Are you OS with clothes

Ches

I wondered about this after reading an old household management book which advises on a basic wardrobe. I know you all keep basic store cupboards for food that you eat regularly but do you keep a basic wardrobe of clothes too? And if you do how do you budget and shop for these and what does it cover. I ask because I try to be organised about buying clothes but then impulse buy the result of which is a wardrobe full of 'good' clothes that I never get round to wearing out.

beemuzed

I like the idea of treating the wardrobe like the store cupboard - and I suppose it could work too! Make lists of possible occasions/ regular needs eg work, leisure, evenings out etc. and then check you have suitable outfits.
Must admit I'm not that organised and don't spend long enough making sure that whenever I buy something it will go with things I already have, although I am getting better. I have in the past bought fantastic tops, only to find I had neither trousers or skirts to wear them with...so the choice was either leave in the wardrobe or buy something specially to wear with! Not very OS at all. Perhaps being rather overweight these days is a good thing as I'm more reluctant to buy anything until my size reduces!!!
Maybe this summer I'll go through everything and discard all tose things I never wear and keep a list of what I need to go with the rest - and then stick to it!

Sharifa_2

I rarely buy clothes. I have one nice party dress, and the rest is practical because I spend a lot of time gardening. I'm happy to shop in charity shops (except for underwear and shoes), and I mend clothes until they're beyond redemption. All my clothes fit into a single wardrobe and a small chest of drawers. Clothes simply don't interest me very much.

morganb

I tend to buy plain clothes, so that I can mix and match and they don't date; I've been doing this for years, but it stemmed from the fact that I get very tired of patterns very quickly .... I also apply this method to my furnishings.

larmy16

Same as Sharifa. I have one little black dress which I have had for about 10 years! Bought from BHS for about £30 - it comes out on the very rare occasions I have to go for an evening out.

Apart from that, it is tops and jeans or trousers. A lot gleaned from the £1 rail in my local charity shop. I buy some tops from Saisburys when they have their sale. At ridiculous prices. For example last year I bought six tee shirt/tops for £1.20 each! They have been used for my works tops (I am a cleaner). When they get too stained/scruffy they then become rags for cleaning!

I hate clothes shopping. Hate feeling dolled up. Hate the thought that someone might notice me because of what I am wearing.

If I need underwear, then a trip to Primark for pants. Then straight home!
Do need to buy good bras though and still dont seem to have got this one right.

AussieLass

This has come up before and I printed off the sheets someone linked them to as I thought it was a good idea. It's called building a basic wardrobe by Clusters. It tells you how 2 jackets + 3 skirts + 4 blouses + 2 sweaters = 48 different looks. They have other options as well. It was really interesting.

If you are interested I can dig it out and post the website.

luxor4t

I keep a basic 'kit' for work which revolves around a 'suit ' look but not at suit prices.
I have a collection of jackets/ skirts/ trousers that mix and match, in a base colour. (It has beeen brown for the last 2 years and now I am changing over to black). I add colour and detail with tops and accessories.
It is hard to match solid colours so I wear the plain solid colour jacket with a patterned skirt or the striped jacket with a plain skirt.
I plan ahead and always buy in sales - I am currently looking for a pair of smart shoes for the winter.
E-bay has been good for clothes (some absolute disasters!), and sometimes I am lucky in charity shops. There is also a Dewhirst nearby = M&S seconds. Keeps OM well stocked too!
We do borrow/ lend within the family especially for weddings etc.
I aim to have my bag and shoes matching during the winter, and neutrals during the summer.
How much do I spend? well, the last things were £5 for a jacket and £5 for a skirt = both in a sale!

catznine

Yes please Aussielass!

These days I only buy new clothes in the january and Summer sales and only classic styles at a very reduced price. I try to buy trousers and the odd skirt and shoes in the sales and get most of my tops, jackets etc in charity shops. i then look around the charity shops, car boots etc for accessorising scarves, jewellery, hand bags etc., Love the idea of doing a basic wardrobe list like a store cupboard list though.

Lillibet_2

I'm old style in that I have 3 "levels" of clothing : good clothes for going out/posh do's, work/everyday clothes which are smart(ish) for out and about but don't need ironing (often good clothes which have been dyed a darker colour to hide a stain;)), and house clothes which tend to be the previous 2 levels once they become stained, start to wear out etc. Jeans start off as best then become everday once they look a bit less smart then once they devlop holes/stains they become house & once they are beyond wearing I am saving them to make a denim patchwork throw for my son's room:D.

I used to have a pretty much capsule wardrobe and I must admit it worked very well, I am hoping to get time to sort stuff out & go back to the idea. It works best if you chose complemintary colours : I tend to stick with black, grey, pink, and coffee tones from dark brown through to cream.

Would be interested to see Aussielass' recommendation, although realistically I know I am never going to limit my wardrobe to just 12 items:o

Becles

I tend to buy classic styles rather than fashion wear. I'd rather pay more for a decent quality item that is going to last for years, rather than a cheap fashion item that I'll look daft wearing in a few months time.

At home I just wear cheap supermarket jogging bottoms and t-shirts, then it doesn't matter if they get dirty/stained while I'm doing housework or gardening.

My Mam commented on the tennis shirt I was wearing on Sunday. It was a school PE top, and must be around 18 years old. That's the ultimate in OS clothing :rotfl:

AussieLass

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/fcs2/fcs2820/fcs2820.pdf

There you go.