Up until this month I had been hoarding clothes; not getting rid of stuff because I was not buying anything new, or picking up stuff in charity shops just in case I needed something for a specific occasion. But a couple of weeks ago I decided to make a change, I did a bit of research online about what was involved and looked at what other people had done, and came up with my own solution which is not quite minimalist (I still have 5 pairs of boots) and not quite the original idea (high quality pieces) and not quite the same idea of a shopping ban that other people online seem to have.
The internet is full of ideas on how to get started on a capsule wardrobe but none of them really suited me, some had lists of essentials (which is unrealistic because not everyone has the same style) and others advocated you going out shopping to build it up (stress) and then having a shopping ban (which is not what I am going for, I enjoy shopping so am going to shop to replace). Even though I am not following anyone's rules, I think I have the right idea that having a smaller wardrobe that I actually use all of will lead to me buying less in the future as I will really think if something is needed.
Basically I packed away my summer clothes, I'll do the same process in May, so not putting this down as a cheat as my summer stuff will shift better from charity shops at that time of year.
Then I looked at all my clothes and weeded out anything that I didn't love, anything that was a bit annoying (like jumpers that needed the a matching top to be worn under them), anything that didn't fit well or that I didn't wear much.
What I didn't weed out were things with sentimental value (like an original 80's university sweater which has no place in any capsule wardrobe due to an unflattering neckline and lack of match-ability), or that I really like, even though I hadn't been wearing them much, the idea being that now that I have less stuff I will probably wear them more, and as these things won't be replaceable it will not effect my future shopping (wasting).
Then I looked again and took out things that were a bit similar to others and things that didn't match much of the stuff I had left.
At this point I did cheat by filling a (small) bag with some more formal things that I don't need right now and put it away to make a decision on later.
So that left me with in my normal wardrobe (I also have some sports clothes, a bag of ski stuff and a Christmas cardigan):
2 Cardigans, 2 jumpers, a sweater, 2 longish sleeved tops, 3 vest tops, a pair of jeans, a denim skirt, a dress, and a black pencil skirt, as well as allowing myself to get a pair of black jeans if I can find them.
Which seems pretty impressive until you get to the shoes-I found it harder to let go of these, but I am willing to not replace (all of them) as they become unrepairable. I have 2 dressy causal pairs, 2 pairs of Uggs and 2 dressy pairs. Deep down I know this is too many, but I am not ready to let go of them yet!
For outerwear I have a down jacket and a more formal coat, a silk scarf and a woolly hat.
The other people on the internet don't count their sportswear or underwear, so I am not going to either, but I think I have been quite successful at keeping it minimal, apart from the fact that I don't need to own ski gear (but I do have a trip coming up, and it has sentimental value so I will employ the same don't replace method that i am using with shoes!).
I don't really feel I need to post pictures up here of all my clothes laid out, or of the different outfit combinations I can make or have made out of my limited amount of items, because the idea isn't really about what I have specifically and more that it can be done and it doesn't matter what I have specifically!
The internet is full of ideas on how to get started on a capsule wardrobe but none of them really suited me, some had lists of essentials (which is unrealistic because not everyone has the same style) and others advocated you going out shopping to build it up (stress) and then having a shopping ban (which is not what I am going for, I enjoy shopping so am going to shop to replace). Even though I am not following anyone's rules, I think I have the right idea that having a smaller wardrobe that I actually use all of will lead to me buying less in the future as I will really think if something is needed.
Basically I packed away my summer clothes, I'll do the same process in May, so not putting this down as a cheat as my summer stuff will shift better from charity shops at that time of year.
Then I looked at all my clothes and weeded out anything that I didn't love, anything that was a bit annoying (like jumpers that needed the a matching top to be worn under them), anything that didn't fit well or that I didn't wear much.
What I didn't weed out were things with sentimental value (like an original 80's university sweater which has no place in any capsule wardrobe due to an unflattering neckline and lack of match-ability), or that I really like, even though I hadn't been wearing them much, the idea being that now that I have less stuff I will probably wear them more, and as these things won't be replaceable it will not effect my future shopping (wasting).
Then I looked again and took out things that were a bit similar to others and things that didn't match much of the stuff I had left.
At this point I did cheat by filling a (small) bag with some more formal things that I don't need right now and put it away to make a decision on later.
So that left me with in my normal wardrobe (I also have some sports clothes, a bag of ski stuff and a Christmas cardigan):
2 Cardigans, 2 jumpers, a sweater, 2 longish sleeved tops, 3 vest tops, a pair of jeans, a denim skirt, a dress, and a black pencil skirt, as well as allowing myself to get a pair of black jeans if I can find them.
Which seems pretty impressive until you get to the shoes-I found it harder to let go of these, but I am willing to not replace (all of them) as they become unrepairable. I have 2 dressy causal pairs, 2 pairs of Uggs and 2 dressy pairs. Deep down I know this is too many, but I am not ready to let go of them yet!
For outerwear I have a down jacket and a more formal coat, a silk scarf and a woolly hat.
The other people on the internet don't count their sportswear or underwear, so I am not going to either, but I think I have been quite successful at keeping it minimal, apart from the fact that I don't need to own ski gear (but I do have a trip coming up, and it has sentimental value so I will employ the same don't replace method that i am using with shoes!).
I don't really feel I need to post pictures up here of all my clothes laid out, or of the different outfit combinations I can make or have made out of my limited amount of items, because the idea isn't really about what I have specifically and more that it can be done and it doesn't matter what I have specifically!
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