I have been hard at work getting my closet just the way that I want it…streamlined and clutter free. I am still working on some of the other stuff that has collected there…think boxes of old papers to sort through…but my clothing is simplified and ready to go. It took a little vision, but I created a capsule wardrobe, consisting of 37 items that will be my entire wardrobe for the next three months. Here is the lowdown on how I did it:
I went through every piece of clothing that I own, including the shoes, and sorted them into three piles.
- Things that I knew I didn’t want to keep because I didn’t like them, they were worn out, or they didn’t fit right. That pile went straight to charity, except for the really worn out stuff, which went into the trash.
- Things that I wasn’t sure about or that I wouldn’t wear in the winter. I put those things in these clear plastic bins to be stored on my closet shelves.
They fit perfectly on the shelves, are easy to get to, and allow me to see exactly what is in them. That way I can switch things later if I decide to do so, without having to dig through bins in the garage. - Things that I knew for sure I wanted to keep out. I hung those things in the closet or put them in piles to go into drawers.
I continued to sort until I was down to 37 items. I did not count pajamas, work out clothes, clothes that I would only wear to work outside or do other dirty work, undershirts that I wear underneath other clothing for the sake of modesty, or accessories. I ended up with 10 shirts, 7 sweaters, 1 sweatshirt, 7 pairs of pants, 2 skirts, 1 dress, 1 pair of shorts, 2 jackets, and 6 pairs of shoes. I’m not going to take pictures of all of those things individually because, in all honesty, I am not an expert in the field of fashion. I can tell you that I bought 2 new pairs of pants to replace ill-fitting ones, and 4 new shirts to add a little variety. Ann Taylor and I became pretty good friends at her outlet store when they had an amazing sale after Christmas. I love that place…and Loft. That tells you a little bit about my taste in fashion. When all was said and done, I could fit all of my clothing for the next three months into one small section of my walk in closet.
My next task was the dresser. We had two dressers in our master bedroom…one for me and one for Greg. I was determined to get rid of one of them, so I decided to hang all of my pants and shorts in the closet. I then bought one of these handy drawer units from The Container Store and put it in my closet since I had lots of extra room in there. It holds my socks, underwear, work out clothes, and pajamas.
Now all of my clothes are in one place. I love it! It not only simplifies my clothing, it also simplifies the process of getting dressed. Even the hampers for dirty clothes are in there, which makes it much easier to ensure that the clothing ends up in the hamper and not on the bathroom floor…at least for my clothes. All bets are off for anybody else who might share that closet with me. 🙂 He is thrilled (or maybe not quite) that I am on this purging spree. Perhaps all of the extra space in his drawers will inspire him to go through those boxes of old papers that I mentioned earlier…
I digress.
Here are the rules that I will follow for the next three months, as far as clothing is concerned:
- I will not have any more than 37 items of clothing/shoes in my closet at one time, with the exceptions that I mentioned above.
- I will not go shopping for clothes at any point during the three-month period…until the last week of March, when I will inventory my clothing for the next season and buy anything that I need.
- If I get tired of something, I will allow myself to switch it out for something else that I already own in one of those handy plastic bins in my closet.
- I will not wear my work out clothes for anything other than working out, or for lounging around the house if I am not going anywhere. (Yoga pants are great for Sunday afternoons after church…just saying.) I won’t go shopping in them…or to the library…or to the bank…or anywhere else…since those are not numbered in my 37 items. I don’t really do that anyway, but I wanted to make that clear.
This whole process is experimental for me. We will see how it goes. Will I get bored? Will I hate it? Will I love it because it forces me to decide what my style is? Will I love wearing my favorite clothes all the time, since I only kept out my favorite stuff? I guess I will find out. I am excited for the challenge, and I will let you know how it goes. If you are up for the challenge, I invite you to join me. Leave me a comment and let me know that you are on board, and we will do this together!
Are you in?
