If you have a small/capsule wardrobe, do you get bored?

[TheOGCCL]

I’m doing some work on my wardrobe - going to try out Project 333 which has already been interesting as haven’t found it hard to pick my garments. I have obvious favourites and although I do wear nearly all my clothes at some point or they go (they fit, right colour, coordinate with other stuff etc) and I never wear the exact same outfit twice, I’m beginning to realise I may be making things over complicated.

I guess I just fear getting bored with a smaller selection to choose from?

I've never heard of Project 333 but am following your post to learn a thing or two!
I like the idea of less, I just get stupidly sentimental over some items of clothing and find it hard to part with.
I'd love a good clear out and make life simpler

I normally get rid of anything I haven’t worn for 12 months, however the past few years have not been normal, particularly in terms of holidays, but as life hopefully gets back on track I can re-start my 12 month rule

Nope. Not boring for me. I simply don’t give it much thought And I don’t much care about what people might be thinking about what I wear.

I’m with @Honourofgrayskull …..a good clear out and a simpler life

I tried it a few years ago and got bored very quickly. Fortunately I had vac packed clothes and hadnt given them away.

I dont like the 12 month rule.
I rest clothes for a while and fall in love with them again a few years later!

I am currently planning to move over to a capsule type wardrobe because I'm so tired of spending silly money on clothes I don't need and which don't go with anything else I own. My closet is full to the brim but I feel like I don't have anything to wear. It doesn't help that I'm currently 12 months post partum, still have half a stone of pregnancy weight to shift, and TTC no.2.

I have found some amazing advice on this thread:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnet_classics/3797652-thanks-to-s-b-i-m-finally-winning-in-the-pursuit-of-elegance

I am currently putting together a list of what items of clothing I need for a four season capsule wardrobe, without any hard limit on the number of items at the moment. I'm focusing on neutral basics at the moment and doing it per season. So for example, for each season I am listing what footwear and outerwear I need, then how many and what kind of jeans/trousers, skirts/dresses tops and knitwear I need.

Once I've done that I plan to go through my wardrobe and work out what I've already got from the list which fits me and is in good condition. Then I'll go through it again and rescue any items I love which can be worn with the basics, e.g. I have a red flowery silk shirt which I can wear with a neutral skirt or trousers. Then when I've done that I'll go through it again and get rid of anything which is in poor condition or which I never wear. After that I suspect I will have a smaller pile of things I can't make a decision about, so I'll keep anything weather appropriate for the current season out and see how things go, and put the rest away in a vacuum bag until the weather changes and it's time to make a decision about whether I will wear them or not.

Finally I will make a wish list of all the things on my list which I don't currently own and organise it by priority, e.g. things I need for the summer season first, then things I want for the summer season, but it won't matter if I don't get round to buying them or can't afford to buy them before it gets cold again. Any summer items I haven't bought by September can get bumped to the bottom of the list after autumn/winter/spring essentials.

I should be able to stick to this plan reasonably well if I get pregnant, because I have plenty of maternity jeans and a few dresses from last time, so I should just need to get a few more basic tops.

Since the pandemic a lot of my work is recorded and put on line (presentations) so I have expanded my wardrobe to wear different clothes on different videos. It did make me realise I was pretty bored with my capsule wardrobe actually. But you need the spare time to think about clothes and thats boring in its own way too.

@babyjellyfish thanks for the link to that thread

I am a fan of the 12 month rule. I try to be ruthless and if l up spec an item e.g. better fit, now lined etc then l get rid of the original. Obviously mindful that some items there’s scope to have a couple of them e.g. black tops

I am trying to be a mindful shopper so I use Pinterest to record what I have in my wardrobe and then pin potential purchases on that before buying. Useful to keep track of what I already have. I've also noticed that patterned/bright coloured clothes tend to get thrown away more often, so am sticking to neutrals.

I wouldn't like the 12 month rule, either.
I keep my clothes and only get rid of them if they are shabby, totally out of style, don't fit, damaged or do not look good on me any more.
These clothes are then given away, to charity or recycled.

So if I understand it correctly, you're allowed 33 items and you have to wear those for three months? I think I do a version of that already! . I do have a few additional items probably that I have in my closet knowing I won't wear them often because they're very specific - eg a couple of smart dresses for weddings/events or a fake fur coat that I only wear in deepest winter on nights out or my snow boots. But otherwise, I think this is my normal life more or less!

And no, I don't get bored as such. I don't like clothes to sit unworn in a cupboard. It feels like such a waste to me. So I tend to wear them a lot, in different combinations, and then as they wear out, I replace them.

Some great insights here. For me I think its the fact that I do wear out some things, especially shoes, so am clearly wearing them and getting my money's worth, and wondering what then drives me to buy more things which might be worn much less - anything too distinctive seems much less successful but then that does get a bit boring!

I'll buy a top and then be like 'how can I make this work?' when I really didn't need the top in the first place.

One of my big problems is never being quite sure which are the items that will become favourites, they all seem this way when I first have something, then I go off some and continue to love others.

I used to have this problem. I'd buy something because I loved it, but then would realise I have NOTHING to wear with it. I didn't make a conscious decision to stop doing that but I think when money got a lot tighter about 10 years ago, suddenly I had to be a bit more thoughtful about what I was buying so it happened naturally. And then over time, that evolved into a sort of style which made decision making a bit easier.

Having done a quick inventory I can say that I have about 36 items currently that I'm wearing 90% of the time. But I wouldn't want to put away the other 10-15 things - jewellery and accessories especially - that I think make a big difference and can be pulled out when needed to enhance an outfit. I'm wearing a belt today that I've worn maybe twice in the last 2 years,.... but I've owned it for at least 15 and it has been worn more at certain times. I've just bought a new pair of jeans and it works perfectly with them so I imagine it will be worn a lot over the next few months.

I wouldn't say I have a massive wardrobe, but I've also tried a pretty extreme minimalist wardrobe before and found I ended up looking masculine, due to what I'd chosen (quite austere classics which can't go out of style).

I have fallen foul of Kondo Regret before, so I now put things in cotton storage bags for under my bed and don't get rid of anything unless it is completely destroyed. I do a version of P333 though as I have very little out at a time iyswim. Just a small wardrobe of proper clothes and one drawer of tshirts and lounge wear for sleep, sport and in the house.

I like having a smaller selection hanging up as it means everything gets worn and I end up with less laundry piking up (although I have to do it fairly frequently)

I have fallen foul of Kondo Regret before, so I now put things in cotton storage bags for under my bed and don't get rid of anything unless it is completely destroyed

How long could something remain under your bed before you get rid of it? If I did this I fear I’d have heaps of things under my bed, instead of in my wardrobe, and wouldn’t have achieved anything?

I don't get rid of anything coffee, unless it's worn out. It doesn't bother me when it's stored away. I have a compartment under my bed and also some loft space.

I did do a huge clear out during lockdown though, so my whole wardrobe, including things in storage, isn't massive.

I then rotate things for summer / winter etc and once I've got rid of worn out stuff at the end of each season, there really isn't much left in storage, so I can add things. I don't buy that much either as I'm picky and on a budget, so that helps.

*How long could something remain under your bed before you get rid of it? If I did this I fear I’d have heaps of things under my bed, instead of in my wardrobe, and wouldn’t have achieved anything?
I have lovely cocktail dresses from 22 years ago that I don’t wear for a few years and then rediscover them. I have loads of Karen Millen Stuff from 10 + years that I still wear. I have started wearing an old favourite Desigual jumper from 8 years ago thatI hadn’t worn for about 5 years.
I still wear the trousers and jacket from my wedding and that was 26 years ago!

I have been considering this but I would prefer to have a version with rather more items (and where I have multiples of some items - it's no good having one white t-shirt even if it's really elegant if it's dirty half the time, sorry make that 3/4 of the time).

I was looking at this nowthaticando.com/start

It has much looser categories than some of the guides, and it gives you different ways to put things together which may help me wear some things more.