Just how many clothes do I really need?

[Zippedydodah]

I’m 71, retired, rarely go out anywhere posh, live rurally and spend my days walking the dogs, gardening, doing crafts and enjoying my life.
I’m 12.5st, 5’6”.
I also have far, far too many clothes, embarrassingly so! I have 4 double wardrobes full, plus at least 14 coats and jackets and I daren’t count how many tee shirts, shoes and boots.
Ideally I want to pare my hoard down drastically.
What do I really need?
All suggestions very welcome 🙏

The issue you have is that you have 4 wardrobes!! If you cut your stash down to 1 wardrobe (or even 2) what will you do with the other 2 or 3 wardrobes? If they’re just going to sit empty then I’d argue that whilst 4 is too many what harm is it actually doing?

if you need the space for something else then it’s a different matter I guess. Maybe do it by item, so gather all coats and get rid of half. Then do jumpers. Then dresses. Then blouses. Etc etc.

well, you need as many as you need!😁

Id take a good look at everything and if you havent worn something in several years and dont think you will again then its probably time to donate or sell. Same goes for clothes in the wrong size.
Just keep the things that you love and wear....and if thats 4 wardobes full then thats how many clothes you need!

I definitely need to radically prune what I have!
@henlake7 I will do that tomorrow, I know I have unworn clothes that can go.

Have a look at https://bemorewithless.com/project-333/. Good luck.

You need to think about how much space you want your clothes to take up and consider the downsides of having so many - space, overwhelm, never being able to find something, etc.

Assuming you have a spare room I'd pull it all out, divide by type then go through getting rid of things you don't like, don't fit, are worn out etc.

Then think about your life, what do you need to wear to match what you do with your time? Mainly casual, so that should be a lot of your space. Will you ever need a cocktail dress, wedding guest dress, etc and if so would you buy a new one for the event anyway? Get rid of everything you'll hold on to just in case.

You might want to be more purposeful in your dressing, think about the best things you wear that fit your life.

There are a few resources for this sort of thing, curated closet is useful but really just start sorting and see where you end up.

If you can keep up the momentum you'll feel so relieved. I did it a while back and it was so freeing. I need to do it again though!

Also think about how you'll get rid of things. Selling is really hard work, trying to rehome to ensure it'll be used is also hard - mine went to women's refuges and it involved a lot of sorting and driving. Giving straight to a large charity or even the huge clothes recycling bins is easiest.

Do you really have 4 wardrobes full of clothes that fit?
anything not fitting….off to charity shop!

I sometimes think I have too much, and I only have one wardrobe and a chest of drawers. That's for all seasons, I don't do seasonal swap outs. I feel better now! I used to have a lot more, but I also used to shop often. I've nipped that in the bud. Then I gave a lot to charity, but more recently have enjoyed selling on vinted. Both are great options. You have some great advice upthread so I won't repeat. Good luck!

Ugh, I just retired and need to do a similar clean out, although I don't have as much.

My typical non-work wardrobe is jeans, long sleeve t-shirt and vest(gillet) or cardigan, worn with trainers. I can wear the same jeans 3 days before washing, so really only need a few. I'm finally starting to realize I should only buy for the life I have, not the life I aim to have! You can still be stylish and smart even for a trip to the grocery store or out for a walk.

I follow https://www.theviviennefiles.com/ She makes great wardrobes; even if her style is a bit different from mine. Narrowing down a wardrobe to practical pieces that will go with one another, and items for all occasions is the goal.

As a rule, you can only wear one layer at a time on your body, the rest is clutter.

To figure this out, you could put everything clean in plastic bags. Everything includes every coat, every pair of shoes, every glove, every scarf, every pair of socks, underwear, bras, etc.. You can only take something out of the bags if you wear it immediately. Items out of bags can stay out of bags & go thru laundry, etc., in normal way.

After one year (or 6 months if this exercise spans across cold & warm seasons)... the items still in plastic bags you don't need. Those are what you expect to get rid of.

Modified plan: You could pull out a matching amount at that 6month point, one shirt out of plastic for every shirt that already escaped the plastic, One pair of sox for each free pair of sox, etc. One coat out for each coat already freed...

At that point, you'll have double what you need. So you will KNOW the rest is excess.

The tricky thing is specialist clothes, like ski gear or the favourite wedding outfit... items rarely used but expensive to replace. Still unlikely you need more than 2 outfits of each special category.

Why do you need to get rid of anything? If you have the storage space what harm is being done?

I'll be 70 towards the end of next year. I still go out into the world most days whether it's for volunteering, classes or hospital appointments. I still socialise at least once a week although admittedly it's more likely to be at a coffee shop than a bar. I still like to go away for weekends and holidays where I might visit shops, restaurants, museums and galleries. I walk every day, just not in the countryside (not interested). I hope to still be invited to dressed-up family celebrations.

I could go on but hopefully you get the point which is that I still find many reasons to wear nice clothes. The main thing that's changed is that I no longer have to regularly wear - and even worse, spend money on - clothes I wouldn't normally give space to because it's expected of me. I can wear what I like pretty much every day, which is great fun.

Sorry op if this isn't helpful and I hope it doesn't sound like I'm getting at you personally, but this is something that's been bugging me for a while. If anyone wants fewer clothes because of a change of lifestyle or because they've lost interest in them then that's absolutely fair enough, get rid - there are regular threads about how to do it. I just wish we wouldn't dress it up (no pun intended) as not needing clothes any more 'at our age,' as if we no longer take part in public life.

I vowed when I retired that I would always wear something smarter than my casual or dog-walking clothes when I meet friends for a coffee or go into town, so I held on to work clothes for a while thinking I would still need them.
In fact I didn't, as they just weren't right any more.

Once I realised that I got rid of quite a few, and replaced them with things I get a lot of wear from, including a few pieces of lovely knitwear, comfortable but smart trousers, a lovely skirt to wear with boots etc. I'm no fashionista but a bit of updating makes me feel good.

It's still mostly very practical because of where I live, a very windy and chilly part of the country, and I walk a lot.

Perhaps you still have work clothes that don't fit your needs any more? If so that's where I'd start.

I have three sectors of clothes - summer , winter, and all year round. So I’ve just put all my thicker jumpers, long sleeve tops, winter coats in the loft, and pulled out the summer shorts, T-shirts etc. Can you have a winter wardrobe, summer wardrobe, everyday, and smarter/wear less/coat wardrobe?

Go through each wardrobe and be ruthless. If they’re faded, torn, ripped or no longer fit, then chuck.

Also, don’t try and go out all at once - it’s too overwhelming. Do one wardrobe per weekend.

Also, don’t feel guilty at having clothes. I sometimes think I have a lot, but then I keep clothes a long time. I’m wearing a six year old tshirt, and a ten year old jumper, for example (for dog walk).

I don’t wear my old work clothes when I go out for coffee 😮

I would gather everything up and donate a quarter of it, at least, starting with bulky things like coats. Or buy some posting bags and sell on Vinted if the money is needed. Use the empty wardrobe to fill with the clothes you DO wear over the year. Then use one wardrobe for in-season clothes and bags, another for out of season and the other for occasion clothes and bags. I love my 'party wardrobe'. Then when you're ready get rid of the empty wardrobe.

Regarding coats (I love a coat)

Thin waterproof coat - dog walks, country walks
summer coat /jacket - town visits
thicker waterproof coat - winter dog walks
thicker winter coat - every day winter use
smart winter coat - wool trench coat etc
smart summer coat
1-2 more coats - coats for variety, different styles etc
fleece - thick and/or thin - dog walks , country walks
old coat/fleece - gardening

• linen jackets /blazers /denim jacket etc

(not saying you need all these, but it’s what I have - love a coat).

I suspect that I actually wear/wash/wear a. dozen tops/jeans/teeshirts?
There’s stuff in the back of the wardrobe that I didn’t remember having 🫣
I have 15 lovely leather handbags that never see the light of day now, they can go for a start to the charity shop @Marbledwhite along with ‘smart’ trousers that have never been worn.

Sorry op if this isn't helpful and I hope it doesn't sound like I'm getting at you personally, but this is something that's been bugging me for a while. If anyone wants fewer clothes because of a change of lifestyle or because they've lost interest in them then that's absolutely fair enough, get rid - there are regular threads about how to do it. I just wish we wouldn't dress it up (no pun intended) as not needing clothes any more 'at our age,' as if we no longer take part in public life

@Floisme I totally agree, I didn’t mean that I’ve lost interest in life or anything else but having so many clothes is making me uneasy when I definitely don’t need them, rarely have the opportunity to dress up etc. I would far rather that they went to the charity shop to benefit others than sat in my wardrobe for the next x years!

This is what I would do (and have done!):

Start creating entire outfits from your favourite pieces. Think of all the things you do and put together a variety of outfits for each of them. Do some for the things you rarely do too, so at least you have outfits 'ready to go' eg out to dinner, theatre, party, wedding etc. When you've filled 2 double wardrobes you'll probably have enough so use the 3rd wardrobe for your favourite coats. Keep the 4th wardrobe empty and take all the unused things to the clothes bank / charity shop.

Shoes can now be matched to the outfits - anything that's tatty or doesn't go with your chosen outfits can go.

For your T shirts, start with a 'keep one, dump one' so you end up with at least half of what you have. If you're really overrun, 'keep one, dump two'.

I wish I could come and help you! I love doing this. Have fun!

@Shetlands thank you! I’d love for you to come and sort me out😄
I have filled a large black bag from two wardrobe hanging rails, I will tackle the two deep drawers of tee shirts next, hoping to get rid of 50% then I will do jumpers (5 drawers full 🫣)
Then I will do the matching up bit….

Hmm, this thread is giving off vibes that there's some sort of virtue in not being that interested in clothes or only wearing clothes that are "suitable".

I can only answer for myself here but several reasons for me.

I get sick of wearing the same things but I still pick them because they're easy to reach and I know they fit. I have been at the point where most of my wardrobe wasn't being worn because I'd become a bit overwhelmed by it and couldn't even remember everything I had. I've also lost weight over the last couple of years (deliberately).

I love clothes so I set aside a few days to sort it all out and create outfits I knew I'd wear. It was fun pulling it all out, trying it on and creating outfits. Despite getting shot of loads of things I was never going to wear again, I ended up with a 'new' wardrobe that looked good on me.

Some things I love didn't have anything to go with them so instead of dumping them, I bought bits from Vinted to make a 'new' outfit.

I love knowing that other people are going to find my clothes in charity shops and give them a new life, instead of sitting redundant in a wardrobe.

I did project 333 during Covid, and it was utterly illuminating. Admittedly, I was on zoom calls for Work not in the office, but not a single soul noticed.

Radically changed the way that I shop, give to charity, and dress.

To me “need” is a bit too utilitarian. Clothes are about having fun and feeling good imo, you might not need something but that doesn’t mean it isn’t nice to have or you don’t love it.
Rather than fixate on particular items or numbers just go through and get rid of what you don’t reach for.

What do you mean they didn’t notice though?
If someone wore the same few outfits on repeat I wouldn’t notice. Thats not to say it would have any negative judgements but I would notice, I’m hardly going to comment on it though.