The great handbag/shoe/coat cull

[Pigtailsandall]

I think a few people here are into capsule wardrobes and generally trying to cull clothes and accessories down to a manageable, wearable amount. Last night, after a glass of wine and an online chat with an impossibly chic friend who always looks very polished and put together, she gave me some homework. She worked as a personal shopper in her 20s and is now a fabric designer, so I thought I'd share here in case anyone else has embarked on a great cull.

Lots of stuff she said was common sense - only have things which actually fit you and are your size; if it doesn't suit your lifestyle then it's not for you (e.i. dress for the life you have, not the one you might have. Special exception for those possibly returning to an office environment after pandemic). Everything you own should flatter you, even nightwear. But also: always know the entire contents of your wardrobe. You should ideally know if you have a scoop neck white t-shirt or brown brogues. Have everything organised so you never have to dig for anything from the back of the drawer, and you can see everything, except occasion wear, in one glance. Invest in good underwear, it's the skeleton of your wardrobe. She's not into capsule wardrobe per se, but says 95% of people can definitely bring the content of theirs down.

My homework, and yours, if you want to join me, is starting with reducing handbags to a maximum of 5. Those 5 will need to cover every possible occasion. Second step is reducing coats to 6; two winter, two summer and two in-between seasons (I'm doing two steps today as I have time!). She reckons this number is enough for everyone.

The smaller number of items means you can spend more on each, meaning stuff which you really love. Simple, of course, but I always seem to forget it all when it comes to bargains and sales...

I'm going to try this today, in case anyone wants to give it a go with me

Only having stuff that fits is a good idea. But I'm almost exactly the same size as I was 40 years ago, and I have lots of coats and shoes and bags that I've acquired in that time, plus vintage coats and evening wear I've inherited. I don't wear it all or love it all, all the time (nobody could ) but as long as I have space for it, it's going nowhere. I 'shop my wardrobe' and only replace like for like when I have to.

@XingMing yes, that's a fair point. Personally, I find huge piles of stuff more anxiety-inducing than anything, but I know that's not the case for everyone. My friend did recommend packing things away or putting them in a separate wardrobe so you have your "clothes in use" and "clothes in waiting", because I mentioned my wedding dress which is taking up space in my closet. she recommends packing it away, along with some coats I don't wear much. I can revisit them all in a few months to see how I feel about them and re-evaluate then.

I do have a second wardrobe, where the not currently in use stuff lives, and I swap winter and summer wear over in April and October, plus I have some bags for holiday only wear. I aim to be organised!

Right, I've almost done the coat and bag cull. It's quite sobering seeing everything in one place. I didn't think I had many bags but there were 13. I thought I'd find coats harder as I have more of those but actually it was easier.

I kept two winter coats - a practical,warm rainproof one, and a long wraparound black wool one, so one smart, one practical.

I did the same with in-between seasons coats, one casual (fur-lined denim one) and a smarter pillar-box red trench coat.

Summer ones, I went for a tan leather jacket (which goes with everything, especially prints) and a leopard-print blazer (which goes with simpler outfits). Apart from the leopard print one, everything I kept goes with every type of shoe/outfit I have, so matching should be easy!

Bags were harder. The 5 I kept were

• smart backpack for days out with DC/ doubles up as overnight bag
• leather work bag. I'd actually love a new one. This is very heavy and a bit too big.
• crossbody bag in mock croc for outings without kids. Big enough for essentials and a bottle of water
• small crochet crossbody bag for summer. Essentially to use with long dresses which I have many of, and none of them have pockets. Big enough only for keys, wallet and phone so basically like an add-on pocket
• copper coloured clutch bag for big occasions and black tie events. Probably not needed for a while yet, but goes with all my dresses.

Feeling quite pleased. It's made me reassess what I wear, what I'd like to wear more of, and what I clearly have a penchant for buying!

@XingMing

I do have a second wardrobe, where the not currently in use stuff lives, and I swap winter and summer wear over in April and October, plus I have some bags for holiday only wear. I aim to be organised!

I do this too. I also “retire” clothes when I’m sick to death of them. The love often returns after a couple of years.

It sounds a great idea, and I could definitely go with looking at your wardrobe, having things that fit etc.

Only having 5 bags though - for me that is never going to happen. I love my bags, have loads and enjoy using them. When I was going to the office every day I'd change my bag on a Sunday for the week. To be fair I am waiting for the charity shops to open again because I have several that I can donate, together with at least three better ones - Kate Spade & Mulberry - that I'm intending to sell as I don't use them much.

I don’t possess more than 5 handbags to start with (I’ve got a grand total of 3). So that bit is easy.

I don’t think it is possible to cut my winter coats down to 2 though. I’m currently WFH and yet I’ve worn 3 different coats in the past week (plus a jacket). I need to keep at least one smart one for work (I simply can’t rock up to a hearing in a padded jacket, and it’s bloody cold in Munich in the winter).

Get down to 5 bags! Absolutely not! Sounds barbaric to me, My bags have their own wardrobe. Some I might only use once a year. I love them all and only intend to add to my collection

I am in London in a v small flat. But have always been a minimalist nd never had more than 3 handbags, 3 pairs of jeans and only 6 pairs of shoes anyway. Also a recent arrival in the UK so only have 3 coats. Have culled a lot of stuff that does not " work" here. Going to be working from home for the foreseeable future so investing in good leggings, jeggings and cashmere sweaters. DH is an extreme minimalist, even more so than me

@cracracatlady

Get down to 5 bags! Absolutely not! Sounds barbaric to me, My bags have their own wardrobe. Some I might only use once a year. I love them all and only intend to add to my collection

I like how they have their own wardrobe. I guess this is the thing - everyone's got their own parameters of acceptable when it comes to wardrobe culling. I don't form an attachment with bags - actually I'd be happy to just have one excellent one - but I know I'll find shoes really hard to be ruthless with.

But like my friend says, there's nothing wrong with having lots if you actually use them all! Essentially what stressed me is that my lifestyle has changed drastically over the last few years and what I had no longer worked for me. The amount of stuff was giving me an existential crisis and I really wanted to reduce my wardrobe size to a manageable one. I also want to be able to mix and match with ease, and avoid stuff which was ok but not perfect (or "ok just for now"!)

Definitely depends on lifestyle. I am trying to accept that I do not and will likely never have a glamorous life. What I need is good quality basics.

@Pigtailsandall

I think a few people here are into capsule wardrobes and generally trying to cull clothes and accessories down to a manageable, wearable amount. Last night, after a glass of wine and an online chat with an impossibly chic friend who always looks very polished and put together, she gave me some homework. She worked as a personal shopper in her 20s and is now a fabric designer, so I thought I'd share here in case anyone else has embarked on a great cull.

Lots of stuff she said was common sense - only have things which actually fit you and are your size; if it doesn't suit your lifestyle then it's not for you (e.i. dress for the life you have, not the one you might have. Special exception for those possibly returning to an office environment after pandemic). Everything you own should flatter you, even nightwear. But also: always know the entire contents of your wardrobe. You should ideally know if you have a scoop neck white t-shirt or brown brogues. Have everything organised so you never have to dig for anything from the back of the drawer, and you can see everything, except occasion wear, in one glance. Invest in good underwear, it's the skeleton of your wardrobe. She's not into capsule wardrobe per se, but says 95% of people can definitely bring the content of theirs down.

My homework, and yours, if you want to join me, is starting with reducing handbags to a maximum of 5. Those 5 will need to cover every possible occasion. Second step is reducing coats to 6; two winter, two summer and two in-between seasons (I'm doing two steps today as I have time!). She reckons this number is enough for everyone.

The smaller number of items means you can spend more on each, meaning stuff which you really love. Simple, of course, but I always seem to forget it all when it comes to bargains and sales...

I'm going to try this today, in case anyone wants to give it a go with me

I don’t even have 5 handbags or 6 coats😂😂