ThredUP claims, “You don’t wear 25% of the clothes in your closet”. I think my percentage is the other way around, ‘you don’t wear 75% of the clothes in your closet’.
I was thinking about how people take into account the clothes they have in their possession. You have Man vs. Debt’s stuff and Move to Portugal’s Simplifying and Reducing My Clothing. It seems they are quite content with less clothing (n stuff). Could I be?
I mean who needs all this unused stuff? I don’t. It really is a stress burden with the clothing taking up hanger usage and just sittin’ there for what? Let’s observe my closet (yes, this really is my closet).
Right side: Don’t Wear
Skirts, dresses, white summer pants: No
Shirts that have lost their style: No
Summer shirts: No
Purses that have outgrown their purpose: No (not shown, but have about 5)
Old cord jackets: No
Left side: I do wear
Leather jacket: Yes (always)
Red cordouroy jacket: Yes
Red USC sweatshirts: Yes
White Sweater: Yes
Jeans: Yes! (totally a jeans and tshirt kind of gal)
(2) black pants, (1) brown pant, (1) pin striped brown pant: Yes
Almost sounds like I need a seasonal change, right? Maybe, but the summer stuff I only wore during the beginning of this last summer. And the dresses and skirts I haven’t wore for over a 1 1/2 years! I just don’t rid of it because I can’t just very well toss out all my clothes without the resources to buy new ones. The unused are my back up just incase I absolutely need something to wear. I mean there just may be a time I need to wear that little black dress to a function.
Well, if you have a problem not being able to toss certain things for whatever reason. You may want to join thredUP – a place to swap your clothing and revamp your closet with different stuff – I thought it was a neat concept, I found through a tweet, and wanted to share with you. I’m thinkin’ about using thredUP because I have some pieces I just don’t want to send to the Salvation Army. Or maybe I will send those pieces to my local consignment shop, make a few bucks and buy some more jeans & tshirts to adorn my closet. Eh?
Do you have a problem keeping too much stuff? I’m thinkin’ its time to declutter the abode. I’m curious to know what essential pieces one should have for a minimalistic working gal lifestyle. And can it be done frugally? Because I think it is time to update the wardrobe.
What’s in your closet?
Tim Gunn’s guide to style says the top 10 things you need in your wardrobe are:
1.Basic Black Dress
2.Trench Coat
3.Dress Pants
4.Classic Shirt
5.Jeans
6.Any Occasion Top
7.Skirt
8.Day Dress
9.Jacket/Blaze
10.Sweatsuit Alternative
Bonus: One Indulgent Trendy Item
Read more: http://womensfashion.suite101.com/article.cfm/tim_gunns_10_essential_elements#ixzz0VfPYtGIZ
I agree that those are minimalist necessities!
Oh, thank you for that info! I may just try and fit my wardrobe to those guidelines. I do think I will need to add, at least, 2 more pants and dress shirts for work.
I am so not a fashion aficionado – well not anymore that I am mid-30s mom. lol. And my son told me the other day that I need to start dressing better again when I go out. So your feedback is very much appreciated. Thank you. 🙂
i don’t have much to speak of after my unfortunately dry cleaning incident. oh, that reminds me, i need to give them a call or go by there to see what’s up with the reimbursement. i do agree that i’m probably more of the don’t wear 75% of what’s in there. i heard one of those declutter/organizational experts say that you should put all of your clothes in your closet w/the hangers facing you. after you wear an item, hang it back up with the hanger facing the opposite direction. at the end of one year, everything that’s still on a hanger facing you can be given away or thrown away because you obviously don’t wear it.
So sorry about your dry cleaning. No reimbursement yet?
That is a lot of hanger action to keep up for one year! But the concept is a good one.
Well, I’ve split my closet and now am seriously considering grabbing it all and putting it in a bag.
But then i second guess and wonder if I shouldn’t put those few prime pieces of clothing in my closet first before I toss the old.
We give clothes to Goodwill regularly. I am more ruthless than Warren when it comes to weeding out. My “active” (i.e., worn at least a few times a year) wardrobe is so sparse that I have had girlfriends open my closet and shriek in pain and disbelief!
Ya, I have 4 bags sitting in my garage for Goodwill due to a declutter. But then I got even more serious and split the wardrobe to wear vs. not wear. And I am considering just packing with those other bags and sending them off to better use. I think its time to put some good essential pieces of clothing in the closet that I will actually wear. Now to decide what essential pieces those are? Seriously due for an upgrade.
Do you ever notice women (well at least me) always will buy for the family before buying for theirselves? I think it is a guilt association. Need to knock that.
So, you are a clothing minimalist at heart, too? And doing just fine. I think I may find solitude in applying this factor to my own life. 🙂
I found my answer in a great blog post. Going to build my wardrobe based on this list: Basically Black. Although, I will need to add one sweat/active suit.
Hi Christine and thank you for the link.
I would bag all the clothes you don’t think you’ll wear again, and, if in say 6 months time you haven’t missed them, either eBay or goodwill them then 🙂