Wardrobe edit exercise on Pinterest - YouLookFab Forum

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Wardrobe edit exercise on Pinterest

Irina

Veteran

My whole wardrobe is saved on boards in Pinterest. I started 4 years by creating yearly boards and adding pictures of every item I bought. Eventually I found pictures of my older items and now have a full picture.
This weekend I have been thinking about how much I actually love my clothes. I don’t have big plans for editing. I earmarked about 20 pieces that will have to be evaluated at the end of the winter and in the beginning of the next summer season. Mostly, older garments that might be moved to lounge wear and a few have some style shift issues.
I’m keeping the rest and possibly some questionable items.
But do I like them equally? How much would I keep if I ran a ruthless (and unreasonable) edit?
So, with this in mind, I created a new board and copied everything that I really love. The result? I kept a bit more than 50%. The rest is OK but I would not miss it. I feel disappointed in myself to a certain degree. I was hoping that I made more concise choices and my wardrobe is more curated then it actually is. My selection of “keep” items is not limited to interesting designs, recent purchases or statements. But I certainly need to be more selective with my essentials.

Over to you - have you thought about the % of your wardrobe that is not just OK but great for whatever reason. Please, don’t get me wrong, I’m not encouraging anyone to get rid of unloved clothes nor I’m planning to do it myself. More than anything, this is just my musings on the state of my wardrobe and my own purchasing decisions.

Dressing

41 replies

Latest reply was from Janet

rachylou

Veteran

That’s cool, your pinboards. I have a lot of just ok clothing that I find necessary for completing outfits. I have to remind myself to look at ‘ugly’ things because, well, they’re often the ticket. I think about that.

Tanya

Veteran

This is excellent timing, Irina! Your post is very thought provoking as I have been considering something along those lines.

Briefly, I have always had and enjoyed a very large wardrobe and I like to think that it is well organized and managed. I have recently reached the upper limit of my storage space, and I live in a studio with two medium-sized walk-in closets. I will be moving in ~1.5 years ( I am long-term planner, and this move is a long and complicated story) into a bigger apartment (one bedroom + den), but all of those in my area have just one closet, and at best it would be 25% bigger than the bigger one of my current two. So either way you turn it, I am going to need to get rid of 25-35% of my current wardrobe right before I move. Some of the things will be worn out by then and I expect my fluctuating size to stabilize one way or the other by that time, too. That should help with decisions, but still. I have plenty of time to figure this out, but it still stresses me out. It will be interesting at that time to see if I can make a distinction like you describe. I would actually hope that I can identify 25% or more of my wardrobe that is not great to me. We'll see.

Anonymous

I’m not sure how I feel about my wardrobe , to be perfectly honest . I don’t have as many really great pieces as I once did, and sometimes I wonder if I’ve peaked in that regard and am on the slope downward to a more moderate wardrobe of lesser priced pieces. That sounds dramatic and tragic . That said , there are categories I haven’t updated or kept as current as I once did but I’m still with-it enough to notice and be emotionally affected by it . Jeans , some footwear , hats , bags - those are areas I would love to spend on , but my newly -practical side is saying “no” . It could be a general feeling of blah that’s colouring my view : I hate my hair , I have less $ to spend now that I’m in semi-retirement etc- all of it adds up to looking in my closet and seeing the same old stuff . I need a wardrobe advisor and a bank account to match

MsMaven

Veteran

I'm like Lisa--I'm not sure how I feel about my wardrobe right now. I have been thinking a lot about it lately because I've bought more items this last year, but haven't spent as much money as I have in the past. I'm having a hard time accepting that times have changed and my body and life have changed.

I'll go take a look and see what the percentage might be. And I have been experimenting with color and pattern a lot these last couple of years. I do know that overall I'm happy with what I have right now. I've added lots of new colors--brighter colors--and I've added many brown neutrals and somehow it all seems to be working all right. For now.

Sal

Veteran

That's a fun exercise Irina. The ones with wear issues could be upgraded when you need them, and the style shift issues it will be interesting to evaluate.

I did a very quick run through on my wardrobe spreadsheet and got to 72/98 pieces being total winners and the balance being okay.

Footwear was the highlight (most satisfied) at about 90% love, with everything else being similar around the 65-70% love.

Of the 25% ish that is merely okay, there are some essentials that I would struggle without, but there are probably 6-10 pieces that I could remove and probably not miss. They are mostly pieces that I am tired of, or that are a bit fussy, or that I feel are unflattering.

cat2

Veteran

Going casual at work, moving to WFH, and then the pandemic shut downs have meant my prior wardrobe planning skills are virtually useless. I have been experimenting over the course of the last few years with a bunch of casual looks but don’t feel like I have a very good grip on where I am really headed. In the meantime I keep just wearing and remixing what I have until a no longer needed category expires. Sheath dresses, classic wool trousers and most of my cardigans are gone, but I don’t have much affection for their replacements. I hope another year or two of experiments will help.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Half my wardrobe is in the cellar, so even if I did turn on the lights to look at my closet, I wouldn’t see all of it. But even if I could, I would not be able to come up with such precise numbers, because what I love fluctuates. I wore my red flares heavily the winter I got them, then hardly at all last winter, but now I seem to be back into them. There must be something I’m wearing less of to make room for the pants. I think it’s the mini skirts. But who knows, maybe in a couple months they’ll be my heart-eye favorites again.

Tanya, with more than a year to go before your move, I think this is a great time to start evaluating. You can go season by season. Only problem will be if you are as fickle as me.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Interesting experiment! Would you say the things that were left on the first board are essentials that you are just not excited about, or actually completely unnecessary? Do you ever use them to complete an outfit? Do you ever wear them at all?
I cannot begin to fathom how my wardrobe would fare in this sort of test - I have a whole category of clothes that I don't wear but feel I might someday (not event clothes, not fantasy life clothes, just clothes I am not in the mood for right now ).

Anonymous

Back to participate without whining about myself - a Pinterest board is a really good idea . I love Pinterest and bet this could work well for me . It might be easier to see the big picture - literally and figuratively - that way.

Irina

Veteran

Rachylou, made me smile
Tanya, 1,5 years to plan - that sounds like a lot even for someone who likes to take time to plan.
lisaP, retirement (or semi) is a huge change. I often wonder what would I need or most importantly, want and able to afford. Well, I think about retirement a lot in general
MsM & Sal, seems like you are doing well with your wardrobe, much better than me.
cat2, I wish I had your patience. It seems I rush into things too much.
Fash, I also think that later I might enjoy wearing pieces that are out of favor right now, like my camel sweaters.

Shevia, I do wear most of my so-so clothes and shoes (all were included, even scarves and bags). I’m going to analyze more but from the first glance, items I’m not excited about are:
- clothes that I liked a couple of years ago but now would prefer a slightly different cut
- clothes that I thought would work well but somehow doesn’t.

- colors that I liked last year but not into this year (like camel/caramel)
There are a few items that were bought on impulse but most were chosen with intent. They are not orphans, they fit into my wardrobe.

I accept the fact that my style changed in the last couple of years and some older pieces now feel off.

Irina

Veteran

LisaP, I’m a visual person like the most of us. But my clothes is stored in two closets, some sweaters are in a dresser. Pinterest boards is the only place I can see it all but also sort. I can check what I bought in 2018 (my first yearly board) and what I still have from that year.
This year I’m putting together monthly Wish List boards. If I purchase an item, I move it from a wish list to my 2021 board. Sometimes my wish list is big but I keep coming back to it and edit. What can I say, I like playing with pretty pictures

Anonymous

I do too - that’s why I’m so attracted to Pinterest .

I too have clothes I’m no longer interested in from a style standpoint , but feel I have to wear them even if they aren’t my first choice . I don’t know what the solution is - when I don’t want to turn over my wardrobe so quickly . I don’t think it’s a fad-chasing issue as much as it’s an age and lifestyle issue .

lozz_oz

Veteran

I think Pinterest is such a good tool to use to get a complete idea of all the items of your wardrobe - particularly if they are stored in different wardrobes and areas of the house.
I wonder if many of us are feeling a bit ‘disconnected’ from our wardrobes, given the reality of the past 2 years. I find that I need to remind myself that my needs now are simpler and more casual, and I need to be really careful with what I need to add to my wardrobe. Thanks for your musings as they are both reflective and helpful.

Synne

Veteran

Interesting as always! I am also conflicted about my wardrobe. It is so huge. But do I really wear the clothes? I have so many blazers, shirts, party dresses, but do I really need them? One of my big style inspirations is Trinny, and she just did a video on "knitwear". And I realized: yes, this is it. One CAN look stylish and put together in a knitted sweater and jeans, two staples in my style that I LOVE to wear. Maybe that is enough for me?

approprio

(website)

Veteran

This is such a big question with so many variables I’m not sure where to begin. And once it begins, will it ever end?

Having recently through necessity either benched or disposed of many items I really did love, while living through the same global lockdown we are all facing, I find myself falling back on The Rest. This is where I rediscover long forgotten pieces at the back of the closet, experiment with different silhouettes and find a few unlikely heroes amongst it all. Luckily (nah, luck had nothing to do with it) I have been able to reboot what is left of my wardrobe with a handful of carefully chosen pieces.

This is deeply personal, and we all have different approaches, but I like what shevia says. It works for me to keep a cache of clothes I know I like but I’m not in the mood for right now. To me, a sustainable closet is a closet I can shop.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

What a great idea, Irina. I have fallen out of love with Pinterest — too many ads and sponsored “suggestions” but the concept of your tracking and editing is really appealing.

Like Jaime, I have a large wardrobe and am a very mood-influenced dresser — and shopper. After buying almost nothing in 2020, I’ve gone a bit nuts in 2021. I’ve definitely got a little much for a still-limited pandemic social life, but I feel like for the most part, the things I’ve gotten that are not for everyday are things that transcend trend for my style and I’ll enjoy wearing them in future years even if this year is still a bit of a lull.

I do sometimes revive old things from my holding zone or the midst of my closet that have been going unused. The magenta scarf I posted the other day got worn twice this weekend after languishing for several years, and I enjoyed the shot in the arm it gave my grey and black coat (which has quickly become my new favorite!).

This does, however, make me think about a semi edit — looking at my items and determining what are favorites and perhaps weeding out the non-favorites (just to a holding zone, nothing drastic for me, LOL!) simply to see what it looks like in my closet. This would also give my eye a rest from the non-favorites, and then I can look at them in a month or so to see if I’ve missed them.

Sometimes I think my issue is I’ll pull out an item and think I love some aspect of it but not others, or that it’s not super useful but I love it when I wear it. I am firmly in favor of keeping the latter. I don’t have to wear something every week or every month to enjoy it. But I need to be more discriminating about the first category. For instance, I have some tops that have prints I love but the cuts are in some way not perfect. Sweaters in patterns that I like (my argyle weakness) but are feeling a little old to me now. Stuff like that.

Plus I remember that I have a storage container of stuff I need to list on Poshmark or the like that’s been sitting for months… and then I start feeling overwhelmed… I need to remind myself of that next time I am thinking of buying something new!

Anonymous

There are definitely pieces that are the completers- as Rachy said, but also things I'm still wearing but feel ST 2019 or earlier. I'm not editing right now aside from condition though, cause I was always too quick to edit in the past.

lyn67

Veteran

I can do this on the Stylebook I play with for almost 2 years now. I do have a plus category named "edits" for each category of clothing so I can put there any item from "My (actual) Closet" if it does not work anymore and write down the reason, the date& where it has gone. I find it a good tool and agree Pinterest can work out almost the same.

Star

Veteran

I have listed my entire wardrobe as of Jan 2021 and have been tracking wears. I wrote here on YLF a while ago about Would I Buy it Now. At the time I applied this question to each item and turns out that it is 50% I would buy again knowing now what I know about the item and how I feel about it. It doesn't mean I am purging half of my closet, this knowledge is helping me making future purchases when I do again (as have been on No Buy since just before covid).

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Interesting idea, Irina! I'm glad this way is working for you and others on Pinterest!

I don't use Pinterest, but do a very similar process on YLF Finds. I find that the visual digital representation of my wardrobe - and the sorting of it into groups, capsules, complements for all sorts of reasons as I see fit - absolutely indispensable. I also keep the digital representation 100% up to date. It is the ONLY way to see exactly what I have AT ONCE and very clearly. I cannot be as organized, and make as good a shopping decision without this tool. Am very thankful for it

Irina - (and others), don't be hard on yourself about the other 50%. It's been an unprecedented 21 months filled with a myriad of emotions, stresses, and rough times. Our needs, fashion priorities, and style moods have shifted back and forth - and will continue to for a while. Things will settle eventually! It's all good.

Anonymous

Disconnected is the perfect way to describe it for me .

And I knew Angie would chime in with her use of the Finds feature here . A similar tool.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I have done that same wardrobe exercise in real life, putting all my clothes on my bed and then returning the “true love” pieces to the closet and carefully evaluating everything else. Like you, I didn’t do it with intention of a major clear out, but it helped me think about future direction and potential replacements down the line. Also like you, I think I ended up at about 50% adoration, and I consider myself pretty happy with my wardrobe in general. I find it useful to put myself in that absolutely ruthless frame of mind every once in a while during wardrobe evaluations, but less useful to live there every day.

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

I always enjoy these deep dives into wardrobe planning and analysis, and I think your Pinterest idea is especially interesting! I have assorted boards on Pinterest: a closet edit worklist that has outfit formulas, a personal color palette and a mood board to introduce new ideas or themes into my closet. But it never occurred to me to add photos of what I already have, and I think that’s absolutely genius!

I’ve probably replaced 75% of my wardrobe this past year because of the pandemic: weight gain, lifestyle change, and a deep desire to stop wearing black during these turbulent times. I had a landmark birthday last year, and at times, it feels like the “invisibility switch” got flipped on, despite all my bold talk in previous years about not having an age-related expiration date.

You’ve made me pause to consider the Satisfaction Level. Without walking upstairs to look, I’d say... 65-70% Deeply Satisfied And/Or Thrilled. I know this, because I visit my closet every two weeks and dig out the things I’m not excited about and ponder. They’re inevitably “boring” essentials that I’ve been using to build and layer outfits this fall, or seasonal pieces, that I think I’m going to get excited about again in the spring. If I’m really on the fence, I make myself style an outfit immediately and wear it somewhere, to run errands, online meeting, or dining out. Often, actually wearing the item reminds me why I bought it in the first place, and I keep it.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Great idea, Irina, and interesting conversation! Like a few others (Janet, Angie) I don't use Pinterest (ads, suggestions, shudder!!) but I do use Finds in a similar way, or try to. I'm less organized and up to date than Angie on this.

I didn't do a count, but I just did a brief check of my wardrobe on Finds. I have a very high satisfaction rate. There are some items, true, that I rarely if ever wear, but mostly that's because I don't have occasions to wear them. And yes, there are a few items that I don't love -- some workout tops, some footwear that isn't fitting as well anymore, a few coats that have seen better days. A lot of what I don't "love" falls into the completer piece category. There are also a few not-fully-loved but essential essentials, of course.

I like what Jenn said -- it's useful to think in these terms for forward planning purposes, but you can't just edit out everything that you don't adore, because one type of person would end up with nothing but statements and another type of person would end up with nothing but the brand new pretty things, and another person would wind up with nothing but super-simple and constantly worn essentials, and so on.

I also like the idea of a sustainable closet being one you can shop (for those with larger wardrobes, I mean.) Interesting approach.

Runcarla

Veteran

This time last year I documented my wardrobe on Finds. Its great for playing around with my closet. I also keep and manage some Pinterest boards, but they are more about style inspiration, outfit copy cat, and colour combinations (as well as gardening, food, humour, and other topics.)

I seem to have the same 20 items in high rotation, but they shift with the seasons. I’ve sustained numbers in the 80-85 range consistently, and though all items don’t get rotated evenly, I have all my bases covered.

When it comes to ‘occasion’ wear - and I don’t just mean dressy or formal occasions - I have fewer, and possibly only one, outfit combination. It becomes more important that that one outfit is a 10/10 or has a high happiness factor.

I’m feeling a little restless at the moment, and though it doesn’t translate into wardrobe dissatisfaction, I am evaluating style direction for 2022 as a possible way to liven things up.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I also like the idea of a sustainable closet being one you can shop (for those with larger wardrobes, I mean.)
It took me the longest time before I understood that Angie’s regular round-ups were things for people to buy. I had been reading them simply as an indicator of what’s trending, so I could see what I have that’s similar. I’m kinda slow that way. But I have never liked having exactly the thing, much prefer to have my spin on it.

Anonymous

You can opt out of suggestions and reduce the number of ads on Pinterest . It makes a huge difference I have to google how to do it every time - but if I do whatever has to be done a couple of times a year, I'm good.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Here’s where to change those Pinterest settings
https://www.pinterest.com/emai.....DgaanWuzkr

You can also do it by following these steps (copied from https://help.pinterest.com/en/.....n-settings)
Open the Pinterest app on your device and log into your Pinterest account
Tap your profile picture at the bottom-right corner of the screen
Tap the ellipsis icon in the top-right corner
Tap Settings
Tap Notifications
Tap the notification category you wish to customize:
Personal account holders will see three categories: On Pinterest, By email, or By push notification
Business account holders will see two categories: By email, By push notification
Please note: to see the list of push notifications, you might first need to turn on Pinterest notifications in your device’s settings. To turn on push notifications for Pinterest, follow the steps below.
Tap Open Settings
Tap Notifications
Toggle the switch next to Allow Notifications to turn notifications on or off
Set your preferences for each type of notification.
Your changes will save automatically.

Irina

Veteran

Thank you all! There is so much wisdom and experience here!
I’m sorry, I’m unable to answer to each of you, too much work ATM.

Yes, we all made adjustments due to Covid. I haven’t had a chance to wear some of my clothes but I love it and it made my imaginary cut.
same applies to my event wear, which is a very small collection of items. It stays in the closet and I’m fine with it.
I have to think about the idea of a sustainable closet where one can shop. For me, a sustainable closet is a wardrobe of use, where everything is worn and loved. When I look at the clothes I’m not happy about, I noticed a common thread - I like the idea and not an execution. It might be that a cut is right but fabric is not or vice versa. There is a lesson here and I hope to learn it.

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