Your Wardrobe ~ The Basics

And now it's time to talk clothes....

I've come a long way in this area over the past few years. My grandfather owned a department store when I was younger and it seemed I had easy access to adding new items to my wardrobe every single season. It didn't help that when I was old enough I decided to work there and was regularly around all the new styles and fashions.

I grew up loving clothes and caring very much what I wore. I've never been much of a fashionista, but it didn't stop me from trying. My hobby for years was shopping - specifically shopping for clothes.

Not anymore. I've downsized my wardrobe and limited myself to one tiny closet in our bedroom.

There are many ways to get started and today I'll cover some basics.

Admit you own too many clothes. Take a good, long, hard look at what is in your closet and drawers. You might even have off season clothes stored else where. Do you honestly wear everything you own? Do you need 20 t-shirts or 5 pairs of jeans? If you live in a part of the country that experiences mild winters, do you need 10 sweaters?

Only keep what fits and what you actually wear. Do you have fat clothes? Skinny clothes? Clothes you used to wear for work, but now you are a stay-at-home mom? When you see these clothes - clothes you no longer wear for various reasons, but are holding on to for "just in case" - how does it make you feel?

Limit your colors. Do you own clothes in every color of the rainbow? A year or two ago I chose to limit my base colors to black and gray and got rid of most of my brown. This allowed me to get rid of several pairs of pants, shirts and shoes that I was holding on to for brown. And now I limit my accent colors as well.

Keep items that can be worn several different ways. Remember the kitchen gadgets? Clothes can be the same. If you buy a shirt that can only be worn with a certain pair of pants, then you are limiting your wardrobe choices. Solid colored items are more versatile than prints. Also, try to buy clothing items that can transition from one season to another.

For example, I wear this dress in all seasons. In summer I wear it alone or with capri leggings as shown on the right. In fall and spring I add full length leggings and a 3/4 length sleeve wrap. In winter I put a long-sleeved shirt under and add boots to the full length leggings.

I purposefully didn't add jewelry so you could see the basic outfit, but I can vary this a lot with different accessories. (See....I told you I'm not a fashionista!)

Know your style and needs. I'm not about to tell you how many pairs of pants, jeans, shirts, sweaters, skirts, etc. you need for the perfect wardrobe. Every one has different styles and needs. Personally, I don't wear jeans very often so 1 pair is plenty for me. I am home with my kids every day, but I like to dress nicely (for my kids, for my violin students and for my husband). The church I attend is very casual, so I don't need separate church clothes. I do have a few really nice dresses and outfits for date nights, symphony concerts and special events. I also have a nice collection of hiking and outdoor adventure clothes, because we do a lot of both!

I'll be back tomorrow with more specific tips on how to declutter your wardrobe.


To see all the posts in this series, search by the label less is more or click on THIS PAGE.