The Great Closet Cleanout

I am tired of looking at my closet and having nothing to wear. I am tired of trying to squeeze into clothes that don't fit. I've been itching for quite a while to do something about my closet. What, exactly, I had no idea. I stumbled onto an article at House for Five about purging to a 30 piece wardrobe. I printed out her handy sheet and started figuring out my own list. I wanted to tinker. Many of these 30 piece wardrobe guides are based on seasonal living. Most of my wardrobe I wear year round, just layering as it gets colder. My own list was the following:

3-5 Jeans

3-4 Pants/Slacks

5 Tanks

5 Tees

5 Long Sleeve Shirts

5 Miscellaneous Seasonal Shirts

2 Pairs of Shorts

2 Pairs Capri/Ankle Pants

5 Sweaters

4 Jackets

2-3 Blazers

5-7 Dresses

3-5 Skirts

A Maximum of 57 Pieces.

You'll notice this wardrobe doesn't include accessories, shoes, undergarments, workout clothes, or swimsuits. I'm giving myself some leeway in these departments, to try to get down to my end goal. My list sat on my pellet stove for two weeks, migrated closer to my closet with a week-long visit to the kitchen table, and finally, today, I was ready. I dug in.

I pulled out every piece of clothes I owned. I tried on everything I thought I might want to keep, and didn't bother with things that I knew hadn't fit for a while. So did I meet my goal? At the end I had:

6 Jeans

3 Slacks

7 Nice Tanks

10 Basic Tanks

9 Nice Shirts

8 Casual/Sleep T-Shirts

11 Nice Long Sleeve Shirts

9 Long Sleeve Casual/Sleep Shirts

3 Pairs Shorts

2 Pairs Ankle/Capri Pants

7 Sweaters/Cardigans

4 Sweatshirts

3 Blazers

5 Jackets/Outerwear

10 Dresses

5 Casual Dresses

1 Formal Dress

Total: 104 Pieces.

So no, I didn't hit my goal. But I am giving away over 130 pieces, not including two bags already packed for Goodwill. This means over the last couple months I will have culled an amount of clothes equivalent to twice my current wardrobe. Five to six bags of clothes going to friends and Goodwill. Everything now is on a one in-one out system, and I hope to cull more. Two shirts and one long sleeve shirt will become t-shirt pillows. And then I'll be that much closer to my 60 piece wardrobe.