A Wardrobe That Works: Making It Happen

After I decided to make my wardrobe work for me, it was time to make it happen.

Step One: Wash all clothes and have a sorting party. I made sure all of my clothes were clean and then I scooted things around in my room to give me a big space to work in. As I emptied out my closet, I sorted things into piles according to type of clothing as well as what I wear, what I don't wear, and what I needed to try on.

Step Two: Take a break so that you can come back to the job with fresh eyes. By the time I quit on the Friday before last, I had a MESS on my hands. There were a gazzilion hangers and I was beginning to wonder if I could REALLY do this. It was so bad that I didn't even attempt to make any more progress that Saturday. I took care of other things around the house, went to a movie (Tomorrowland), and tried NOT to think about the disaster waiting for me. I was out of town the next day which turned out to be the perfect excuse to let it wait one more day.

Step Three: Finish what you started. When Monday rolled around, I decided that this job WAS going to be finished and that I really was doing the right thing. After straightening up the piles from Friday, I emptied out the chest that holds my winter wardrobe and every single drawer in my dresser so that I could sort those clothes too.

Step Four: Get a second opinion and make your final decisions. After all of the sorting, I had a basket full of clothes that I KNEW could hit the curb and a pile of things that I wasn't quite sure about. Starting with the stuff I knew I was ready to part with, I hauled each pile into the living room so that I could get some second opinions. With the bulk of the job behind me, Monday's work went pretty quickly.

Step Five: Listen to MY Mother (yes, I said MY Mother).  It was difficult at times, but my Mom reminded me that as soon as you get rid of something that you haven't needed for a long time,  a week or two will go by and all of a sudden you'll wish you had it and you'll regret that you got rid of it. I can't remember exactly what she said next, but basically it was something like, "It's going to happen. Just be ready for it and move on." 

So...That's what I'm doing.

Let's go over what I kept:

Go-To Uniform: The outfit I wear when I don't know what to wear. I love it because it's comfortable, I can wear leggings if I suspect chilly weather, and I feel put together when I wear it.

Mix and Match: These are the items that I pack whenever I'm leaving town for a a few days. I do wear a few of my favorites just because, but I kept most of them because they are my traveling clothes.

Dresses: If I'm not wearing something from one of the "uniform" categories, I'm probably wearing one of these.

Other Uniform: Along with my dresses and go-to uniform, these are the pieces that I tend to wear during the spring and summer months. 

As you can see, I kept quite a bit! There are five to six items from the mix and match category that will probably find their way out of my closet when I go through things one more time when the season is over. In the meantime, I'm just glad that I finally took the time to make this change!

Do you think you'll jump on the capsule wardrobe bandwagon?

(SIDE NOTE: I took pictures for Kiki, but you should know that I didn't photograph everything I kept. While I did cut down on my gardening/work clothes, pajamas, hoodies, and comfy clothes  stashes, I did not take the time to photograph them.)