How many clothes does a lady really need? Help

nikki2804

I'm going back to college this year so I decided I needed a complete wardrobe overhaul. I have a lot of pre-baby clothes that just do not suit me any more. After a lot of research I have decided on this as my base wardrobe:

I have picked my base colours as black and white.

Vest/Cami tops - fab for layering
V neck t-shirts - can be casual or dressed up
A fitted blazer
A trench/peacoat
Good, well fitting jeans - flared & skinny
Cardigans - some light, some heavy
Leggings - fab for layering again
A bolero

A nice, well fitting formal dress. A classic style which should never go out of fashion.

A nice pair of well made boots (flat for everyday use)
Nude court shoes
Black court shoes
Ballet pumps

A black handbag and clutch

Scarves and pretty jewellery for changing up outfits

I feel that once I have these base items in my wardrobe I can start to add some more colour and fun items.

This doesn't include gym stuff and PJs etc but I'm hoping it may help someone.

bossymoo

Am inspired. Time to write another list???...

Skyllo

I will admit to having a lot of clothes but they all fit, I wear them and I have space for them thanks to a built-in sliding wardrobe. My size doesn't change so some items I've had for years - the jacket I wore to my confirmation when I was 11 still fits, 12 years later.

I've just counted and I have 48 dresses. I could happily wear a dress every day and never wear jeans or trousers again! Thankfully there is no OH living with me as he wouldn't get any wardrobe space!

There's no way I could have a capsule wardrobe, I love clothes too much! I only have 2 sets of bedding (one to change the other) so I can have clothing instead, right?

I've had to consider clothing purchases more carefully recently as I'll be spending all my working life in a smart environment so won't have as much time to wear jeans or t-shirts any more. I think I'm using it as an excuse to buy more dresses...

mustmakealist

Some time ago I finally decided that there really was no point in keeping all the odd socks that were in the basket in the hope that the other one would turn up. Socks are pretty cheap in Matalan or Primark if I needed any more

I got rid of 200+ socks.

There are a few more in there now, but nowhere near that number1

scooterpig

This is a brilliant thread!

OH and I relocated to America 2 years ago. I took some stuff with me at the time; of course, I then needed other clothes so bought them. When we bought our house here last year everything else got shipped over. To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement. I've been gradually sorting through clothes ever since.

Not sure I would ever have got through it except that 2 weeks ago hubby decided enough was enough and we were going to refit the master closet (I should probably add at this point that round here, a room doesn't count as a bedroom without some form of built-in wardrobe. This particular walk-in wardrobe is 13 feet by 12 feet , but it wasn't well laid out at all).

Hubby literally made me empty it (by taking great armfuls of clothes and asking me where I wanted them dumped!)We've now refitted it and I'm in the process of putting stuff back and doing a great big clear out in the process.

Haven't actually counted items, but I reckon I've kept about 90 pairs of shoes/boots and 40 handbags. I have god knows how many tops, about 8 pairs of hiking trousers, at least 10 pairs of jeans, and at least 25 skirts. I have about 20 suits which I haven't worn since moving here, but I'm reluctant to part with them as they fit and I'll want them when I start working again. Also American fashion is somewhat old-fashioned when it comes to suits so I'll want my British ones! I definitely have more than 5 coats - I have 3 or 4 long coats, several knee-length and 2 or 3 car-length. I also have various wet-weather jackets, gore-tex hiking gear, and 3 beautiful ski jackets (which I do actually use for skiing). I have 3 pairs of salopettes, 1 of which I couldn't wear this winter as I couldn't find them in the wardrobe.

I have had an enormous clear-out and there is a great pile of stuff waiting to be bagged and taken to the charity shop, but I think I still have some work to do! On the up side, the new wardrobe means I've actually got a chance of wearing more stuff as I can actually see it all!

Lost_and_nervous

I have just returned from 2 long days at work to a thread full of wonderful tips which will definatly inspire and encourage me to declutter and sort my wardrobe out. I would love to answer each of you individually but it would take me ages so I want to say thank you to you all and continue with my ambitions of smaller wardrobe and try to make money from it.

Like many of you I have so much which I dont ware, and its silly keeping it all. Evening dresses... I have many of these and do you think I ever go out... NEVER!

I am so happy that this thread is helping others and together we can combat our large wardrobes.

Time to revisit the posts and make a note of the tips then time to look in the wardrobe ... and in the chest of drawers.. under the bed... in the 2 suitcases in the loft.... and so on and so on!

Thank you everyone xx

miasnanny

As I posted earlier in this thread I recently had a wardrobe cull and got rid of loads, I still think that I could do better though. PJ's aren't negotiable in this though as I have many days when I am just too poorly to go out and it is more comfortable and practical to shuffle around in nice slobby PJ's. This thread is so inspiring and has offered up some great tips and motivation. My biggest storage problem is I don't have an airing cupboard and am short of storage space for sheets, pillowcases, towels etc etc. Any tips in this direction would be much appreciated. Well Done everyone and keep up the good work.

System

Interesting thread
I have too many 'best' clothes that I rarely wear cos I don't do many 'best' things! They are so lovely to try on and buy though. If I stuck with the barbie idea I would say work barbie (jeans, t-shirts, fleeces & safety boots) and hiking barbie need most clothes, then maybe concert barbie needs a decent summer outfit and one for winter, and at-home barbie wears the same trackie bottoms and t-shirts as gym barbie. So why do I have umpteen lovely dresses and skirts and blouses that I never wear? Especially as I can only wear trainers or boots at the moment which doesn't lend itself to dressing up?!

I've done some decluttering (there's a good thread for that on here by the way) and joined the completely crazy clothes challenge but I'm still buying nice clothes

Anyway good luck with it L&N, keep us posted with your progress

sarahw89

Im not sure whether anybody has already suggested this i may of missed it, But what I do when decluttering my wardrobe I put anything i havent worn for a while in a bag for about a month if i dont miss it and dont think about it I then get rid of it. Either by giving away to charity or selling on ebay then use the money to put to something i need or for a new clothing treat after ive slimmed my wardrobe down

asset2004

An interesting thread.
I am in the no buying toiletries thread and it is making me think twice about buying extra toiletries.:A
I do however have 100s of clothes, which is all over my bedroom. Sometimes I can't find anything to wear because its just piled on top of things.
I did get rid of a bundle of about 50 items one ebay recently but didn't make much, I have another 2 bags with similar numbers to sell once I can be bothered taking pics, that takes ages.
I always joke I should open an evening dress hire company as I have enough dresses in size 8, 10 and some 12 to do half a formal 'do'!
My problem is I don't like to throw things out, I very rarely buy anything new full price. My trouble is there's a pretty good CS nearby where you get 10 items for £5 and I've had some great items there!:T
I will be following this thread for inspiration and advice.