Recently, I’ve been musing on the disconnect between what we do and what would actually create the desired result. For example, why do I spend hours shopping for the replacement for an item when everything that went with it is also on its last legs? Why am I shopping at all before I have put together outfits for the new season? Or, outside the closet, why read more great advice (about cooking, relationships, business, or whatever) before assimilating the best of the last batch?
(I blinked, and fall is just about over.) New Season! New Looks! Spectacular Savings! Lowest Prices of the Season at macys.com at macys.com! Offer valid 10/28-11/4
After wasting a bunch of time last week not being able to efficiently get dressed in the morning, I finally stopped long enough to get into the closet. Lol (kicking self)! Allow me to confess, in case it’s helpful to anybody else:
I have barely any tops really, except some light-weight T-shirts.
So much for growing my wardrobe like a tree!
Curious what I did that finally made the gaping hole in my wardrobe obvious?
- I removed all the tops and layers from the closet, and threw them on my bed.
- Next, I labelled each pant or skirt with its shoe options. (The idea that every outfit goes with any shoe just doesn’t work for me.)
- Next to each bottom, I hung two options for layers to wear with it.
Theoretically, the next steps would have been:
But, obviously, when you have, say, five bottoms, twelve layers, and three tops, this process cannot be completed. 😉 Now at least I know what to shop for! Perhaps doubling up on tops for each layer is not necessary; my intermediate goal should just be one each.
Hey, let me know if you try a process like this. Honestly, it was shockingly illuminating!
A long time ago Jennifer Skinner had a nice couple of blogs up – The Small Closet and another one.
She had a great little system – much like the one you’ve settled on – where you take 6 bottoms and put two options for the top part with each. Obviously can have the 3d piece for each set. I still do something like this and I last did it in the summer. I had bought (thrifted) 2 summer skirts in late spring and pretty much felt like wearing these all the time. I don’t mind repeats. Was so successful that I declared a shopping hiatus for a while so as not to bother bringing in more items to confuse.
Today, I am in the middle of doing what you’re doing. The first thing I did the other day (which you probably wouldn’t have to) was to search back in my memory for what were the characteristics of outfits I wore a lot, ages ago. I’ve found this idea of thinking in outfits – that I got from Debbie over at Recovering Shopaholic – extremely useful in purging. Something may be great on its own – great flattering fit and/or color or I love the feel of the fabric, favorite print, etc but it has to go into an outfit. Otherwise it’s just something to be admired on the rail. 😀 I suppose I could reason that I then need to go out and buy my clothing clothes but I don’t.
So the characteristic I kept coming up with for outfits back in the day was that they were a column of color. I know this is supposed to be slimming but I was under 100 lbs. I just find it less jarring and also more emphatic. It’s red, see, red and plenty of it. 😀 I really like this idea much better for me than having
the top two pieces match and the bottom part different. Though I wouldn’t mind a wild card jacket or cardigan and just pretend not to see how from the back it’s a mixing outfit vs a matching one. I think I just like the idea of a dress, jumpsuit, two or three matching pieces, a skirt suit and it’s probably why a coat is my favorite item of clothing. One and done!
I’m nowhere near done and am at the point of noticing that I still have an awful lot of grey tweed. I’m feeling an itch, though, to keep concentrating more on accent color accessories and what I’m really liking is a kind of deeper leaf green. I like gray and green, cool camel tone and green, taupe and green.
And I agree tops are the key and make everything usable. I’ve purged 4 this morning. Anyway, I’m still in the thick of this and will decide first what accent color(s) I want most for each color grouping I will decide to keep and then check my tops. I”m finding out the few navy pieces I have are all of them differing shades of navy and therefore am considering what the fate of all these will be. I have a terrific navy coat that fits like a dream and lights up my complexion. Maybe that will be it for winter navy.
When I went out to vote this morning, I slipped on a raspberry pink puffer vest and my whole face lit up and my mood lifted quite a bit from where it had sunk to in contemplating all the grey clothing.
I am jealous: we are only allowed mail-in voting in WA; I miss going to the polls!
Btw, I stopped at Value Village yesterday on the way to the gym (the parking lot was full of police cars because there had been a shooting in the parking lot prior to the store opening!) and only found one top, but I think you would like it: the hero called it “tropical camo”. Lol. It is a print with bright green, brown, and turquoise. After it comes out of the wash, I will try to get a picture up. I think it is important for me to find and wear things that are fun. And creative 🙂
This is a great idea, and one that I need to implement (now to find the time).
Even if you just did the part where you pulled stuff out and separated the categories; for me, that would have been enough to at least identify the disparity. And now, somehow, I feel freer to only keep my favorite items in each category, as well. 🙂