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Original poster

Is anyone else ever tempted to overhaul wardrobe and reinvent their style?

29 replies

user1497254675 · 15/08/2020 06:10

Just that, really.

So many clothes, but am thinking about simplifying wardrobe - just keeping things that I really, really love, perhaps limiting colour palette, going more minimalist... would love thoughts/advice/to hear about other experiences!

OP posts:
mynameiscalypso · 15/08/2020 06:13

I feel exactly this way but the idea is just too overwhelming!

ToManderleyAgain · 15/08/2020 06:41

I found having a HoC colour and style analysis really helped me work out what suits me and what doesn’t. After that I sold a lot of my wardrobe on eBay (and although more lovely clothes are creeping back into my wardrobe, they all go together at least!)

You might be interested to read about Project 333 and how it changed the author’s life for the better bemorewithless.com/project-333-challenge/

DoYouLikeDawgs · 15/08/2020 07:05

Yes.

Does it ever happen? No!

Twilightstarbright · 15/08/2020 07:27

Funnily enough, I've been forced into a 333 challenge unwittingly! I'm abroad in a COVID free country for a few months and could only bring a normal suitcase.

I've got:
2x jeans
1x denim skirt
1x maxi dress
4x strappy dresses, smarter than a beach dress but not formal
4x sleeveless tops
2x sweatshirts
2x cardigans
Not sure if you count underwear and pyjamas, and gym stuff but again not excessive amounts.

It's shown me how little I actually need and that I should invest in what is exactly right for me rather than meh.

MissClementine · 15/08/2020 07:38

I would love to do this in principle but every time I go through all my clothes I manage to get rid of 1 or 2 items as I like what I have. I just have a ridiculous amount of clothes. My size has not changed much for 20 years so I have stuff from years ago too.
It’s how to part with things you like and occasionally wear that I find hard.

UncleBunclesHouse · 15/08/2020 07:41

I have got this on my list after needing a going out / evening outfit the other week left me looking at piles of things which are outdated/I’m definitely never going to wear again and nothing actually suitable to wear. I’m going to have a big chuck out and replace with a quality capsule wardrobe. Any links to good places to help with the planning would be appreciated! When I’m going to find the time to do this is a whole other issue...

bananaface16 · 15/08/2020 07:43

Yes - I originally planned to do it during lockdown but I was never furloughed and couldn’t face the mess it would create while also being stuck working from home.

I’m going to start this weekend. My first plan of attack is going to be a Marie Kondo style emptying of all my drawers and the wardrobe. I won’t be kissing things goodbye, but I’ve previously tried to clear out a drawer at a time and it clearly doesn’t work!

I think there will be the challenge of getting rid of things that I’ve spent money on - it feels like such a waste, but I suppose it’s wasted more if it’s sitting in the wardrobe never worn.

I’m also a fairly competent seamstress so I also have the option of altering things that may be slightly out of style to give them a new lease of life which may help with the guilty feeling!

Twilightstarbright · 15/08/2020 07:52

Although I've been forced into it, being physically separated from my clothes has helped because I can't get to them. My lovely Mum has now bagged the stuff up and I'll go through it when I get back, she also pulled out some bits she didn't think suited me (she's got great style and is excellent at knowing what colours suit people).

I have stuff I occasionally wear, for example I've got beautiful party dresses that I wear for weddings etc which I will wear again but there's perhaps three? All my clubbing/night out stuff from 5 years ago pre-DC has been removed as it isn't worth keeping and I won't wear it again. In the highly unlikely event I go clubbing I'll treat myself to something new or improvise what I already have.

I think you need to know what you like wearing, and what suits your lifestyle. I've always been a fan of dresses but midi dresses that are looser on the bottom are much more practical with small DC than the smarter tea dresses. Day to day I wear them with a chunky cardigan or sweatshirt and trainers or sandals. In the winter it'll be ankle boots.

CeliaCanth · 15/08/2020 08:01

Yes...and my goal this weekend is to do the Kibbe body type test to get a clearer idea of what to keep and what to chuck...

mynameiscalypso · 15/08/2020 08:12

I basically need someone to come and do this for me. I could just lie on my bed and eat chocolate while they figure out what actually suits me and how to build a capsule wardrobe from what I have and then be ruthless with the rest of it.

hammeringinmyhead · 15/08/2020 08:32

I'd love to do this but I have the problem that I need cold and hot weather "nicer" stuff for working part time and toddler-friendly stuff for the rest of the week, plus a few bits for when DH and I sometimes go for a meal and I don't want to wear jeans. And I don't want to be doing laundry more than once a week. I do have too much stuff though! I think I have about 12 pairs of jeans.

nothh · 15/08/2020 13:31

Yes - I dream of it! Would need to chuck it all out first as the temptation to keep wearing tatty stuff is too strong!

Out of interest, where are you @Twilightstarbright ? Very jealous!

Twilightstarbright · 15/08/2020 13:38

@nothh Guernsey! Very lucky to have been able to come over for three months to stay with relatives. Two week quarantine was a bit brutal though.

Bloodylush · 15/08/2020 13:42

There are good ideas on Pinterest for doing this with a colour scheme eg black, white and one other colour.

GinWithASplashOfTonic · 15/08/2020 13:46

Yes I had a good sort out during lockdown.
It was more like clothes I brought and wore when I was 18 have been worn out, don't quite suit me now I'm nearing my 30s. Style and body shape have changed.

Kept a few things which are more expensive, more classic.

I can't really justify the cost to over haul my entire wardrobe

TheMumblesofMumbledom · 15/08/2020 14:02

I did this last year.

Abandoned the idea of fashion and just looked at shapes, necklines and colours that truly look good.

I had to prize the floaty, frilly dresses I love but look hideously unflattering on me, out of my wardrobe and off to the charity shop.

JackPaul · 15/08/2020 14:32

I gained weight recently so was forced to buy a mini wardrobe and i deliberately chose things that are 'one size' or nice oversized or will sell well on ebay. I use colour filter option when i shop online and limit them to about 4 neutral colours i like. Some websites evrn let you choose no patterns as i like solid coloured items as they mix and match and can be dressed up or down with jewellery more easily. I feel its mean to punish yourself with ugly clothes just because you gained weight. I also had to be realistic about my life style than my idea of what i wish my lifestyle was like..
I also feel if you like a certain look dont feel pressured into changing.. think of it as your signature look! We dont have to wear colour if we dont like it. We dont have to wear different clothes in style so others dont think we slept or live in the same clothes. Like when i found jeans i loved i got 3 of them, boots that are so comfy i got 2 pairs. Its so liberating.
I will say though if you absolutely love an item keep it even if you dont wear it.

SwedishEdith · 15/08/2020 17:28

I've love to seriously do this. I have started in that I rarely buy anything other than in about 4 or 5 dull colours. I was watching that BBC programme where the two barristers reexamine a crime that someone's ancestor has committed and I thought I should just copy what the woman wears. She looks great. So, maybe do something like that?

Ubermints · 15/08/2020 18:52

I built a new wardrobe by thinking about times I've come unstuck in the past and struggled to find the right clothes under the circumstances, and made sure I bought clothes to see me through occasions like:
It's hot but I've not shaved my legs so I need light summer trousers
I have a party to go to but a large spot has erupted on my decolletage and I need to hide it
I have a job interview but have to get there by public transport and it's tipping it down

I ended up by buying plain, good quality clothing to ensure that I have about a five days' worth of clothing for each of the following:

Hot weather
Cold weather
Wet weather
Changeable/temperate weather
Formal/business occasions
Formal life events (weddings, funerals, parties)
Casual occasions
Sporting activities

There are many items which cross over categories so it's not quite as any items as it would seem, but it's a functional amount rather than a minimal amount Grin

I'd say it's actually been quite life changing - the right clothes for the situation really can open up the world. I always used to be far to hot or cold or feel like I was dressed 'wrong'. I don't tend to feel that any more!

bananaface16 · 18/08/2020 16:50

Just thought I would come back and give a quick update!

On Sunday I emptied absolutely everything out of every drawer and cupboard and was ruthless. A lot of things didn’t even make it to the bed and were binned as they were taken out the drawers! I ended up with three great big black sacks of discarded stuff (one bad was pretty much just high heels from my student days and cheap New Look handbags that had to go).

I’ve now been left with a selection of occasion dresses that won’t get a huge amount of wear due to the pandemic and then clothes I do wear or want to wear. I had my colours done at the start of the year by a online operation who will not be named and I think they got me right (summer) as the colours they recommend are the ones I think suit me. I have consciously only been buying clothes in the colours that I know will work for me since then so there is definitely more harmony in my wardrobe now that the stuff I don’t wear is gone (I don’t wear it because it doesn’t suit me!).

As I attacked this task I have learned that my current wardrobe gap are jeans that fit (though I’m sure that’s the case for everyone) and a blazer that is more suited for autumn. I’m sure there are other items I’m missing but those are my two things to buy right now.

mynameiscalypso · 18/08/2020 17:00

@bananaface16 I've been doing something similar over the last few days although I have an embarrassing number of bags to get rid of (7 at last count and I still have a cupboard to do...). I feel so much lighter having had a big clear out and it's much easier to see what my style is and, as you say, the gaps. I have a pile of jeans to try on but I think that might be a gap for me too. First though, I need to go through my shoes though and then think about what styles of jeans will work with a somewhat pared down collection!

foxtiger · 19/08/2020 19:07

I'm not thinking of having a massive clear-out, but I have made a commitment to only buying more clothes in 7 colours that I think are the ones I like and wear most. Clothes in other colours will be phased out gradually though natural wastage.

My 7 colours (I'm ginger with warm skin tone) are black, taupe, cream, burgundy, mustard yellow, burnt orange and muted/blush pink. Apart from a couple of stand-alone dresses I could very happily wear those colours for the rest of my life, which will probably be about 30 years.

PersonaNonGarter · 19/08/2020 23:24

@foxtiger I cannot imagine a life without blue in my wardrobe... no green maybe possibly but ..nah, too hard. I need the full spectrum.

Sometimes I think these wardrobe rules are really helpful in that they definitely aid decision making. OTOH, I think sometimes they just set people up to fail - especially the ones about not wear X cos of being shape Y.

Pigeon31 · 20/08/2020 07:25

I went through a process of doing this a couple of years ago (after losing a fair amount of weight - so a lot of my old stuff didn't really fit anyway). I looked at a lot of capsule wardrobe ideas and started with some basics - its not so much that my style changed but I have a more focussed idea of what worked for me and what I want it to be (basically more parisian as I always loved blazers and simple lines, so went with that).

Deathraystare · 20/08/2020 07:54

I wouldn't know if I have a capsule wardrobe - it might be hidden under yards of "I have nothing to wear". I really need to sort out my stuff which I am planning to do tomorrow. I have also been scrabbling around the floor of my wardrobe for a pair of black shoes (funeral today). I have many black shoes but not many matching pairs it would seem! I guess the other shoes are in the other wardrobe? Well I managed to find a pair of ankle boots so all is ok.

But seriously, I must get up early tomorrow, put some dresses away in the shrinking plastic bag thingies and for god sake at last chuck out stuff that does not fit (even if I slim down I would probably never wear the stuff again), contains Viscose or Lyocell or Tencel - which all make me sweat buckets so sadly I will have to wave buy buy to a lovely top!

Oh and I must sort my shoes out! I will have to get some shoe storage.