay. I think you have a very good handle on how to dress yourself fab-ly by now! I commented on your thread, too.

Jenny, I don't think owning any more or less clothing makes you any better or worse. You just need to find what works for you, like Angie says. That said, it does sound like you're having a similar experience to mine where some of your things are irritating or not-quite-right in some way. Maybe you could just concentrate on getting each new thing you buy really right, and eventually you'll have a small collection of things you love, whether or not you keep the old stuff.

I just filled six trash bags for donation. Most of it was my too-big clothing that I was saving for I don't know what reason. I went through it all and kept only the pieces I that I would feel great wearing again if I gained weight...it was about 10 pieces! The rest went into five bags. Also outwear and shoes that I don't love. The last bag was items I'd put away from winter or still needed to put away, but would be happy to not see again.

Phew. Now I can start the real process, I think.

Pastrygirl, I have many less extras than Jennifer, and I don't wear T-shirts, except for gear. She seems to be getting more and more clothes each season--but maybe that's just because she is showing us her extras and accessories and wasn't before. Of course she has a baby and toddler who are in the teething, burping up and finger wiping stage so I'll cut her some slack! I have one black blazer, my white Celine jacket and my Brooks Brothers khaki trench. I actually have a few special occasion things in with my F/W wardrobe because I needed them to bring the number up to ten, believe it or not. I reserve the right to count them in a separate capsule if I buy a few more things this fall. As for your blazers, I wouldn't get rid of anything, as long as you like and wear it.

Kaelyn (that's such a pretty name and spelling), paring down can be quite addictive, can't it? You don't have to go as extreme as ten, but just pick a number that seems right to you.

ETA: Way to go pastrygirl! That seems like the perfect number to save for your "next size up" wardrobe. I'll bet you feel amazing! Woot!

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences with your minimal wardrobe, Claire.
As always, I'm amazed at how logically you look at things, your discipline, and your ability to express your ideas so well.
You've done an amazing job paring your wardrobe down to the minimum, and planning it so that it works to meet your needs.
Unlike Jennifer Scott, who I think fudges her numbers quite a bit, you've really stuck to the challenge. Kudos to you!

When I read this, I feel kind of guilty, because I know I have way more clothes than I need. I don't really have enough occasions to wear my nice things as much as they deserve.
While I don't have the desire to cut back to 10 items, I realize that I could get along just fine with much less. I like to try new things, and have variety, but I could re-mix the things I have rather than buying something new.
Thanks for giving me some food for thought, and the inspiration to simplify life.

SUCH a good post, both the original content and all the insightful comments. Thank you for posting your thoughts Claire! I am by no means a minimalist, but I have been stepping up my paring down over the past two years.

As you know I experimented A LOT when I was exploring all the style options, and as a result acquired A LOT (mostly inexpensive). Those things got worn, sure, but I felt a lot better about donating the things that didn't fit into my style direction. I'm a bad purger though, so the process has been slooooow. I have also changed sizes since a lot of those purchases, and many things need either replacing or updating as well. Last spring through fall I took a shopping (and YLF) break shortly after making a few initial spring purchases, and just worked with what was already in my wardrobe. Which turned out to be just fine, although it lacked some of the fringe trendiness I prefer to have. I found maaaaannnyyy more ill fitting items than I expected, and am working on replacing a few ill fitting things with a single well fitting thing (clothes and shoes), which in itself lends to downsizing. I keep a fixed number of hangers, anyway, so it's been nice freeing up some of that space and I hope to continue with that.

That break also helped me focus on what my needs truly are. What I found was a huge gaping hole for casual-bordering-gear clothing, which I am making my focus this year. I'm still working through that, and have my own long post on the subject brewing. Basically I've found my normal clothes ("work" clothes, even though they're casual) generally get me through 3-4 days a week. The other 2-3 are weekend casual days; some of the work stuff crosses over, getting dressed down with BF jeans and flats. But "in the summer" I found I needed things I could go romp outside in which still looked presentable. I put that in quotes because when I actually looked at it, it's the time period from March through October! That is a ridiculously large amount of time to be missing clothing for, so I am glad to finally get a handle on it AND finally make myself purchase for it.

I don't think I'd go down as low as 10, even with "extras" allowed, but it is so inspiring to read about your process and what works for you. I hope you'll continue to post on the matter

Hi everybody, I'm practically a newbie but I'm loving the capsule wardrobe posts. I don't get fixated in the number (whether 10 or 33 or if it counts as an extra or not) but I'm obsessed with the idea of having only what I truly love and what fits. I once read an article about thinking of your wardrobe as you think on your GPA (for college students). In that way you aim for a 4.0 GPA-wardrobe which would be your most ideal. Any time you buy something, you have to think first whether it is increasing or decreasing your GPA. And it makes so much easier to purge the non-fitting outfits that are decreasing the overall GPA. I hope it makes sense.

I think for any of us, minimalist or no, the super important take away is to pay attention to our ACTUAL NEEDS. Angie teaches this again and again, but it can still take time to get through thick noggins like mine! It's so, so easy to buy for our fantasy lives, or even for our former lives and to forget to make purchases of clothing for the stuff of our actual days. Then we're tempted to go out shopping not only for the hit of new stimulation, but also because of some vague sense that we have "nothing to wear" -- even though we already own a lot -- and that sense, in a weird way, is actually justified because our purchases haven't really filled our needs.

The reason you do so brilliantly with this, Claire, is because you seem to have an exceptionally clear intuitive sense of your actual needs and what kinds of outfits would work well for you -- refined, of course, over a few years of careful thinking and experimenting. Whether I go minimalist or no, that aspect of your style journey will always inspire me terrifically! So thank you.

Thank you so much for sharing this Claire! It's good to know that minimizing the wardrobe worked out for you, and that you can finally focus on having few excellent quality pieces!

As you know, I'm going through a wardrobe minimalism challenge as well (Project333). I will eventually write about my experience, but after almost a month in and owning ONLY 22 pieces, I was so surprised that I have yet to repeat an outfit! Finally owning some separates changed everything, of course, but I'm quite surprised how much one can do with so little!

It's really great hearing about your experience! It's really inspiring!

I couldn't put it any better than Suz.

Like Angie, you really are an inspiration to buy what we need & wear the heck out of it. Thanks so much for this - such an interesting conversation

Claire, you are living the dream. Simple, happy, stylish, thrifty, effortless. I long for this. And yet I have a knack for finding ways to complicate everything. And I have many lives - professional, MOTG, UWP, fading athlete, grubby camper, hopeless lounger....

That said, I am wondering if I could do this for certain capsules. A 10 piece work wardrobe would make complete sense in my current job since no one cares what I'm wearing anyway.

Or would my inner shopper stage a revolution?

What are your current 10 pieces? Have we seen them all together?

I agree with the other comments! I think it is really inspiring to know that you can love clothes, and look gorgeous, but without over-consumption and waste. It comes down to intelligent shopping, which clearly you have down to an art. *watches and learns*.

Oh you guys write the best things! I wish I had the time and energy to converse back and forth with each of you. Thank you for all the insight. I'm getting ready to go to bed but I'll try to dash off a few more responses.

Marcy, you are the darling of the forum, and don't you dare change or even feel guilty. Many of us live vicariously through you and your fab style. Plus, people like you who don't wear out their clothes often consign or donate them so that people like me can still enjoy them. It's the CIRCLE OF LIFE.

Aida, brilliant thoughts. I can't wait to read the post that is brewing in your fashionable head. I think it's very important for your style to have an update of fresh trends each season, but a lot of us probably do what you did--underestimate how many casual/gear outfits we could possibly need. While you're at it, can you come up with some good looking formulas that will make us actually want to shop for (and spend money) on said outfits?!

Patricia, welcome! I liked your analogy of the GPA to our wardrobes. I'll remember that one.

Suz, your point about how we shop for things that will never fill the particular wardrobe hole reminded me of a person who is eating empty calories and is always hungry because they aren't getting the nutrients their body needs. Food for thought (ba-da-boom).

MsKatieKat, I can't wait to follow up on some of your outfits. That's amazing that you only own 22 pieces and you have not repeated anything in a month. You go girl!

Una dear, you might want to hold your flattery until you actually see my 10 items, lol. They might put you to sleep (or they would if you had to wear them for an entire season). Here's the post: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ems-for-ss
BTW, I think dressing for an uninspiring work dress code (like business casual) can be the worst kind of hell for a creative person. If I were you I'd do whatever it took not to loose my mind.

E, I loved hearing your take on things. And I love seeing the fruits of your labor. Finding a good tailor is really hard, and scary. You pretty much have to be ready to kiss both your money and the item good bye. Unless you like confrontation....which I don't. If it works out though, it's great and well worth it. I am intimidated with tailors, cobblers, hairdressers--really anyone performing a service for me. I do so many things for myself so I don't have to deal with the angst.

Claire, yes I will do that! It might take me until the end of the season to sort out, but I will find some

Wow, what a treat a Claire post it is!!! I don't know how could i miss the other thread where you showed your current 10 items for summer, but went back to admire it now!

OMG I love your 5 new dresses. The nr. 5 and 6 are my faves, but love them all, and I do relate to allocating half of your wardrobe for the most gorgeous of them on this planet! Please keep us posted, Claire, I always love to hear from you!

Thanx for sharing, now, off to study(not only read) your last 2 posts, and comments, this will be a weekend me time splurge:-)

I'm intimidated by those service scenarios too! Hence a lot of trousers with too big waists that I've put Macgyver-like tucks and darts in that then require being covered with a top. :/ So now I want to learn to sew, just so that I can have well-fitted trousers (and dresses, I always have waistline issues with them), because that seems less scary than finding a good tailor. lol

Well, Claire, you know how I feel about this concept, because my head was abruptly turned when you shared a few videos with me and then I read Jennifer L. Scott's book. Even though I'm not living it, I'm a fan, because I find this to be a streamlined and serene state of being that influences all areas of our life. Part of me wants to happily aspire to the ten-item wardrobe and another part of me is quite apprehensive of removing items from my wardrobe in such reduced numbers. It could be that I'd then be coming to terms with or looking squarely in the eye my purchasing mistakes, sentimental items and/or old standbys that seem still relevant. I do love the thrill of the fashion hunt and will always be one of those people. Yet, I know that with Angie's help and what I learn here on the forum, I'm getting to know myself more and it's a fun journey "with a little help from our YLF friends."

You feel like you wrote a book, because you did and it's brilliant and insightful, because you've done the research and are now putting it into action and showing us, the readers, how it works in your life.

I've loved reading everyone's comments and questions, because we are all hugely different fashion creatures and yet we learn from one another, as we are here.

For example, I totally "get" why you would select dresses for your predominate S/S wardrobe items. As you say, put on those cute sandals ("bikinis for your feet" one reviewer said) with one of your dresses, and you're ready to go. I think that's the way I felt about the "cobalt blue" dress I've got in my "donate closet." It seemed simple and cool for these warm Spring and Summer days, even though the color was a tad off.

You've chosen well and I love seeing how you do this. I await your next season, my friend, with equally great excitement.