I have been on a decluttering/minimalizing kick for almost a year now. I have done a pretty good job of purging in almost all areas of my home EXCEPT for clothing. I did the turn-the-hangers-backwards thing on January 1 of this year. We live in a four-season climate, so I had always planned to give that an entire year. My problem is that I LIKE clothes. Too much. I love the concept of a capsule wardrobe, but how do I get there in reality?
I also have a disconnect between my life and the clothing I like. I like dressy clothes. And tailored and professional clothes. But I don’t have much need for them since I stay at home and live in a relatively casual place. And I like color! @alh - I think I saw on the thread about clothes worn between getting home and pjs that you posted you only have black, white, and charcoal clothing! I could never abandon having some color, but I would appreciate guidance (from any and all) on how to get to a more minimalist mindset on my clothing.
ETA based on first comment. This isn’t a necessity NOW, but we plan a MAJOR downsize in the future, so I am trying to be pro-active and anticipatory of the need to reduce the amount of clothing that I have.
Anyone who’s traveled for an extended period of time (one month or more) can say they’ve lived with a minimalist wardrobe! I did that this summer for 4 weeks. I thought it was great living out of a 20" carryon until I got home and saw my closet and the clothing I missed. I’m definitely not ready!
If you’re up to the wardrobe downsizing challenge, you might want to check out Pinterest and search “capsule wardrobe”. D is using the tips to build her new post-college wardrobe.
Hoggirl: Probably I’m not telling you something you don’t already know, but there are a slew of blogs advocating minimalist wardrobes, ten piece wardrobes, etc.
I really enjoy all of them in much the same way I enjoy the decluttering books and blogs.
Daily Connoiseur is a cute young thing who does a seasonal 10 piece wardrobe for daily wear. She starts by thinking what she needs for her real life and then limits it to 10 pieces… not counting outwear and accessories. And sometimes I think she may go a piece or two over her limit.
The problem, as I see it, with a lot of the minimalist clothing blogs is the bloggers run out of material pretty quickly! They have a perfect wardrobe. They show us. What else is there to blog about at that point? But I do really enjoy them.
I’m trying to purge too. Next year the last one will leave for college. I’ve started already but find difficulty with clothing as well. My problem is that I keep dieting, loosing 10 pounds, then kids come home, we celebrate and eat everything in sight. For this reason the wardrobe has to be in several sizes. If I could just get a grip on that, I could get rid of more stuff.
It sounds like you are doing a great job. Best wishes for a smooth transition. Now, I’d better get back to cleaning my hoarding mess:)
I do the “if I haven’t worn it for a year” thingy or if I buy, for instance, two new pair of black pants, I’ll clear out a few of my older black pants even if I’ve worn them recently. I have far more springy/summer clothes ( mostly tops) that are another color than black - so I tend to keep those longer then my rule - otherwise I wouldn’t have anything but black, gray or white in my closet.
I also don’t work but need dresses for special occasions - other then that - I dress high-ish fashion but not professional looking at all.
Get rid of all the other stuff you don’t like to make more room for all the clothes you want to keep. Use ebay to trade up to a smaller number of drop dead items of and get rid of all the lessers
Yes, I think I know what to do. I just don’t like the idea of doing it.
I also really like dresses, which doesn’t seem to jive as well with the capsule wardrobe concept. I think I just need to determine a certain number for each different item of clothing. Idk.
It’s hard for me to part with clothing, but I try to. i find that I have way more tops because it’s east to buy. Although I’m fairly tall at 5’8", I have a long torso and shorter legs…add in the Pear shape and I hate finding bottoms in summer. I need more casual skirts to wear instead of shorts and that’s not easy to find…ones that I like. I took to wearing dresses this summer…very casual, Prana, Coombia, Athleta, and found I enjoyed that…but I’m drawn to pretty tops.
I don’t have a ton of clothes. Finally learned to keep the ones that I wear constantly and weed the rest.
The ones you wear are rarely on a hanger–they’re sitting on a chair to be worn again or in the wash.
This is what works for me – of course your mileage may vary.
Regarding colors. I use coordinated plain colors for all basic clothing pieces such as pants, skirts, jackets etc. I like black, grey, navy and white. Then I accessorize with colorful sweaters, blouses, scarves, purses, shoes, belts, jewelry etc. This way your entire wardrobe can be combined in many different ways, and each outfit does not get boring.
When I go shopping, I choose outfits rather then individual pieces. Far too often, I used to buy nice single pieces just because I liked them, or the price was right, only to realize later that I have nothing to combine them with, or there were very few choices. I still have those in my closet with labels still attached…
At the end of each season, collect all rarely worn clothes, put it far away (preferably into another room) and fugget about it. Check it out a year later in case you still want anything, and through out the rest. I guarantee that you won’t miss anything, except maybe 1-2 pieces.
In my last house, my husband made beautiful built ins for my closet. I was so organized and there was so much free space in my closet that I thought I being a minimalist with my clothes. We moved to a new home. My new closet is bigger but only has a few junky wire racks and shelves. No matter what I do the space looks unorganized and messy. Plus it looks like have twice as many clothes!
So, instead of purging maybe revamping your storage and closet will help,
I do what mycupoftea does. I also stick to a handful of brands. The current favorites are Max Mara and Boss. At those prices, even on sale, I am not going to fill my closet with too much junk. And their pieces usually coordinate well - even from different collections.
Know those great magazine pics of closets made up just so? Ever notice that there’s no room to add another pair of shoes or a jacket? I know that’s just to catch your eye, but it drives me nuts.
Nearly all I keep gives me joy- the problem is, that’s usually how I buy (not counting super casual things.) It’s hard to get rid of the things with memories. I can’t follow a 6 month or 1 year rule, since not everything is daily or monthly wear.
But I’ll tell you something. Kondo’s idea of thanking a piece before you give it away is good. But add: quickly throw it in the box or bag and drive it straight to the charity. Before you have time to think. I made the mistake a few times of leaving boxes for the kids or DH to donate, then finding them in the attic. (Beats me why, they were marked as donations.) Really tough to re-visit a decision.
I have a hard time getting rid of clothes by myself. My g/f, who has a black belt in shopping (raised in a family of girls, only had girls), offered to help me go thru closet. When I joined the Bag a Week Club, I spent about a weekend a month, shredding papers, cleaning garage, getting rid of too small clothes. I guess I stopped when the rest fit. Also, my closet is organized. My biggest change is that I rarely shop now, so I’m not adding much at all.
I know I have too many jackets for cold weather, but they exist in a spare closet.
