What if you made yourself wear what you have first

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Mo, I'm assuming you still love the item you are forcing yourself to wear first - no?

9 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Yes, well, at least wearing it first to see if you love it or if you only loved it in theory

9 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I think sometimes we get carried away with the idea of a new trend or silhouette and snap up several of ____ before we actually road test it to see that we indeed would need, or get use out of, more than one ____. Putting the (shopping) cart before the horse, if you will.

9 years ago

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

Mo, this post makes me think of your recent post about being attracted to a certain type of garment that you rarely if ever wear. It was that thread that got me started thinking about bags/purses and why I have so many I never use.

I have to admit I am guilty of wanting new and often seem to end up with a number of similar pieces. A friend used to evaluate items based on whether they added a new element to the wardrobe or were just a substitute for a piece that she already had. I think this is a great way to think about new items for the wardrobe.

I also get what you mean about those items that just sit there. I have put on certain items a few times and then changed to something else. If that happens a few times, then I have to consider letting it go. But I see what you mean about giving the neglected pieces a chance before replacing.

9 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Aha. YES. I support this strategy. Consistant road testing is an excellent idea.

9 years ago

unfrumped

Veteran

That's kind of what I'm trying to do now. For me ther are 2 issues-/ either there's something about something I don't love and do am not wearing but still not tossing-- so I need to figure out, toss or not, and then, don't immediately call it a " hole" but wait and see first; and 2, I have limited occasions for some things and may get some great things for them, but overbuy for the % time of use- imaginary lifestyle thing.

9 years ago

Meredith

Veteran

I'm going to accept this challenge. Just with tops, though. Should be an interesting experiment.

9 years ago

Gaylene

Veteran

Timely post for me, Mo. "Shopping" my closet to reduce my wardrobe size has made me painfully aware that I need to road test before repeating. Sometimes a repeat IS a more wearable version of the original, but I'm also seeing that, more often than not, most repeats just languish in my closet taking up space. Dianthus' question about whether or not a new purchase adds a new element is one that I'm going to take to heart.

And, on side note, reducing my closet by almost 2/3 is making me much happier than I'd have thought. As my closet shrinks, my personal style seems to become more discernible and distinct. Originally I thought that culling by 50% would be hard, but I'm actually finding it gets easier as the volume decreases because I'm becoming much more confident about what I want to put on my body.

9 years ago

LACeleste

Veteran

Hi Mo,
Starting 2 months ago, I started this very approach inspired by your spreadsheets and excellent wardrobe analysis.
I will let you know how it turns out.
Thank you for getting me on track.

9 years ago

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

I don't undertand, Mo. You buy something--and then before you know whether you like it and before you have even worn it?--you buy another just like it?

Is that what you are saying happens?
I may have done that in buying my pants, tunics and leggings for my "new" fallwardrobe--but, as it is my foirst time setting up a wardrobe, conciously, it would be pretty hard not to. But I wouldn't expect it to continue.

9 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Meredith, let us know how it goes.
Gaylene, I'm pleasantly surprised to hear you are liking your closet the more you are culling it down. That's awesome.
Dianthus, yes, how can I have 6 purses when I've been using the same one daily for over 3 years, and an evening clutch just a couple times a year?? That is exactly what I'm talking about.
Cathy, it's humbling to think I inspired you. How is it going so far?
Alana, perhaps you don't Have a swelling, bursting closet but can't seem to stop it? Or have a hard time with a practice like 1 in 1 out? And so this post doesn't really apply for you. If I recall, you have a smaller wardrobe? Under 100 items?

9 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Unfrumped, yes, there is the other issue of having more ____ than your lifestyle allows for you to wear. 10 cocktail dresses would be ludicrous for me, for example, but not for a lady who's going to evening affairs in DC with a political career.

9 years ago

Joy

Veteran

For me the answer would be to make myself wear what I have about 5 times first. This would force me to work at styling the piece or giving time and opportunity for my eye to adjust to something new to me ( like tube skirts) or just to lose my fear of wearing it in public ( leather pants).

9 years ago

LACeleste

Veteran

I am fortunate to have and enjoy a large wardrobe and am finding this approach is exactly what I needed to get smarter about managing my wardrobe. I tend to go too deep in a category because of initial passion + sales. I'm not talking sale goggles-- just opportunities to buy items I love at a price I deem fair. I love silk blouses and thought they were my thing, but time has shown me that the maintenance is too much for regular rotation for me. I could have learned this from silk blouse # 3 rather than silk blouse # 12 if I had just hit pause. Live and learn---from all of you!

9 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Yep, that's been something I struggle with. I over-duplicate, sometimes making do with an item that's less than perfect and struggling with it, then trying to buy a nearly identical but more perfect replacement. It's a big pitfall of mine.

9 years ago

jennifer

Veteran

I can see the benefit of duplication or replication for other season ( I wore a sleeveless black pleather jacket till the back collar shows wear . I've duplicated / replicated it with a more all season fabric version) . But duping everything that is a supposed " must have" leads to wardrobe congestion . If you live in knits and tees and jeans then twelve formal suits and three dozen button downs and blouses will just be clutter. Even something that is usable if there's too much of it ,it overwhelms.

9 years ago

MsMary

Veteran

This resonates with me. For a quite a while there (like, two or more years) I just kept buying even though I literally had more clothes than I could wear. One thing that has really helped me is to look at each new proposed purchase and ask myself whether it would keep me from wearing something that was already in my closet. And if so, was that okay because the new item was an upgrade, or was it not okay because the existing item was already perfectly good?

9 years ago

Anonymous

I did not respond to this immediately because I needed time to digest what you are saying and what it would mean to me personally. I finally concluded that it would be incredibly depressing for me. I think I would find that I buy new things because I am not in love with the things currently hanging in my wardrobe. Now I need to figure out why that seems to be the case.

9 years ago

Suz

(website)

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Even though my wardrobe now includes more than 100 pieces, I'm still in the category of those that this question doesn't really apply to -- probably because I'm such an eager "editor" that I simply dispose of the evidence!

In other words, I get rid of the stuff that I don't wear, and quite promptly, as a rule (with a few exceptions.) This has the advantage of keeping my closet "efficient" but it can disguise spending patterns (if I fail to keep track), can gloss over an element of waste. and (again, if I don't keep track) it has the potential to blind me to my repeated mistakes.

So, thanks to you, Mo, I am keeping track -- not in a spreadsheet, but in a list of items, including all items that I "edit out" to show what has left the closet as well as what is currently there. And this already has been enlightening. I've learned that I fall out of love with and stop wearing those pieces that: A). are wearing out, no longer pristine (and this seems reasonable); B.) are less "current" or simply don't work as well with whatever is "current" in my wardrobe. Because if there's one thing I have observed about myself, it's that I wear my newer items more than most of my older items, however much I love the older ones.

I don't keep strict track of what I wear every day in a spreadsheet or how many wears each item gets, but I do take enough photos to have a rough idea. I'm going to get more systematic about this in the autumn to track my "warm autumn capsule" and see what I can learn from that.

9 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Suz, it sounds like you embrace a higher turnover rate in your closet. Maybe you actually buy more stuff than I do, but I hold on longer. I maintain around 150 items, wanting to slow my buy rate to 30 yearly, which makes for a rough 5 year turnover. I would bet you are closer to a 3 year turnover, or even less.
Sterling, that would depress me too I think. And yet, I know I still buy things I don't really wear. Maybe we all do, to some degree. I'd just like to really narrow that margin. The less I aim to buy each year, the more important it is to make it a smart, or useful purchase. And so, better to have 1 jumpsuit that languishes instead of 3, or floral pants, or drop crotch jeans or whatever.

9 years ago

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I've been trying to practice this for the past several months. I've been doing really good resisting something just because it is a trend or because I see someone else wearing it. Like I have several items in deep red tones so I'm set there and instead of shopping, went to my closet to confirm.

I could easily be tempted to more another pair of jeans (I wear them all the time) - or something new in forest green - but again, I have plenty of options so I'm just wearing the forest green tee I have and planning to wear the forest green button down this fall/winter. And I even wore my "summer" jeans recently - very light weight, distressed and super comfortable -- shout out to Rae for alerting me to the brand Big Star :-).

Nordstrom

Big Star 'Alex' Distressed Stretch Skinny Jeans (20-Year Harbor) (Petite)

$136.00 $54.97

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9 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Way to wear what you've got Texstyle! I have some white BigStar (after trying half a dozen different brands) that I love. Hi five.
I'll admit right now I'm drawn to the Mango jumpsuit. But I have my F21 jumpsuit and have only worn it once so far. Yes, they are different - one is knit the other woven, a lapel menswear collar vs drapey, and black vs olive - but they are not different enough for it to be wise for me to grab a second one before seeing just how much the first gets utilized. Right now, the olive Mango is very tempting, but 3 months from now will I wonder why the heck I just had to have 2 jumpsuits and not be wearing either of them?

Mango

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Forever 21

Menswear-Inspired Harem Jumpsuit

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9 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Yeah...it probably will average that, Mo -- although it truly depends on the item and its quality.

Coats -- my winter coats are already 3 years old and still going strong -- I expect to be wearing them for 6 years or more, although I will probably supplement with an additional winter coat, as seems reasonable in my climate.

Jeans -- most will last longer than 3 years.

Jackets -- some cycle in and out within a season or two (Zara fast fashion types). Others will last 6 years or more.

Classic shirts, turtlenecks -- anything that counts as a wardrobe "essential" for me -- these are likely to last a lot longer than 3 years in my closet unless they wear out before that.

I think the items that may change over more quickly are the trendier ones, which makes sense. Meanwhile, the classic stuff will stay.

I think some of the quick rotation so far results from experimentation to find my style. As I get more confident, I may cycle more slowly on the whole -- with the obvious exceptions.

9 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Hee hee Suz, I was going to break down my categories more, but deleted it in the interest of being concise! I figure tops at about 3 years in my closet and coats and shoes at 7. It's all average of course, with some boots going on 20 years and other sandals only making it 2 or 3 years.
If you don't mind me asking, do you buy more than 3 items a month, on average do you think? I'm wondering just how moderate my plans are compared to the average shopper.

9 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ha! I don't think I am an average shopper. The way I have been buying in the last two years, I feel like an EXTREME shopper!

Keep in mind, though, I was truly wardrobe building, not maintaining. I started YLF with literally NOTHING. Not even underpants that fit. And had no clear idea of my style...which meant a lot of experimenting and tossing, you know?

Sigh....(thinking of the money I have spent on all this....)

I also tend to buy for an entire season more or less at once. And then not shop for several months at all. That's why something like "Austerity August" is actually no challenge for me. It fits with my usual pattern. A real challenge for me would be to "make" myself buy one, two, or even three items a month. It's not the amount so much. it's that I want to shop when I want to shop, and don't want to shop when I'm not shopping. If that makes sense.

I definitely bought more than 3 items a month this spring, on average! I think I bought more this spring than I have bought in my entire life.

I haven't yet figured out what a reasonable number of refreshers per year might be. I am sure it would be different for each person. I know Angie allows herself quite a few if she likes the offerings, but she needs to look especially on trend and up to date (and would want to, anyway, I expect, given her style). I know she also cuts back in seasons where nothing tickles her fancy.

And of course some would depend on wear patterns. If you wear your clothes out, well -- you're going to need to replace them. Of the things I wear frequently, some of them actually DO wear out. I must be pretty hard on footwear -- I go through at least one pair of sandals a year. I mean wear them into the ground. Ditto for booties -- I usually have a favourite and that one will be worn to bits by the next season.

Anyway -- this fall should complete the real "building" phase of my wardrobe. After that, I think I'll have a clearer sense of what a moderate upgrade pattern might be. I do think your average of 3 items a month sounds pretty good. It would allow a person to get 6 items per "sub-season" -- which makes sense to me.

9 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for indulging me I aim to go more seasonal with my shopping in the future, with more the first month, and then a month or two of no items or just the odd one, and getting some end of season refreshers.
I am starting to think the 2 or 3 a month is more a recipe for having shopping constantly on one's mind, and I'd like to get away from that. I enjoy it, and especially here in FL it fills a void, but I need it back in its proper place in life.

9 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

That's it, Mo!! For me, setting a "so many per month" limit sort of encourages me to shop more, in a weird way. Whereas saying to myself ...hmmm....let's see, what do I need to update my closet for this season and feel good about my clothes and then going out and buying it allows me to get on with other stuff -- like enjoying wearing it! I then start thinking ahead to the next season when it comes to shopping time, unless I bump up against a wardrobe hole, or something wears out, or I see a deal that I just can't pass up. But I'm less likely to fall prey to the latter if I am not consciously shopping.

9 years ago

cloud9

Veteran

Mo, thanks for yet another thought provoking post.

I don't have a bursting closet because it has huge space lol. I'd say my active wardrobe is not that big, but I have problem with 1 in 1 out rule. My average turnover for knit tops is 3 years due to wear more than any other reason. Second reason is fit (my weight is spiraling up. Even recently, my weight about same, but my bottom needs a size or two bigger! Maybe it's menopause related..). I just culled some pieces from 5-7 years ago due to style-gevity.

Then there is the "if I could only lose 5 pounds they will fit perfectly items"...

The other older pieces I maybe wear 1-2 times a year, but they are good condition/classic, so I have problem just getting rid of them. For example, that classic white button down shirt, even though it's not as crisp anymore, it'd still work as a layering piece under a sweater right? But doesn't prevent me from getting a new one...

Really something I need to work on more...

9 years ago

Alassë

Veteran

Great post as usual, Mo! You & Suz have got me thinking... at my wardrobe size, with a 5 year turnover, I should be buying 18 items/year. And I'm way above that. Uh oh, and how to fix....

9 years ago

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