Aliona - I very much relate to your dilemma. I have a fairly large closet and, while it's very organized and everything in it fits me, it's quite full and I am overwhelmed in the morning. Susie's comment sums up many of my workday mornings: "I used to flit from one idea to another, wasting time until I finally just put on some clothes to get out the door!"

I am taking in everyone's comments and learning a lot. Thank you!

I like making outfits ahead of time, when I'm not in a hurry. Quite often on the weekends I'll put up the clean laundry and then spend some time pulling outfits together from things I haven't worn in a while. I'll hang them together in one area of the closet, and then I can just grab if I want. I'm not militant about it, I sometimes pick something else, but they're there if I want them.

Aliona, not much time to respond sorry. But yes my style descriptors have shifted a little but I try not to stray too far because when I do I don't like how I feel. For example, I'm less interested in the extremes of volume & structure now & have all but eliminated black but I've found other ways to give me the looks I want.

The forum member who used the "boutique" was Lisa. It helped to cure her from overbuying. And made decisions easier. I am on my phone now and can't link to her profile but she also wrote a blog about this.

I laughed at myself for forgetting my own advice to Joy!! I think I forgot it because it didn't work as easily for me last year due to unstable weather conditions. But I still did something rather similar, reserving certain items for warm autumn and some for cool spring. And this does ensure that I give loved items their time in the sun, so to speak, and don't neglect them.

I've really enjoyed reading through this thread. Thanks much to all who are sharing their wisdom!

How I purge:

1. Does it fit? - Nope? Either moved downstairs or gone, depending on why (maternity clothes are all donated, and a lot of pre-maternity has been donated, too).

2. What condition is it in and how much effort to make it look very nice again? Will I go through the effort?

3. Do I actually like it?

4. Is it dated? This is trickier, but you know, that slate grey midi skirt suit from the late 90s was most assuredly dated.

5. Is it comfortable? If it's fussy, I am learning I won't wear it. Ever.

After that, comes the hard bit. Making outfits and the like. I will leave that to other fabbers who are waaaay better at that than I am.

One of my primary reasons for purging is realizing although I like something, I don't wear it. For example, I just don't often wear sleeveless tops. Although I think I'll wear them under jackets or sweaters, I only wear jackets or sweaters when it's cooler and I'll usually choose something warmer under them. Condition, comfort and fit are essential considerations. And unless it's a dress, if it's difficult to make outfits with a specific garment, that's also something I consider. I'm in a different place from you in that I have been building a wardrobe and am now reaching the point of deciding how large a wardrobe I want. Some of what I don't want to keep and decisions in terms of future purchasing choices is whether they are "similar items". Not necessarily exact duplicates, but close and how many I want or feel comfortable with of similar types of items, styles and colors. How many black blouses do I want or need and what even differentiates them?
In terms of purging like items, although they are all fine, for me some decision relates to a ranking where if I had to choose, and for a variety of reasons such as style, comfort, ease with mixing with other items, age of garment, which would I prefer to keep and which would I want to let go.

I would not toss things that you say you adore.
I found this somewhere and saved it and posted in my closet
guidelines for keeping/tossing

1. Does the item fit?
2. Do I like the way I look in it?
3. Do I like the way I FEEL in it?
4. Have I worn it at any time in the last couple of years (or longer)?
5. Does the item look dated?
6. Is this item simply taking up space in the closet?
7. What are the chances of me wearing this again?
8. Would I buy this piece again if I had the opportunity?

You know, Aliona, I've been pondering this exact same question and was going to post it the same day you did! I have a large wardrobe, tend to impulse buy, and like to 'reinvent' myself frequently...this thread has been so valuable. Thank you for starting it!

This is a fabulous thread! I must come back to read when I have more time. I'm in a similar boat, loving almost everything in my wardrobe, but not knowing how to organise and purge.

My things have exploded out into the spare room and it's getting so out of control.

I haven't read all the responses yet, but I will (that's for my second cup of coffee). I go by the 3 F's and an S - fit, feel good, flatter, and no stains. If a wardrobe item doesn't meet those, out it goes. And I don't care how old anything is. Yesterday I wore my all time favorite pair of summer pants that are about 7 years old (in pristine condition) and got many compliments on my outfit.

I have a small closet and had a large wardrobe, but this summer I purged about half of it by applying the 3F/S rule. Also, every weekend I decide what outfits I'm going to wear for the week ahead (one outfit for each workday plus a spare, and any outfits for going out after work) try them on if I'm not sure of the combinations, iron them, and hang them on a rack in my spare room. It makes getting dressed and out the door each morning a snap.

I like chadya's list very much -- I'm going to save it for future use, myself.

I'm feeling a bit like a forum outlier these days. I'm not very purge-happy at the moment. Yeah, I could stand to pull out some things I have not worn in ages, and to review my holding zone, but all in all, my approach to closet editing has gotten less frenzied. Some of this may be simply because I have been traveling for much of the summer, and I know my unworn things are unworn mainly due to lack of opportunity to wear them in this particular season.

For instance, I've barely worn my Vince jumpsuit from last year this summer, but there is no way I'm getting rid of it -- even if I only wear it rarely, I enjoy it when I do. However, there is an old marble-print skirt in my closet that I've resisted donating because I love the print and enjoyed wearing it five or so years ago -- the kicker is that every time I've started to put it on in the last two years, I take it off in favor of something I like better. Oh, and one time I took a photo of an outfit with that skirt and felt like it made me look even wider than I am. That's a sign that this particular skirt needs to go.

I'm not trying to attain some magical number in my closet, and I know I have a wardrobe that many people would consider "large" because of that. I went through a couple of years of buying a lot after I discovered YLF, and that is now calming down. I feel like I've come a long way in figuring out my style, so I'm making fewer purchasing mistakes and taking longer to tire of items in my closet.

I have some pieces that are difficult to style, and they'll never be workhorses, but I don't want to let them go for various reasons. I don't subscribe to the idea that everything in my closet needs to be a workhorse, or completely versatile, or practical (Angie's recent post on that topic hit home for me).

I've also had a couple of purging regrets in recent years that have led me to consider more carefully why I want to let something go. I purged some tops after losing weight that I now wish I still had because fits got looser, and what once looked "big" on me would now look easy and current. Oh well, we can't always predict what we have in our wardrobes that will come back around!

This is probably sounding like I'm anti-purge, which I definitely am not, but lately there has been so much celebrating throwing out all the "stuff" in our lives (I'm not talking about just on YLF, but on Facebook and many other places, and yes, kondoing has become a verb!), that I have an instinctive reaction to defend the practice of a gentler, more careful form of editing.

Chadya, Karie and Janet, I appreciate hearing your edit tips. Janet, you share some real wisdom, and I very much relate to your comments on the marble skirt and purging larger size items. I have been in the exact same situation in both cases. I'll be honoring and wishing a fond goodbye to my go-to wrap skirt of the past four years, which has been hanging unworn in my laundry area all summer.

In addition to the overwhelmed by choice issue, another realisation about my wardrobe dawned on me as I begin going through my summer items: I'm starting to resent the amount of time I spend curating a large wardrobe--planning, cleaning, maintaining, etc. I'm very much hoping Suz and Joy's tip on smaller capsules helps with this.

Roxanna, CocoC and BethT, I'm glad to hear this post helped others--and knowing others are in the same boat is good group therapy for me!

I'm totally in the same boat Aliona! I have a large wardrobe and love everything in it, though it makes it hard to get dressed in the morning because I'm overwhelmed with so many choices. I don't wear a single item that often, so they don't get worn out. If I purge something it's usually because it annoys me while I wear it or no longer fits. I'm not always a good judge of when something is outdated so I tend to hang on to things too long. I usually pass on my purged items to my sister and she picks what she wants (mostly everything!). The few items I regretted were usually something that got featured in one of Angie's outfits or ensembles (lace bomber jacket anyone?) or that I purged because they were too baggy, but now that I've gained some weight I am wishing I had back. I think I need to be more ruthless about purging. However, I think I need to face that I'm never going to attain one of those minimalist closets. It just doesn't work with my matchy-matchy and print-heavy style, because I tend to dress in outfits with just the right bag and accessories, rather than having a mix-and-match neutrals-only wardrobe. I think I just need to get better about planning my outfits the night before so I'm not rushing around in the morning. Good luck with the purging and just remember there's nothing wrong with having a lot of clothes that you love!

Well, I really REALLY suck at purging. I have a 5-year + purge project that is still ongoing. I have, though, managed to clear out half the boxes in my mother's basement (yes, that bad!). Two things come to mind that helped with that, which come from YLF:

1. Setting one's style parameters - and sticking to them. My problem is, I'll buy and wear things that aren't *my style* just for fun. But this is unhelpful in so many ways. So I've been cutting things that are just too far afield.
2. PPP. My problem here is if things are a little off, I'll say So What? Well that's all fine and dandy, because it's not the biggest problem with my RATE punkette hipstery style, but leads to an enormous amount of *filler* in the ol' closet. So I've been working on being pickier and more of a perfectionist, so long as it doesn't leave me looking too sharp... which is something I avoid unbelievably!

Also, every time I wear something, I evaluate it. I just chucked a shirt I really like because it's ever so slightly squeezy on the arms. Hard to let go, I love the material, but PPP!!

Ugh I am doing a closet purge today. It is depressing to try things on because I am too fat for half my wardrobe. A couple of items were accidentally run through the dryer and are too small, but most of them are just small because In have gained weight.

Also, I am coming to the realization that I hate all my dress pants; even the ones that aren't too small seem to have "fit issues" (whiskering across the hips, too short to wear with my heels, etc). Maybe I should switch to skirts. I rarely have a need to wear dress pants, but still.

My purge equation: 1. Is it current? 2. Would I ever wear it out of the house? 3. Does it fit? 4. Do I ever actually wear it (rather than just thinking about wearing it)? 5. Is it reasonably wearable/comfortable? If the answer to any of those questions is "no"....I purge.

Petites, I'm sorry to hear about your purge pain. Body changes can be so frustrating. I always prefer pants over skirts, but I have noticed my pant fit changes as my body ages, and even the ones in my size can suddenly have whiskering or comfort issues.

Rachel, I totally identify with your statement in buying & wearing things that aren't our 'style'--boy do I ever do that!

Goldenpig, I hear everything you say--we are in the same boat, including our style tendencies for outfits over mix and match neutrals. Thanks for helping me relax on this. As you and Rachy say, I may just be a large wardrobe person, at least until my items age out or become too worn or uncomfortable.