Tuesday Coffee Chat

Tomorrow is Leslie's birthday, so for the Tuesday Coffee Chat she wants us to SURPRISE her with something. Hmmm .... I don't really dig surprises. I mean, I love to give them, but I do not like to receive them! I am pretty much an open book so I don't have many secrets to share or things to surprise anyone with about me or my family. Ummmmm ..... so ..... SURPRISE .. I cleaned out my bedroom closet and dresser drawers this week and got rid of about half my clothes! Yeah, that's all I got. Sorry.

Honestly, it was probably a bigger surprise to myself than anyone else (well, maybe my mom and husband who know me and my tendencies to be a packrat) that I actually did it with enthusiasm and got rid of things that I had, literally, had in my wardrobe for years! And I mean years!

I have always held onto my clothes "just in case" they come back in style or I need them for something. My dresser drawers and closet were stuffed to overflowing, to the point that I couldn't get in them, move things around, or even really see what I had. I have been wearing pretty much the same things over and over out of sheer lack of energy to search for anything else in my mess.

I loved the idea of the capsule wardrobe I read about on Family, Faith & Fridays, so I went with that basic premise when going through my clothing. I realized at the end of the process that I do not have an actual hard-core capsule wardrobe, as defined, but I have simplified it considerably. And I tried to stay along the lines of having clothing items that are classic and wearable for many years, not too trendy, and not too outfitty (if you know what I mean). At the end I could see my true style hanging in my closet. Now things are streamlined, organized, and I only have in my wardrobe items that I truly love and want to wear. And that's the real goal of a capsule wardrobe.

I got rid of everything that was a maybe or a "just in case". If I couldn't remember the last time I wore it, and if I wasn't happy when wearing it, it had to go. Several times I would labor over whether to keep something and would have to say out loud, "Now, come on! You don't even like that!" or "You haven't worn that forever! Just get rid of it!". Item after item after item went into the big, black trash bags to be sold in a garage sale. I got rid of things that were slightly too big, slightly too small, a little out of style, a lot out of style, and things in between.

I had made a goal of having 50 items in my wardrobe when my purging was complete. This was not to include my workout clothes, swimwear, pjs, unders, accessories (I really don't have a lot of accessories .. I stick to classic pieces), or shoes.

When all was said and done I ended up with 82 total items in my closets and dresser drawers, excluding the items already mentioned. I have my purses on one hook, scarves on another hook, shoes in a hanging rack in my closet and in laundry baskets on the closet floor, and jewelry in my jewelry box and on an antique platter on my dresser. All of my undergarments are in one drawer, workout shirts and tanks in another, and workout shorts and pants in another. My pjs are all housed in my nightstand drawer. So that left me my closet and two dresser drawers to keep limited as much as possible.

A capsule wardrobe is usually about 33-37 total items for each of the seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, but there are no hard and fast rules. Hardcore capsule wardrobe enthusiasts include pretty much everything in their wardrobe within that number, minus undergarments. Instead of four total wardrobes, I have two: Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. I change out my clothing twice a year. So in my Spring/Summer wardrobe I ended up with those 82 pieces broken down as follows:

Tank tops: 17
Short-sleeved shirts: 15
Transition shirts (weather in Missouri is unpredictable): 10
Dresses and church items (more of these because of upcoming special events): 11
Casual dresses (t-shirt dresses): 3
Jackets/cardigans: 6
Jeans: 4
Pants: 5
Capris: 4
Shorts: 7

I can honestly say I am excited to wear each and every thing that now remains in my wardrobe. I can mix and match many items (which is the goal of a real capsule wardrobe). Many of my items are simple, classic items that can be dressed up or down with a scarf or piece of jewelry. Add a cardigan or a jacket to it and it could be a whole other outfit. Most of my clothing is solid, basic colors so can be worn with many different separates. I've always been more of a separates girl instead of an outfit girl, so this concept of a capsule wardrobe works for me.

I am hoping to continue to work on my wardrobe to have it pared down to just the items that I need and want and will gladly wear. This will be a work-in-progress for me, but I am off to a good start.

Next up .... the kids' clothes. Mwaaa ... haaaa ... haaaa!!!