How many clothes does a lady really need? Help

PasturesNew

My problem is that clothes don't fit or suit me. I need a petite range, but then that's too limited and expensive to buy from. 99% of my clothes are from charity shops in various sizes, don't match anything else.... but as they're about £3-4 apiece I pick them up "in case".

I seem to have some food intolerance so I can expand by 6-8" over the course of an hour if I eat something that sets it off.... and that bigger size can then stay for 12-14 hours.

I've also bounced around weight-wise having lost 3 stone, then put on 1.5, which is where I've been for 5 years, but I still have some "tiny" stuff and some "bigger/keep it in case" stuff.

I've just moved and can fit all my current clothes in one medium suitcase and all my "out of season/in case/keep it/special" clothes fit in one small box.

But, I've never got anything to wear, because if I do need to go anywhere then the selection I've got doesn't fit or match.

miasnanny

gillsmills wrote: »

So would you say that 59 jackets and coats was excessive then!:rotfl:

I have a friend with a collection like this, she is always going to have a sort out of them and a chuck session, the world will topple off its axis when she does:rotfl: I don't honestly think you are that unusual, my wardrobe prior to its diet was pretty chaotic. Things that I used to enjoy wearing don't necessarily work as a charriot user - skirts that flap get caught in the wheels, jackets bunch up around my neck, trews/jeans etc divorce the ankle and marry the knee. I find Gok Wan truly inspirational both in his mindset and his advice, and since reading his biography I admire him all the more.

Just take baby steps though and if you have room and you really can't part with it KEEP IT!:rotfl::j

sonastin

Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing the same pair of trousers for a whole week. Jeans yes, but the fabrics that work-type trousers tend to be made from, no. 2 days if I'm lucky but usually a fresh pair every day.

You need enough of whatever you wear to last whatever the longest period you get between being able to do laundry is. So its fine to say "5 blouses for work plus 2 t-shirts for weekends" but that means that you have to wear blouses on your days off unless you're gonna wash your t-shirts every couple of days. If you're gonna go on holiday for a fortnight without access to laundry facilities (or the inclination to do laundry in the washbasin), you'll need at least 2 weeks' worth of underwear.

And then there's the good old fashioned question of how often do you want to be wearing the same things. There isn't a *need* to wear something different every time you leave the house but equally, variety is the spice of life. You have to find the balance between being bored of your clothes and forgetting that you even own them.

I've got 2 suitcases upstairs full of clothes I haven't worn since I moved out of my old house over 2 years ago. I'm not going to throw them out just because I haven't worn them for 2 years. I've had to compromise on space while I was staying with family and now while we're doing up the new place but I'm actually looking forward to remembering what I used to wear. It'll be like a massive great shopping spree when I've finally got enough storage space to open them up again.

Itismehonest

Lost_and_nervous wrote: »

I have clutter in my home, I have lots of clothes, and am looking to make money and reorganise/declutter but the question is how many clothes does a lady need? I have always had lots of clothes and shoes, when i go to clear out I think 'I really like that, I cant part with it, I may wear it one day'

But I need to change and need to really get myself under control.

Has anyone got any tips please?

Thank you

A lady doesn't need many clothes.

Buy well-made, classic styles. They cost more but will last you years & never go out of fashion.
It's the accessories which will allow you to chop, change & keep fashionable.

BitterAndTwisted

"Might wear it one day" means you don't actually need it. "Might wear it" could be used to justify hanging on to everything you have. If you want to hang on to them, just do it but if you don't just do a sort through.

Do the following: separate everything into what fits you now and all the rest goes into the bag for ebay or the charity shop.

From what's left you discard anything that only goes with one other thing. That's two things that can go.

Then, decide on what colour palette suits you best and get shot of everything else.

Even if something is the right colour for you if you haven't worn it for 18 months, you don't need it.

Clothes need to earn their living, so they should be able to be worn with a number of other things. If they can't they are a drain on your resources and will sap your mental-energy. Just think that having too much stuff is a drain rather than an asset and you'll be able to let go. It can be very liberating to be less encumbered.

No-one needs five winters coats, ten jackets for work and half a dozen pairs of scruffy pants for lounging about the house.

Once you've worked on the clothes it could be time to sort out the footwear. I won't mention the handbags or the make-up and toiletries for the moment......

the_cat

Am I the only one now mentally going through all my 'Barbies' only to find SlobbyBarbie has a category all of her own:D:D:rotfl:

.....and she seems to have more clothes than A LOT of the others:eek::eek:

calicocat

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

"Might wear it one day" means you don't actually need it. "Might wear it" could be used to justify hanging on to everything you have. If you want to hang on to them, just do it but if you don't just do a sort through.

Do the following: separate everything into what fits you now and all the rest goes into the bag for ebay or the charity shop.

From what's left you discard anything that only goes with one other thing. That's two things that can go.

Then, decide on what colour palette suits you best and get shot of everything else.

Even if something is the right colour for you if you haven't worn it for 18 months, you don't need it.

Clothes need to earn their living, so they should be able to be worn with a number of other things. If they can't they are a drain on your resources and will sap your mental-energy. Just think that having too much stuff is a drain rather than an asset and you'll be able to let go. It can be very liberating to be less encumbered.

No-one needs five winters coats, ten jackets for work and half a dozen pairs of scruffy pants for lounging about the house.

Once you've worked on the clothes it could be time to sort out the footwear. I won't mention the handbags or the make-up and toiletries for the moment......

This makes very good sense and is making me think about the huge amount of 'stuff I have.

I don't even know half of what I have as probably haven't seen it in years. A few years ago a friend and I did do the 'chuck it if you haven't worn it in a year' thing......but thinking about it now I'm back to where I started !

Gotta say I do find the thought of trawling through it all horrid , I seem to have this mental block too where I say to myself what if I want it next year, or the year after that,or I could use the material at some point..............oh god thinking about it I have 2 suitcases full of material 'that may come in handy some time'.......that have been there for 5 - 10 years !! ......collected....doing nothing but cluttering my flat.

Interesting thread , and interesting views all round.

adelight

Itismehonest wrote: »

A lady doesn't need many clothes.

Buy well-made, classic styles. They cost more but will last you years & never go out of fashion.
It's the accessories which will allow you to chop, change & keep fashionable.

Sometimes it's that they've never been in fashion to go out :rotfl:
I'd say loads more underwear to include black, white, nude, strapless, plunge though depends on style, age etc. Also maybe 4 vests in diff colours, 4 short ssleeve tops and 4 long sleeve. Sounds a lot but it's good for layering in winter. Term and a pair of light coloured trousers for work or formal events when it's warm if you're not mad about skirts. Lots of stuff can work for all situations well except muddy ones!

calicocat

:eek: :rotfl: :eek:

OMG just quickly gone to tights drawer.......have 73 pairs of tights.

I'd need a skip if that's just tights.

I also have 12 duvet sets (just for me , 1 bed flat)....have a bit of a duvet set obssession at the moment though......it will pass in time.

This is a bit rediculous though joking aside and should look at exactly what I do have.

BitterAndTwisted

NO! YOU DO NOT NEED TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING YOU HAVE! In fact looking is the very last thing you should do: that's just an excuse to get them all out and admire them. Then you'll put them away again. Knowing you have the security of 73 pairs of useful tights, 12 duvet sets and Lord only knows what else. Are you expecting tights to become completely unavailable or quadruple in price?

You do realise that having typed that up makes you sound dangerously like some kind of scary OCD hoarder? Do we need to set up an intervention for you or just wait till we can see you on the telly?