How many clothes do you have?

[TearGas]

vs how many do you need?

I've been auditing my clothes usage for 2 weeks and have only actually used the following items:

Gap black t shirt
black jersey tube skirt
Black longline lightweight knitted jacket
Black shirtdress
black leggings
burgundy shirt dress
khaki t shirt
grey joggers
black joggers
black slim leg trousers
neutral beige/khahi anorak

plus workout clothes:

1 x leggings
2 x vests
1 x jacket
1 x trainers

plus shoes:

metallic plimsolls
black knee high boots
black ankle boots
black plimsolls
navy nubuck loafers

Needless to say this is about 10% of what I own.

Is there anyone else around to share their experiences of trying to downsize and develop a minimal wardrobe, letting go of the stuff they just don't use?

[oliviaoatcake]

Yes, I've been trying to do this over the last two years with great difficulty.

I've got four double wardrobes full of clothes plus two sets of drawers and like you I barely wear any of it.

apart from workout gear, I tend to only wear what's in two wardrobes - one for work and the other for casual/going out.

Out of those two wardrobes, I'll wear about 60% of the work wardrobe and 40% of the casual wardrobe.

I find that once I hit on an outfit I like, I'll wear it to death and I'll only have about four outfits which I rotate at any one time (so eight in total for both wardrobes).

It's shocking but it seems to be down to hassle and time. Sometimes I'll get inspiration from Instagram or Pinterest etc. and change things around I find that I go off things very quickly.

I've always been the same though and thought it was due to lack of clothes but clearly it's not.

For work my staples are:

grey pencil skirt
white blouse
grey trousers
grey jumper
grey dress
navy skirt
navy blouse
black trousers
blue blouse

Casual wardrobe is:

grey jumper
grey jeans
blue jeans
blue jumper
black jeans
black jumper
ivory jumper
ivory jeans
sand jeans
sand jumper
olive jeans
black dress
blue dress
red top
white top

I always match my jeans to my trainers/boots and then swap the top, jacket and bag for different looks but essentially that;s it and I find that I wear newer things the most often.

Let me know if you manage to find a way to reduce your wardrobe!

[Scandicat]

I've just started trying to do that. I've just lost two stone (with a bit still to lose). I feel much better about myself so I've had a renewed interest in clothes. I have lots that are now too big, some others that were too small and now fit again. So I need a really big wardrobe overhaul. I started buying stuff quite haphazardly and then had a bit of a lightbulb moment about buying things on impulse that are ok but not great. I realised I've got lots of tops I hardly ever wear while I live in the same things.

I was looking on pinterest for ideas and found a link to an amazing blog by a really stylist woman from San Francisco. Her wardrobe is all neutrals and it looks incredible. It reinforced how I've got so much cheap stuff and would be much better with fewer things that were better quality. I was then looking for ideas on MN style and beauty and found a link to another blogger who has a book called the Curated Wardrobe. I bought that and am having a read, not got far yet but it has some interesting ideas.

The first idea is to take pictures of your outfits for two weeks and then analyse what you are wearing. Today was my day one, so its early days and I don't think I'm sophisticated or organised enough to ever have a proper capsule wardrobe, but I would like to focus my mind and replace my too big clothes gradually with better things.

[clearsommespace]

All my clothes (except PJs and coats) fit into a wardrobe 60cm deep, 1m90 high and 90cm wide.
I work from home with occasional trips to the office so have three work outfits: winter, summer and mid-season.
At home, I mostly work in jeans and I have two pairs.
It's about the right amount of clothes. I don't run out or get bored of them.
I haven't got any evening dresses or cocktail dresses but I can't remember the last time went to an occasion that required dressing up to that extent.

[sunshineglitterprincess]

I counted just before Christmas and I owned 23 items of clothing. I've bought a few since then but still own no more then 30. I'd say I wear about 60-70% of my wardrobe frequently. The rest are like shorts for summer, going out clothes, big winter jumpers and stuff I like but just don't pick out very often.

[TheBatPig]

I have a clothes problem. Every few months I go through them all. Chuck out any that are past their best or no longer fit properly. Anything I have not worn in last couple of months can go, either to a relative of mine if in good condition (or charity shop). Be ruthless. Anything else in recycling or I will use for cleaning rags/dusters. I have a few items I absolutely love for whatever reason but unlikely to wear again, so I keep these for the memory but try to limit. It doesn't always work. For example, I know I have about a dozen black dresses at the moment, probably only wear a couple of them, yet I cannot seem to get rid!

[TearGas]

I have realised I probably only need about 10 items (plus workout clothes). Have no idea why I keep the rest though.... maybe it makes me feel 'safer' ?