Fashintern, the pieces that I wear to substitute the "right" garment that I have not found yet are in a colored cell.

"Too many" for me is more than 5-10 pieces for each category, depending upon the category (5 jackets are already too many for me, and a total of 10 shoes is enough).

Initially I used a spreadsheet too, and tracked cost and cost per wear. Then, when I got a job with lots of travel, I realized what I needed more was a *visual* system that would enable me to put together wardrobe capsules on "paper" first, before trying everything on and packing it in a suitcase. Having a visual system also helps me figure out where the holes are in my wardrobe, and whether I have orphans.

So about 4 years ago I started using PPT, but have recently moved to google slides. Either works, although PPT has the benefit of being able to crop out the background and make it transparent. I had tried some of the apps first but found the learning curve and flexibility and time investment was just too high for me. This method is much quicker and easier.

Initially to set this up I had to do google searches for items that were close enough matches to clothes/accessories I've had for years, and that did take time. But now I am in the habit of grabbing the web site image every time I make a purchase.

This enables me to play endlessly in my closet without leaving my laptop, and with it now being on google slides, I can play around with it on my phone too. I've got slides set up for "tops" "bottoms" "toppers" etc etc. I've got slides set up for capsules such as "work" "casual" "formal" "winter." If I am interested in adding an item (say testing out a new trendy piece), I can play around first with it virtually to see if it'll work with other items I already own. I think this method makes me a lot more thoughtful about my purchases as I can easily see, for example, that I already own a black V-neck sweater so I don't need another. Even if that sweater is packed away in storage for the season. No more out of sight, out of mind.

Every time I have an upcoming trip, I make a slide for it and cut and paste and rearrange and think through what to pack on "paper." This doesn't replace trying everything on before packing, but it makes the process much more efficient. When I return I note down what I actually wore and will note if an outfit felt off or needed tweaks or once again I bypassed those jeans because they are too tight in the waistband....or wish I'd brought a warmer cardigan instead because the conference room was way too cold.

I also used this slide deck recently to do a massive decluttering. I found it way easier to go through the images and make judgements about what should stay and what should go. Removed the emotions a bit.

And I keep track of WiW outside of work travel as well, though I'm a little more lax in this department. I will remember to note down new outfit combos and outfits that felt especially "right," that I want to wear again --- but don't bother with outfits I wear over and over -- because it's less about cost per wear for me and more about the creative exercise.

My Tampa trip is coming up in a few days and I've got several slides I've been playing around with as the weather has been all over the map!! I've got a slide for cooler temps and a slide for warmer!

Attached example for you--- this is the slide I put together when playing around with Angie's black, cream and olive ensemble awhile back....

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Using ppt or other familiar software is brilliant!

Looking at the forecast, you might get to use your warm and cool weather slices for Tampa—assuming 60s is cool to you.

Tanstaafal, thanks for starting this thread - have read with great interest.

And thank you Jenn for the ClosetSpace recommendation - have downloaded it and started to add my wardrobe to it. Looks great so far - particularly for logging favourite outfits, numbers of wears, and for a visual prompt of what I already have when shopping...

I do like spreadsheets, in fact I made one for Christmas gift ideas this year but for wardrobe and clothing not so much.

I use the hanger thing and it works for me

I have also started using the ClosetSpace app on Jenn's recommendation. We'll see how long I stick with it, but I'm liking it so far. I loaded the bulk of my fall/winter clothes into it, but will enter the rest as I wear them.

Jenn, do you load photos of you wearing the outfits into the app? The cover photos?

I like to use a mixture of spreadsheets and just collected photos I've taken over time. I use the spreadsheet to track my purchasing trends and overall costs. This way I know what I need.
As for outfit ideas, I am pretty basic and don't do much. I'll browse through stored photos and use a hanger to mix and match outfits together until I find something that works.

SarahD8: That is brilliant to have a column for weather. I am forever wondering what I should wear at certain temperatures. So clever!

tanstaafl , I don't use the cover photo feature, mostly because (aside from gear) I rarely repeat full outfits with the same accessories. For having a not-so-large wardrobe, I mix and match a LOT, so it's not particularly useful for me. I can see how it might be useful for others, though!

I thought of another benefit of tracking when I was looking at a cardigan in my closet and wondering why I hadn't worn it in a while. When I looked back at my tracking for that piece, I realized that I'd gotten rid of a lot of the pieces I used to wear with it. I still like the sweater, so now I know to be thinking about companion pieces the next time I shop.