I have so many clothes - anyone else?

[WardrobesAreFull]

I have a couple of days off work so have been sorting through my clothes and wow, I have so many.

I don’t dare count the actual number but it’s enough to fill two wardrobes, a chest of drawers and a box under the bed for clothes which only get occasional use (holiday dresses, bikinis, wedding guest outfits etc).

I’ve tried to be ruthless and get rid of some but the problem is that I love almost all of them. I’m lucky that I’ve been the same size for around 15 years and since I have so many, very few of my clothes get enough use to get worn out.

The rise of Vinted is just making it worse as I now seem to acquire even more lovely things without spending as much. I mostly buy second hand these days but love shopping for clothes.

Anyone else? I’m torn on what to do and whether I should be trying to reduce my wardrobe or just accept that this is part of who I am and that’s ok (as long as I don’t bankrupt myself in the process).

No. I’ve got three outfits that I wear in rotation.

Same. Yet never have anything to wear. I go through stages of having a big clear out and Vinted or donate. But seem to acquire more. I don’t spend ££ but need to commit to buying less!

Is it a problem? I have a lot of clothes because I love them and really enjoy choosing outfits and thinking about what I want to wear. I remember what it was like when I couldn't afford them and only had one pair of shoes and a couple of outfits. I hated it! If it works for you, it's ok

Is it a problem for you? In my case I struggle with storage so I have to be ruthless and I tend to donate my clothes as I don't have the patience to sell them.

I have loads of clothes too, a lot of them are fairly expensive that I got through my sister working in fashion, I have a triple wardrobe, two chests of drawers. The only things I regularly get rid of are worn out t shirts. Luckily I'm single so I don't need to share the wardrobes, in fact it's probably a good reason not to have a man move in with me 🤣

I'm a bit like this though I don't have enough storage to go too mad. It's not a do I like the item issue as I like all of it and it all fits. I like clothes and fashion and incorporating trends here and there and I like the variety. I'm trying to follow a low buy this year and am doing reasonably well but know my triggers points are spring and autumn.

Questions to maybe ask:
1 Is having more clothes over complicating your life? Making it harder to get dressed as too much choice? Making your house a bit crowded? Realistically in a week you can only wear x amount of stuff. Why acquire more stuff that will be in tomorrow's charity pile? Do you actually reach for certain things more than others? What would you prioritise in a fire? Do you find it easy to put outfits together?
2 Are there any emotional or psychological triggers making you shop for clothes? Is it filling a need that might need filling elsewhere? A self esteem issue?
3 Could the money be used on something better, saved for something you actually need? We can fritter away lots of small amounts which add up to quite a bit in the end. Could the time spent browsing Vinted etc be put to better use?

If you weren't mainly doing second hand there'd be environmental questions too.

@TheOGCCL interesting questions!

I don’t think having too many clothes is over complicating my life really. I do have enough storage, I sometimes have to iron clothes if they’re in the “under the bed” category but it’s no big deal, mostly I quite enjoy choosing outfits etc.

I am definitely filling an emotional need at times though. I was feeling pretty down yesterday (serious illness in my family) and to cheer myself up bought a couple of things on Vinted which came to about £20 including postage. I rationalise it by thinking there are worse vices e.g. alcohol, gambling etc but equally it would be healthier if I could just go to the gym when I felt down or something. And yes if I added up all the money spent I’m sure there is something much more useful I could spend it on!

Yes it makes me feel sick. I'm trying to sell on Vinted rather than buy.

I have loads of clothes. Only one wardrobe and one chest of drawers but I have a summer and a winter wardrobe and swap them in April/October so actually double the clothes compared to storage.

I buy from charity shops or make my own clothes and anything bought new is fairly traded and ethical. If I buy/make something new, I donate an item to charity.

I don't drink or smoke, holiday in this country, exercise lots, eat healthily and so on. It's probably my vice.

I have 17 pairs of dungarees in my wardrobe right now.... Oh and I'm wearing a pair. They have dinosaurs on them.

I only have loads because I never throw anything out

One in one out policy?

Yes , I have a thread at the moment about not buying any more clothes this year.
I haven't got room , I was recently really pleased to find some trousers in my wardrobe, but if you'd asked me if I owned any like them I'd have said no.
Also , I need to get better at putting things together.

I have loads of clothes, and I know it's because when I was a child, I had one outfit for best, my school uniform, and one every day outfit. When I went to uni and unpacked, I remember a fellow student being amazed by my lack of clothes. I didn't even have a pair of jeans or a solitary t-shirt. As soon as I started earning, I began amassing dresses, jeans, tops, skirts in every style and hue. I love clothes, there's nothing in my (extensive) wardrobe that doesn't bring me joy. I'm a nurse so all my clothes are for entertainment, I don't need a corporate wardrobe and I don't feel the least bit guilty about my clothes collection. I buy from charity shops, eBay and vinted mostly although do occasionally splurge on something new and expensive.

I have loads of clothes and pretty much hate them all 😞 not sure what to do about it. Lost my way I think.

Back to you OP, if you love them all and can store them then it doesn’t matter one bit… enjoy them…

Yep I've far too many and I had a cull four years ago when I downsized after divorce. I have two double wardrobes plus two sets of drawers full and all my summer clothes are in the loft! I haven't changed size all my adult life so I still have clothes from when I was 21 and I'm 53! It's crazy the amount of clothes I have. Probably 100 pairs of shoes sandals and boots. Ten pairs of jeans. 20 pairs of trousers. 30 dresses. 20 skirts. Probably about 20 blouses and 20 t shirts!

It sounds like it is time to stop shopping as you have a lot. Maybe it would be good to try a year without buying anything new and save the money for something like a trip out or away (depending on your overall shopping budget).

Ps I've still got my Vivienne Westwood basque from when I was 19 but obv don't wear it! Still got the leather hot pants I had made for my 21st party - obv don't wear them either!

Id be careful being too ruthless getting rid though, esp if you love your clothes.
Years ago I threw out most of my clothes coz they were way too small (and I was way too fat!) but now Im finally getting back to the size I was and Im kicking myself with some of the stuff I threw out!

I’m the same. I have SO many clothes. Three wardrobes crammed, two chests of drawers, three under bed drawers & two coat rails in the spare bedroom ! & that’s as much as I’m admitting to. I’m on the no shop this year thread as I’m determined not to add to the hoard. I have a problem that I still love everything so only get rid when it’s actually got worn out. Also when I was looking in the shops I found the things there weren’t as nice as what I owned from when high street shops sold decent fabrics & more classic styles so still have pure wool coats, silk shirts, lambswool, linen etc in styles that are so classic they haven’t dated. I know that the initial trigger stemmed from two years when I lost so many, both my parents, my two best friends & four of my dogs all died in those two years. I just shopped to fill the hole & it became a habit I couldn’t break for ages. Then I read To Buy or Not to Buy by April Lane Benson PhD & that opened my eyes quite a bit to my problem.
So my plan is to shop my wardrobe & hopefully I can keep it up for all this year. I’ve never looked at Vinted & I don’t intend to start!! As I’m not sure how strong willed I could be ☹️

@Darklane I’m so sorry for your loss, that must have been an awful time. I can completely relate as “shopping to fill the hole” is what I was doing on Thursday I think. I’m going to give that book a read!

I’m pretty sure there’s an element of this for me too. Growing up I didn’t have many clothes either and I remember for example having to wear school trousers which were too short for a while as we couldn’t afford new ones. I’m sure this factors into my clothes buying habits now (although weirdly I don’t think it has an impact on my behaviour in other areas).

I don’t have lots and lots of clothes, but around half my wardrobe can only be worn on holiday or the 3 days a year it’s over 30 degrees in London.

Things like crop tops/bralettes, v short denim shorts, summery playsuits, bikinis, etc.

These are my favourite clothes to wear and buy, but I wear them 10% of the year tops.

Not sure what to do about it, other than move to a hot country!

Wear everything you have on rotation, so obviously apart from summer clothing & special occasion outfits, put everything into outfit order and wear - don’t wear again until you have been through all your seasonal clothing for February/March

if you pull together an outfit ready and you really don’t want to wear it - then it has to go, put it in a shopping bag ready for vinted or charity

I think if you love the clothes you have, then rather than try and get rid of them just try and stop buying more. Maybe you could decide that every other month you do a switch around so whats under the bed goes into more regular rotation and vice versa?

My issue is not that I have too many clothes so much as having plenty of clothes but only wearing the small subset I actually like... if I got rid of all the clothes I don't like much I'd have hardly anything which feels daunting! But realistically if I only had my regular 3 x jeans 4 x tshirts 5 x cardi/jumpers and 2 x dresses it probably wouldn't make a difference day to day!

I can relate. I have a double wardrobe with 2 rails full. 2 washing baskets on top of a full chest of drawers. A drawer of white knickers, a drawer of black knickers, a drawer of every other colour of knickers, a drawer of bras - 67 at the last count, a drawer of tights & socks, a drawer of nightwear. A pile in the corner on top of another washing basket full of stuff. It's obscene really. And I wear the same things all the time - more so in winter, I am better in summer. I had a clear out of 8 black bin bags full last year as well. Luckily I'm not addicted to Vinted !!