My Wardrobe Secret
In this issue, I'm going to share with you a secret from my own wardrobe
management style. It's a trick anyone can use, with the right frame of
mind. It will free you from shopping (if you can't give up shopping, never
mind), make you stop staring at your closet with nothing to wear, and
finally give you a closet full of clothes you are eagerly waiting to wear.
Nearly three years ago, I got sick of trying to pick out the right outfit
from my closet, mixing and matching and worrying that the top I had on was
not QUITE the right shade of black. So I did something drastic.
I should tell you a little bit about what I own. My closet's treasures
range from a long plaid purple wrap skirt in soft cotton my mother
handed down to a blue and white striped tee from Ross; from a pair of
stark orange parachute pants found at a Gap sale to a mundane white tee
scrounged from Goodwill. I have a lot of interesting clothes, but I tend
to reach again and again for the same favorites.
So I separated the wheat from the chaff. First I did a closet purge
(tossed things that didn't fit or which I didn't love). Then I put 20
favorites aside onto a shelf and stowed away the rest. By favorites, I mean
things that fit me well, which were very comfortable, and which I felt I
could wear again and again (given the option, I'd wear them every day). I
decided on 10 tops and 10 bottoms.
The favorites included the above items,
plus a white cardigan, two other skirts, dark jeans, white pants,
linen pants, corduroys, a puke green long sleeve top, a jute tunic,
a long dark wrinkly dress, and a luxurious coral boatneck sweater.
I added to them pjs, a week's worth of underwear, two pairs of
shoes (dress flats and loafers - a tough decision), and just a few pairs
of jewelry (three earrings, two necklaces, my watch, and two sets of
bracelets). Of course, I needed a jacket and a scarf. That's a lot of
things, but much less than I own, and enough for a solid two to three
weeks (which is how often I do laundry).
For my casual work life, this was plenty. I could mix and match the skirts
and pants and tops for work. For lunch out, the linen pants with the
sweater. For dinner, a skirt with the cardigan. For someplace fancy, the
dress. To go to a club, jeans, hoop earrings, and my tunic top.
I found I could go anywhere with this set of clothing. I nearly forgot
about the rest of my clothes. Until...
One day I finally found my corduroys no longer fit correctly. Maybe they
were worn or stretched, or I had lost weight. The corduroys had to go -
it was sad, but they'd been well-worn and had lived a good life of wear.
I passed them on to someone who could wear them.
Lucky me - I had another drawer full of pants I could replace them with!
NO shopping necessary. I carefully chose a different pair of corduroy
pants. Oh how I'd missed these pants, just sitting there all this time!
Over the last few years, I've stuck with my wardrobe of twenty. Sure it
adds up to more with underwear and extras (in fact, it's gone from twenty
down to 15 actual pieces) but I find I can do without the clutterings. I
replace something when it wears out (some things never do - I'm still
wearing that purple skirt), but try to fix it first.
My latest set of twenty is still pretty similar. I've discovered new ways
to wear the things I already own (with twenty items, you have to be
creative!), found layering skills for winter and summer, and learned to
take a day outfit to night with a quick change (same bottom, different top or
vice versa). I also discovered that most people don't notice if you wear
the same clothes again and again, as long as you change the way you wear
them. And I found out that I didn't get bored like I thought I would.
Now I'm used to wearing the same clothes. It's a quick decision in the
morning - I just grab from two piles (tops and bottoms). Since I already
know they fit and look good and are comfortable, it's a snap.
And though I
love this stuff, I'm waiting for the day one of them will wear out,
so I can take a look in my own wardrobe shop and find a new favorite to wear
all the time.