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Tracking Wears no more (long)

Star

Veteran

Hello Everyone

I have been tracking wears for nearly 3 years, since January 2021, and as of yesterday I realised there is no need anymore. So what have I gained.

Firstly by actually listing my vast wardrobe (currently 250 pieces, excluding shoes, bags, hats, scarves & lounge/sleep wear) I immediately realised I have way too much. I had more when I originally did it, but I have been practicing 1 in 2 out so this is where I am now. I always knew my wardrobe was too much but listing it in groups ie. skirts/dresses/jackets, etc it really hit me in the face. I am not a huge shopper, some of these clothes are 10 to 20 years old. The thing is the more you have, the less often you wear things and they do not wear out. Well that is more true for the older stuff. So I definitely will carry on with the 1 in 2 out principle and shopping mostly 2nd hand, as well as not buying too much. I think 150 pieces or less would be good for me for 4 seasons.

The most important take-away for me is the right fit. My clothes that are fluid fitting in the waist area, be it tops (button downs or blouses or Ts) and dresses that fit fluidly in the waist get the most wear. I am an apple shape and regardless of my fluctuating weight I feel most comfortable not emphasizing my non-existent waist. So why did I keep buying items that are not fluid fitting ?!?!. No more. Even tops with patterns that I am not crazy about any more, when the fluid fit is right, they are getting a lot more wear.

Then fabric. Only cotton, rayon or linen for summer. These dresses, shirts and skirts are the ones getting all the wear. Only summer dresses and skirts. I do not wear them in other seasons.

From here forward very few patterns. The only patterned item that really gets a lot of wear is a navy/white striped T. All the non-patterned items get much more wear. The exception is summer dresses. Dresses and skirts need to have a narrow silhouette. The wider, circular ones don't get much wear.

Black is a favourite, especially in knit wear, and then camel/taupe/grey. I did not know.

Lots of other little things but the above mentioned is what stands out for me and will inform me when buying pieces in the future.

Curious to know how long other trackers kept if up for and have the take-aways been similar? If you have any questions I will be happy to answer.

Dressing

33 replies

Latest reply was from Allora

Roberta

Veteran

This kind of thorough organization and knowledge of one's wardrobe may look a little anal from the outside, but you have demonstrated the understanding it can reveal. I do not track wears except in the most casual way, but I inventory my closet very carefully and keep a spreadsheet of everything I have bought for the last 10 years now.

When I get rid of something, it is almost never because it is worn out, but because it doesn't fit, or something about it was a mistake in terms of my style, or I have just gotten tired of it for some reason. I go back to previous years shopping and cross those items off. It alarms me how much I get rid of within 5 or 6 years. I have very few items of clothing that are long-lived in my closet (I apparently keep shoes forever). That was my big takeaway, and like your discoveries, I realized a few things about prints and stripes and cuts and fabric too.

This has made me much more careful about what I buy, and helped me reduce my shopping this year by more than 50%. But it also kind of horrified me when I realized how little use I have gotten out of much of what I have bought in the past. Yikes.

kellygirl

Veteran

I've never tracked but I'm in awe of those with the discipline to do so. I did a big purge when I swapped seasons in my closet. It's always kind of enlightening to see what I put away--some things never got worn yet I'd put them away thinking I'll wear it next summer. This year though, I was much more discerning. Many of the lessons you took away are things that I realized--fit, fabrication and pattern. In that exact order! I culled everything that did not fit on my post menopause body. Cleared out all of the polyester tops that made me sweat--not all poly is created equal, I think. Some items were allowed to remain. Removed the overwhelming patterns that I struggled to wear. Granted, I'm not done but I'm consciously trying to wear what I have. I wonder if tracking would have helped me realize these things sooner. I guess I'll never know!

Bonnie

Veteran

I've been tracking wears for 7+ years and like you have gotten a lot of good information on what to do in the future. Agree that the more clothes the less wears each one gets. My closet was overcrowded, so I stared reducing the number of purchases from 30+ a year to only 7 so far this year. I've also started putting away half of my clothing twice a year so I could focus on the items that worked best for each season. I mostly liked the items I had accumulated so it was a matter of enjoying them rather than getting distracted by new purchases and purchasing. I'm still planning on tracking with the goal of balancing my wardrobe to reflect what I need rather than what I think I want. Looking at the numbers is a reality check. Ex: My dressy capsule is full of things I like to wear and enough is enough.

Star

Veteran

Bonnie You are so right, looking at the numbers is a BIG reality check.
Having tracked for 7 years, do you think it is valuable to do it indefinitely? I thought I have gleaned the info and there is not much more to know but now that I am thinking about it, this is not a constant and I guess the numbers change as our preferences change. I also put away clothes out of season.

Kellygirl How interesting - Fit, Fabric and & Pattern for you too! I wonder if that is the same for many people. Yes, poly is not created equal for sure. I am not sure you would have come to this knowledge sooner if you tracked. I also knew I that I had been going off pattern for a while without tracking but the tracking made it super clear. I also am making an effort to wear what I have. Example; from my tracking I noticed an olive tunic length shirt that does not get any wear in summer because it is too long with shorts and is a very thin cotton. I really like it though so I consciously chose to wear it with jeans when the high summer weather cooled a bit. Previously in non-tracking times it was never getting worn. I could say for the last few years I am officially Shopping my Closet. Having the clothes listed in categories really helps. If I want to wear a particular skirt I can then physically review the list of tops to see at a glance what may work. Obviously this works for me because I have a large closet, those with fewer items can see this directly in their closet

Roberta interesting how your form of inventory tracking has revealed similar data. I will still keep an Edit and Addition list.

Dee

Veteran

I don’t track wears, but I’m curious about how others actually do it. I have a large wardrobe, and I don’t think I’d be consistent enough with my tracking to make it worth my while. I can’t picture myself doing a up a spreadsheet or anything like that. I once had one of those apps where you photograph all your clothes but it was pain and it ate up a lot of my memory on my old phone and the app eventually crashed too.

Currently I have some of my wardrobe entered as custom finds on YLF, I have found this quite easy to do, and although it doesn’t help me track wears, I do at least I have an inventory of some of my wardrobe now which helps me when I’m out shopping. I think I have a good sense of what I’m wearing most often and what’s not really being worn much at all, but I’m not sure I need exact numbers for this.

Sal

Veteran

I track on a spreadsheet - I open my laptop for work every day so it’s not hard to do. I have been tracking for about 15 months - I am learning less this year than I did last year so I think the returns are diminishing. I wonder if I will stop at two years but I am still finding it useful.

I agree Star that tracking makes it clear when you have too many items or when you have things that you are not drawn to.

SarahD8

Veteran

Super interesting, Star! I love data/analysis so I want to be a tracker, but I cannot seem to get in a consistent routine of it.

When I have tracked my wears in the past the lesson has been I don't wear things as often as I think I wear them.

It sounds like you have gotten some really good insights into your preferences and how you want to move forward! I'm curious -- if you took out everything in your "from this day forward, no more" categories (fitted waists, wrong summer fabrics, winter dresses/skirts, patterns, wide skirts), how close would you be to 150?

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I am like Bonnie- I’ve been tracking since May 2016 which is when I found the site Recovering Shopaholic. Then I found YLF from that site. My original Google search was “What is a normal sized wardrobe?” I was overwhelmed by my wardrobe at the time and had no clue on how to reduce it. It was about 200 items including shoes. Plus other sentimental and dress-up things!
I have found it invaluable to me and think I may have saved thousands of dollars by buying more practically. I wrote my wardrobe down on paper seasonally- autumn winter and spring on one page, tops in one section then bottoms then jackets and cardigans then dresses, the same for summer, and then a separate page/list for the shoes.
I chose paper because I get tired of computers and wanted to do it in the morning after getting dressed, and just make a tally mark when I wear something. Of course the lists get scrappy so I rewrite them when that happens. Which I find relaxing!
I have an incredible handle on what I own now (anal, yes) and like Bonnie buy a lot less, but more than she does. 10 items so far this year.

Teresa

I’ve tracked wears 3+ years using the Stylebook app. I’ve found it beneficial in a number of ways. Over time, my wardrobe has gotten smaller as I tracked which items I could let go of because they weren’t getting worn. My biggest takeaway is which categories have the highest numbers of wears, and thus are worth a higher percentage of my budget—for me it’s bags, coats, and exercise gear and shoes. Lowest number of wears is in t-shirts (I’ve duplicated too often in that category). I also like the app for packing, as it allows me to have a list that shows photos of the items.

unfrumped

Veteran

I don’t track, but I agree with you that with a large wardrobe, even if things are loved, there are many items in rotation per season but there is less wear & tear on any one thing, so things look new for a long time. This is something I try to work on if I Br home something new, I may have it for a looong time with no real reason to get rid of it.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I meant to agree with unfrumped in my first reply- that with a large wardrobe things don’t wear out easily. Much of my knitwear that I wore all winter is decades old from the 80s and 90s. Strong wool that hardly needs washing and still looks pristine. I had plenty of compliments on these very old items!

Runcarla

Veteran

I’ve been tracking for 4 years, and was thinking I might stop, but decided to continue for reasons both Bonnie and SarahD8 mention. I need the reality check of what I actually do wear, and I’m not always a good judge - thinking I wear certain things a lot, and then realizing that I don’t.

Honestly, I just track tops, bottoms, and dresses. I don’t go overboard with outerwear and accessories, and hold onto footwear until they are down at the heels. I’m drawn to skirts and dresses, but wear them far, far fewer times than I think I do.

I changed how I manage laundry about 6 months after I started tracking wears, and have discovered that all clothes last longer if they are line dried. So that is one take away. I’m still learning which fabrics behave best, and durability(how many wears) and practicality(ease of care) are factored in to future purchasing decisions.

Tracking is also teaching me which brands are more dependable than others - though a brand might not necessarily be consistent over time. Still, I might shop a brand that has provided me with ‘high number of wear’ items before I look at another brand.

I feel like 2023 was the first year that I was doing more of the things I see myself doing, and that 2020, 2021, and 2022 were anomalies. I wore some things harder than I might in normal times many other things not at all. Shopping patterns were different as well. (I’ve heard some people say they want to get rid of everything they bought/wore during the past 3 years!)

Like Jenni I track with pencil and paper. I also have most of my clothes in Finds.

Julie

I tracked for a few years and that helped in many of the ways others have already mentioned. Then I stopped for a few years, and came back to it this year because I think some critical aspects of my style changed. I guess what I learned this year was that I have a clear uniform for each season. And I learned how many of each thing I actually need. I feel like I wear pullover wool sweaters constantly in the winter but it's really only for 20 days, so 5 sweaters are surely enough. By spring I start dreading more hand washing, and switch to easy-launder knit tops. I like having my list handy whenever I shop.

I also noted how many days I didn't really get dressed haha, ie just wore loungewear or hiking/exercise gear. I didn't track those items because I feel like I have very functional capsules for those things, and I don't distinguish the items much - everything is very mix and match, and I add only if I feel like there are laundry bottlenecks or if things wear out. But those days amounted to 30% of the total. So that was a good reality check. I work from home sometimes and apparently don't mind wearing sweatpants to the grocery store.

I also tracked the items I let go of and why-what I liked and didn't like about each. That was humbling but educational. Some things were worn out (footwear, eg) but many were not. I learned that I tire easily of patterns and anything with contrast. I realized that comfortable waistlines are a must, either stretchy or fluid or high-rise enough that they are at my actual waist.

Finally I learned that my professional clothes capsule needed a re-imagining, so the tracking helped me to figure out how to get a bit dressed up but still feel like myself, by tweaking my "uniform".

Anyway, it's been fun but I think a year was enough for now, so I will probably quit tracking again after I get some good fall numbers.

Joy

Veteran

Tracking has taught me that all years are not the same. Some have a long summer of hot weather, others have almost no hot weather in summer and lots of cold. Some winters are icy and snowy, others are cold but dry. I have a hard time finding new summer dresses. They all seem to bare somewhere. I like suits with a sleeveless shell. I have far too much. Right now I am concentrating on fall colors and refuse to wear anything for spring. This is hoping to lead me to wear more things in season. If this does not work, I will have to get rid of lots in my closet.

Star

Veteran

SarahD8 Your interesting question has an interesting answer. I have asked the Would I Buy it Now question to all my items and marked each item with a Y or an N. I have 149 Ys

Dee I have a listed all my items in categories in a MSWord document. Everyday when I open my laptop I update the number next to the items I am wearing.

Star

Veteran

JenniNZ Your thoughtful downsizing has been inspirational to me. I also really enjoyed Recovering Shopaholic. I think I was one in the early 2000s. And Unfrumped High Five - I mentioned in my 'novel' that the more you have the slower it wears out, and that the older stuff is of a far superior quality too. JenniNZ I love you still wear and get compliments on items from the previous century! I have and wear some late 90s items too. I too now have a very good handle on what I own and what I want to own.

Star

Veteran

Julie High Five! I also realised the actual numbers I need of items, and it is much less than I have in most categories.

Thank you Everyone for your input and experiences. Just to add I moved from a two season climate to a four season climate in 2015. Most of my old winter clothes now work only in a very short Spring and Autumn. Summer here is humid, previously it was hot and dry, hence poly no longer works for me. So this tracking has helped to define some items I should never buy again. The only season I have exactly the correct amount of items for is Winter, which is the longest period of the year! Where I lived before it was never really that cold, so I had to buy these deep winter items more recently and am happy to say that I have not over purchased in this area.

Star

Veteran

Joy all years are definitely not equal. On top of the reasons you mention I fall in and out of love with items. And back in love again. That is why I don't edit easily. An item I am totally off this year may become a favourite again in the future.

Star

Veteran

Carla I too only track clothes and not loungewear or accessories or shoes (and just wear my shoes into the ground, I too walk a lot as I believe you do). I do track coats though. I only line dry. I was lucky in that the covid years did not affect my dressing and activities too much.

Star

Veteran

Theresa I should never buy another T-shirt again!

Sisi

Veteran

I am tracking since 2015 (actually since 2012 but those files went lost). Sometimes I think I could stop but I'm afraid I have become addicted. Tracking has taught me some precious lessons and has improved my shopping habits and wardrobe management. In addition, I could never imagine I would have so much fun with numbers, analysis and statistics!

Anonymous

I just started tracking this year. I do it with paper, because I don't use my computer very often. Will continue next year, but not sure how much longer than that.

I have had a Huge amount of churn this year, mainly for condition, but a few things were just bad buys.

I do wear most of my wardrobe, so my actual numbers are pretty good, despite the squeeze on the physical space.

I wear transitional things more than I thought, between having a mild winter and a cool fall.

The external factors (body, work, activities, and weather) are constantly in flux. I want to learn over multiple years what the constants are, beyond the obvious things like black pants.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I don't track wears! I enjoyed reading this though

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I find tracking has been very useful.It confirmed what l already knew but it helps to see it in black and white.Like you l have been gradually whittling down my wardrobe and knowing what l do/don’t wear has helped to organise my thoughts about wardrobe related things going forward.

Star

Veteran

Sisi I may be addicted too! Two days in and I am kind of missing it Haha
Angie You clearly do not need to track You know what works for you and why and how.

I must say I am surprised that there are quite a lot of us trackers here.

Chiara

I wax and wane. Sometimes feeling like I’m getting off course- buying items that don’t fit in or don’t work with what I have, or that I then realise I’m not really wearing. So I do a bit of an audit and track. Then I get distracted, and track less. Then the cycle repeats!
I have learnt a lot about my style, fabric, colour and pattern preferences through tracking, so very helpful knowledge, and in some ways this has diminished the need to track.

Star

Veteran

Chiara Well said! - the tracking is diminishing the need to track. That is it for me for now.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I have tracked in one way or another for probably fifteen years now. My current method is writing what I wear in my planner each day and then transferring that info into a spreadsheet every week or two.

As Runcarla said, part of why I do it is to keep myself honest. Even after all this time, I still find myself believing I’ve worn certain pieces way more than I actually have.

Recently, I’ve also been interested to see how longevity is impacted as my buying habits change. For example, I’ve noticed items I purchased secondhand haven’t had the longevity of similar new items, which makes sense, but with the numbers in front of me, I can actually see whether the difference in cost was enough to make up for that.

I also just really enjoy looking through my old calendars and seeing what I wore at different times and in different seasons. WIW photos work similarly for that.

Star

Veteran

Jenn I too like to look back at previous seasons and see what were favorites. I am curious about the cost of new vs second hand and longevity. Which one wins?

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