How many clothes do I actually need?? Need help

[ClothesLover88]

Thought might be better posting here than Style & Beauty as not really about style. I have urgently got to declutter and one thing I have too much of is clothes. I have a triple wardrobe that is heaving with them. Plus loads of stackboxs.

I can't ask my friends as feel genuinely quite ashamed by how much stuff I have. I keep things for sentimental reasons, something I am working through with a therapist. I don't know what a 'normal' wardrobe looks like. I guess I need a list? Please, tell me how many of everything I need? How many of everything do you have? I won't have much space when I move house.

For context for work I need 'a nice' dress kind of thing. Smart casual? It is acceptable to wear a hoodie over this if it is cold. Don't need formal business suits. Am in the UK. I don't wear jeans as I don't like how they feel. All the mums from school seem to wear jeans but at weekends I would not wear them as I don't like the feel. Yoga pants yes.

With keeping clothes for sentimental reasons, I take photos of mine and then let them go.

As to how many, for me, if I can't fit an item in the wardrobe something else will have to go. So it depends on the size of your wardrobes and drawers. If they don't all fit, some stuff has to go. I tend to get rid of an item if I haven't worn it for a few years or it's greatly unfashionable, unless it's ballgown or dinner dresses, and I usually keep a couple of each.

Get everything out, make piles of similar items, then choose which of them you'll keep.
I did this a few years ago and discovered I had 25 pencil skirts, 15 pairs of black trousers etc. made it really easy to compare and decide the ones that fit best, and I liked the most. Took forever though.

Check over each piece carefully, if stained, ripped, or discoloured like black items, I let them go.
I live in jeans and have around 15 pairs. And probably 20 vests, 15 casual jackets, 15 sweaters, 10 coats, 15 shoes/boots/trainers. 6 bras, 8 sweatshirts, 20 dresses. 2 bikinis, 1 swimsuit, 8 t shirts, 10 shirts/blouses.

I use Vinted to buy and sell. More selling than buying though.

I can't help much because I hang on to clothes too. But every so often I have a bit of a clear out.
I clear out things that I haven't worn for a long time if I know there's a top, say, that is always reach for first, then the older too that I haven't worn goes in the get rid pile. I recently noticed that I have lots of plain black tops, so I got them all together and kept my favourites. Did the same with leggings. It didn't help that I had things stashed in lots of different places so getting them all together makes it easier to see what I had too much of.
I was hanging on to old shorts and t-shirts because they might come in handy when in fact I had so many I liked better that I was never going to wear the old ones.
One thing though. My weight varies over the years, so now I always keep a box with a couple of pairs of the"wrong" size jeans etc, because my weight might wobble and they'll fit me again. But just one box. Often by the time they fit again I don't like them any more.
Don't keep things that were a mistake because you feel guilty that you wasted the money. The money's gone, you don't like the thing, get rid. You'll feel so much lighter when it isn't accusing you every time you see it unworn in the wardrobe. Sell it on if it makes you feel better.
Best of luck!

With a triple wardrobe, if you got it down to being filled normally, not crammed and got rid of the stack boxes, you'd still have a very generous amount of clothes (including accounting for changes in seasons) so perhaps that's something to aim for?

Do you wear everything you have or are there a lot of items that are too big/small or you just don't like enough to wear?

Not so long ago I read about research that suggested that 74 garments that could make up 20 basic outfits (plus some mixing and matching) was sufficient.

heartworkorg.com/2023/10/16/how-many-clothes-do-i-really-need-with-numbers/#:~:text=Research%20on%20How%20Many%20Clothes%20We%20Need&text=According%20to%20a%20report%20referenced,and%2020%20outfits%20in%20total.

Read The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees. It will help you to decide what you need.

What you “need” and what is “normal” aren’t the same thing! I think a triple wardrobe full of clothes is within the bounds of normal/average. Most people only wear about 10% of the clothes they own.

How much storage space will you have and how often will you have time to wash and dry clothes in winter? I guess if you want to maximise efficiency and convenience, you would want a capsule wardrobe (with items that can be worn in multiple outfits) that could last you a fortnight of your normal day to day life in both summer and winter without doing laundry plus any occasional items eg swimming costume, sports kit, evening wear, business wear (if you don’t normally wear it), wedding outfit, thermal underwear. The S&B people could probably help you put together a 14 day capsule wardrobe with the least number of clothes.

I usually go through and try everything on so anything uncomfortable, too tight or too big goes. anything that you don't really like but keep just in case but I do only do this in dribs and drabs.

I have loads of clothes and have decided as DH is away for a couple of weeks it's a good opportunity to really go through the whole lot without him saying why are you getting rid of that. I probably have more than you OP as mine also fill DS's old bedroom which I seem to have taken over so will follow this thread for some tips.

I do the hanger thing too. If I buy something new and there's no spare hanger, something else has to go. Warmer clothes and things that don't fit but I don't want to get rid of are stored in a big chest of drawers along with underwear, nightwear and sports gear. Everything that fits and is right for the weather is in my wardrobe. If I start finding that I'm running out of space then it's time for a clear out. In winter I put away the really light summer stuff in the chest and put the jumpers in the wardrobe so I can see them.
My clothes mostly consist of things that layer easily and colours that work all year round summer skirts and dresses become winter suitable with jumpers and tights. Vest tops and t's become under layers for shirts and jumpers.
My colours all go together too and I try to stay away from outliers, I try to consider every new item in context of what I already have and if it'll go with multiple other items. if I found a really lovely skirt in pink for example, I wouldn't buy it as it just wouldn't work with much else in my wardrobe so I'd end up not wearing it, it'd be a waste of money. Most of it would also be ok if I had to go into an office.
Im happier being able to see exactly what I've got that fits and looks good, instead of a stuffed wardrobe yet thinking that I have nothing to wear. But I will say it's taken a lot of time and conscious choices to get to this point.

In the wardrobe right now I've got 6 midi/maxi skirts, 2 knee length skirts. 4 pairs of trousers and a couple of jeggings. 4 loose shirts with long sleeves. 3 sleeveless shirts and 2 short sleeved linen popovers. 4 pairs of shorts. 12 sleeveless tops (like jersey vests, cotton blouses, shell tops, crochet vests). 2 short sleeved cotton jumpers. 3 long dresses, 3 short.

When I retired I got rid of all my work wear except a black jacket and a grey dress. I had so many pairs of smart grey trousers it was ridiculous. Look at your actual life and what you need to wear first. Now I have four pairs of hiking trousers, two summer and two winter, some jeans, casual summer dresses. I also kept my very smart frocks for weddings. If anything I was too ruthless and lack smart casual.

So work that out first, what you actually do.

I have a one in one out policy too. If something new comes in, something else has to go. I also turn all of my hangers the "wrong" way round on the rail then put it back properly when I wear that item of clothing. That way at the end of the year I can easily see the clothes I didn't wear as they're still on the hangers that are the wrong way round and I donate those to charity.

In terms of how many things you need, I think it helps to think about how often you'd normally wear something before washing it, and how often you want to do laundry.

Then you can put together a work wardrobe based on this and a casual wardrobe based on this, with differentiation for seasons etc.

I agree with putting everything in piles and seeing how many of each "category" you have. It's easier from there to pick out your favourites vs the ones you know that you tend to skip over.

If there is stuff that you want to keep e.g. for smart occasions but won't wear day to day, I find it helpful to store it separately so it isn't constantly annoying me by being in the way.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. My weight fluctuates massively (I binge eat when things are difficult, so I go between being a size 14 at my best and a 20 if I'm not in a good way) so this is one thing I have to bear in mind. But a lot of my clothes I can wear at various sizes as I like elasticated waists.
I think I will have to get rid of some of my fancier clothes such as ballgowns and evening wear as I don't really go out that much nowadays. It is so hard though. I hate letting things go 😬