I should perhaps clarify that I sew for myself because I'm picky about quality and style, because I'm an odd shape (fat and extremely long-waisted), and because sewing it myself saves money. If I were a more conventional shape, I could probably do quite well for myself shopping at charity stores and resale shops. A friend of mine does that; she has exquisite taste and finds amazing bargains.
Overall Rating: votes
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Posted 1 year ago #
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Thank you all dear people for your ideas about shoes.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Jillian, if you ever feel the desire to get rid of your Doc Martens, let me know! LOL I love Docs!
I feel like I have a few too many clothes, but every time I look in my closet for things I haven't worn, I realize I wear almost everything I have. There are a few items I wear very rarely, but I can't yet stand to part with them. I need to pare down my hoodies and skirts. I used to wear skirts a lot, but not so much anymore. I could get rid of a couple fo them. Hoodies, I wear them all, but don't need (thinking and counting.....) I think I have 5. One of them my boyfriend bought for me at a concert, and I thought, well that's sweet, but I REALLY don't need it.
I have enough clothes for just about a week, maybe a day or 2 more. Work clothes, casual clothes, and "going out" clothes. I probably don't need as many "going out" clothes, but I love every piece I have. Everything is contained in 1 average sized closet.
Shoes, same thing...could probably stand to get rid of a few pairs, but wear almost all of them. I have a pair of brown heels and brown knee high boots I need to ditch...along with the 1 skirt they go with. I don't wear anything brown anymore except those 3 items, so they should go. I could pare down my sneakers, but again, I wear them all, so I figure as long as I don't buy anymore, they'll eventually wear out and then I simply won't replace them until I'm on my last pair.
I used to fill up 1.5 walk in closets, so I've done a very good job paring down the past 2 years. A bit more to go, but a vast improvement.
(and then there's that 1 dress that is absolutely fabulous, but I haven't been able to fit into for 7 years...I'm currently losing weight, and keeping the dress as a measure to know when I've reached my goal. Then I'll wear it again.)
Wow, sorry this got so long!
Posted 1 year ago # -
jsights - you just hit on a sore spot for me: Hoodies! They were a serious problem for me. Everytime I went to a concert I wanted a hoodie. I finally sold some off and now have to try really hard to exhibit self-control, but I am down to 6 hoodies. I probably had like 10 or 12 at one point!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I must confess I have an addiction to pretty dresses. We have a change of seasons here, so I have them in all different weights of fabrics, from unlined simple cotton shifts for the heat of summer, to heavy woolen jumpers for the cold winter days of January. I wear boots with them in winter, flip-flops in summer. I look for them in thrift stores and on eBay. They are mainly one certain brand and usually at least 5 years old. Everything fits well and I always feel gorgeous when I wear one of my collection. So the answer to the question of how many clothes I need is all of them!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I used to have a "problem" before. I lived alone for years after moving away from my parents' home and did only my own laundry. I wanted to use a washing machine, but also hated using it when only half-full, so I bought some extra clothes to fill it up (meaning fewer washing sessions; don't know which is better though). I haven't needed separate work and leisure wardrobes since leaving high school over a decade ago, which I'm very happy about.
In Northern Europe there are four real seasons, two of which are the same clothing-wise, and this is something we just have to accept. I could get a lot better at minimizing the amount of unitaskers etc. though (how many scarves does one person need?). Our Summer is so short that I've decided I have everything I need for it now. It also seems like the Winter season is becoming more uneven temperature-wise, which has me thinking I'll dress in more layers instead of buying new clothing for extreme temperatures. Everyday life keeps me indoors most of the day and a city dwelling means there's always some warm place close by.
I really don't have an idea yet of how small I should keep my wardrobe, so thanks for bringing it up, it's an important subject!
Posted 1 year ago # -
ninakk - It's something that I have been struggling with for a long time! I don't like to have items that I don't use, and right now I feel like I have too many that go unused. I don't hate any of them, so I don't want to get rid of them either. It's just taking so long for me to "use them up and wear them out"!
Posted 1 year ago # -
ninakk - I wish I knew how many scarves I need! I like to think I have one in all colours, so when I'm in a European winter, I can have some variety (as I only have one coact). Or then I can match to other things.
However, my issue is shoes. I feel it's a 'waste' to get rid of my shoes that I haven't worn much (mainly as they are uncomfortable). They are mostly 'worn' enough that I won't be able to sell them. I should be OK with throwing them away, but it seems like a waste of money. And I can see the 'function' of some shoes (like, work, or with jeans, when I have to walk) but I seldom use them for this. It's hard to make the decision.
The other thing that affects my clothing stock is travel. I like to travel regularly, and it's usually at least two weeks. In that time, i like to limit how much I wash (mainly cause it's hard when you're away). I have more than enough underwear (a hangover from centralised washing at boarding school, and the associated delays). But this philosophy helps me justify having 6-10 of the same sort of long sleeved shirt, or singlet. At least these items get a very regular work out, so their existence is justified.
Posted 1 year ago # -
themusiclivez - this is my wardrobe, it works pretty well. I have a lot of clothes, but it's about 1/4 of what I had 6 months ago!
A coat
Leather jacket
2 wool jackets
A suit
3 knee length skirts (semi formal)
Couple of hoodies
Couple of thick knitted sweaters
5 thin knits
5 silk dresses (from semi formal to super formal)
6 day dresses
5 tshirts
5 formal tops
5 cardigans
7 blouses
5 pairs of work shoes
3 pairs of plimsolls
bootsI picked black as my base colour, and most of my things are blue/green. I do have a few red and orange things though. I'm aiming to only have 5 things in each category though.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@Sesberry - Thank you for your list! It made me realize just how many clothes I still have that I need to use up, wear out, or donate. I am much better off than I was about a year ago but there is still too much. The problem that I am facing is that the clothes I have an overabundance of (like work pants) still look good and fit great so I am going to keep them. I just won't allow myself to buy anymore until these get worn out!
Posted 1 year ago # -
The minimal amount of clothes I need is 3 (laundry twice a week)to 7 (laundry once a week) pieces per category - I do have a lot of clothes in total (in a 1.6ft wardrobe) but also a lot of categories (4 season wardrobe, work play, hobbies)
With 33 categories of clothing and shoes(summer dresses, winter dresses, cardigans, etc etc) at the moment there are
less than 3 pieces per category in - 12 categories
between 3 and 5 pieces per category in - 16 categories
more than 7 pieces per category in - jackets (7), jeans (8), Cardigans (9), cotton Tshirts (10) and sleeveless tops (9)Do I want to pare these categories down more?
Not if I don't have to...best
MayaPosted 1 year ago # -
Oops, I forgot my one pair of work trousers and 2 of jeans!!
But yeah, I find listing everything really helps, it helped me get rid of a load of stuff and also know what I won't be replacing when it wears out. Good luck :)
Posted 1 year ago # -
I actually have a large wardrobe, but I don't consider it clutter, and here's why. I bought everything below while in college when I had to go to the laundromat do to laundry, I just straight up hated it, so I slowly acquired clothes through gifts/cheap sales and I just haven't felt the need to get rid of them. I am slowly wearing a few of them out and I have already lost about 10 shirts and 2 pairs of jeans, and countless socks to slow attrition. I haven't bought anything in years.
I am a very boring person, so all I have is a giant stack of t-shirts, about 45. They fold up nicely in a 1x1x2 feet area in my closet on a shelf. And I have about 15 pairs of jeans, which fold up into a 1x1x3 feet area in my closet on a shelf. Enough underwear and socks to run through all of those in two drawers in a dresser. I also have one set of dressy stuff on a hanger normal belt, shirt, jacket, pants. Nice enough for when I need a suit, not so nice I can't just wear it as business casual. I have 1 coat and two hooded sweatshirts for the chilly days.
Basically I am thankful for 2 things:
1. I am a guy, makes things easier
2. There is no dress code at work so I can just wear my normal t-shirt and jeans every day.Posted 1 year ago # -
I've come to realise that, while I ask myself this question for a lot of my other posessions, I never judge my clothes by whether or not I "need" them. I don't "need" dressy tops to go out dancing; I especially don't "need" a dozen different ones. I don't "need" 6 pairs of dress pants, or 5 big pashmina scarves or 7 pairs of flip-flops; there's really no need for me to own more than one suit (if that). But I want to have them. Getting dressed up to go dancing makes me happy. Having variety in my clothes and shoes makes getting dressed a pleasure rather than a chore, especially first thing in the morning when I'm not at my happiest. Having a wardrobe in which I can find something appropriate to wear for any occasion (and keeping my wardrobe current) declutters my time, since I don't have to go last-minute clothes shopping when I realise I donated all my suits, or the one I have no longer fits right.
In short, I like my wardrobe to be functional, not utilitarian.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@Anita - I agree with you as well. A lot of my clothes are not things I "need" to survive. I just love them. I don't mind having excess of these types of items. My personal issue is that I still have a lot of clothes that I am not totally in love with (and after doing laundry the other day I realized that a lot of my clothes are crappier than I though - those are getting tossed this winter!)
I have been replacing the bad clothes with nicer, high quality items :o) I may still have too many summer tops, but I love them and won't get rid of any just for the sake of "paring down". :o)
Posted 1 year ago # -
anita & the musiclives: you have both hit upon the essence of this whole ball of wax! (as i see it)
You have/kept certain clothes that you love to wear, that make you happy and make you feel good. Others have books/decorative items/music/movies/china/silver/crystal etc. etc. etc. I think most folks know what they NEED and what they WANT are two different things. As long as you can afford it and love and use and look at and appreciate your clothes or your books or your whatever, this is it! If it doesn't make you feel anxious or nervous, if you don't have to step over piles of other stuff to get to it, it's cool. But if IT is in piles that you have to step over to make dinner, then it's a problem.Posted 1 year ago # -
irishbell - Excellent point. And you're right - the stuff I have left (aside from maybe 10-15 items) are items I love and wear. I will get rid of the ones that cause me stress/anxiety and should be all set from there!
Posted 1 year ago # -
my wardrobe is one of the last areas where i uncluttered. it´s funny that i couldn´t do it before but after getting used to uncluttering it was quiete easy. i recognized that there are a lot of items that i would like to wear but never do for different reasons (size suboptimal, hard to clean/iron, no fitting tops for a skirt etc.)
now i have less things in my wardrobe but i am sure: i don´t have not less clothes to wear. as i still don´t like to count my things i can only estimate: there must be about:15 tshirts/tops
8 pullovers
3 trousers
4 skirts
2 dresses
3 blouses
3 cardigans
10 coats. i am always cold, i even wear coats in summer/ "summer" in germany ;)
10 pairs of boots/shoes, including runners, indoor sport shoes, rubberboots and flipsflops.
plus underwear, scarfs, hats, gloves, shirts + trousers for sport activities etc.i am surprised when i read the list because it sounds minimalistic to me. but that´s what i wear. what i really like about my clothes is that every piece is quite new. i lost a lot of weight (still 52 lbs, even though i put on weight again) and i really like to buy clothes now. but i also like to toss clothes, ...the oversized ones ;)
Posted 1 year ago # -
YOur lists all seem quite long to me! I need to buy more clothes LOL. This summer and winter I deliberately bought TWO coats for each season, but find it hard to remember to swap them. I wear the same clothes over and over but am making an effort to get rid of them sooner as, in a very male-like way, I tend to ignore snags, holes etc if something is comfy. I'm also deliberately buying duplicates of things I like, in several colours. And I want to wear more jewellery now my kids are a bit bigger and the toddler understands not to pull on it.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Anita hit the nail on the head. I, too, like to have a varied wardrobe. I could never be satisfied if I just allowed myself the bare minimum and nothing more. I'd be tired of everything in less than a month.
I just redid my closet, and I have a lot more clothing than I "need", but it fits the space I have available. This is how I decide.
Right now, for example, my shoe space is at capacity. I know I absolutely must get rid of a pair if I want to bring home a new pair. This makes me pause when I'm shopping, because I know I must decide between the new pair and something I already have. Since I don't own any shoes that I don't like, this make me less likely to acquire something on a whim.
My shirt space is not at capacity yet, but it's getting close. I know I can bring a new shirt home and have a place to store it.
I think this is where a lot of people go wrong - they let their wardrobe outgrow their space.
Posted 1 year ago #
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