The idea of a 10 piece wardrobe equating to a month's worth of outfits intrigued me; the fantasy of less laundry kept me going. Pinterest searches turned up many attractive examples, but most of them were business/business casual and not exactly designed for my daily demands that come with being a stay at home mom with three children 4 and under. But then I found Kendra's Closet Confections, and though our personal styles and daily demands are different, she kindly broke down the details of a 10 item wardrobe for me in a way I could wrap my mind around it and translate it into my own life. Kendra recommends:
1 pair of jeans
3 additional bottoms
1 fabulous dress
2 "toppers" - cardigan(s) and/or blazer(s) (1 of each, or 2 of one)
3 tops
10 items = 1 month's worth of outfits. (Seriously! See it here. Also visit her post for more detailed info about what each of these items should be to maximize your wardrobe)
Using this list as a trial definition of "enough clothes" (surely a month worth of outfits is enough!), I started weeding through my closets and drawers. Doesn't fit? Goodbye. Not in good shape/needs mending? Goodbye. Uncomfortable? Goodbye. Not my style? Goodbye. You get the idea...
THREE GARBAGE BAGS full of donations later, this is what I was left with for this Spring season:
1 pair of jeans
3 skirts
2 dresses
2 toppers (1 cardigan, 1 light weight hoodie)
4 shirts (2 button downs, two t-shirts)
12 items total. Not too bad, right??
1 pair of jeans
3 additional bottoms
1 fabulous dress
2 "toppers" - cardigan(s) and/or blazer(s) (1 of each, or 2 of one)
3 tops
10 items = 1 month's worth of outfits. (Seriously! See it here. Also visit her post for more detailed info about what each of these items should be to maximize your wardrobe)
Using this list as a trial definition of "enough clothes" (surely a month worth of outfits is enough!), I started weeding through my closets and drawers. Doesn't fit? Goodbye. Not in good shape/needs mending? Goodbye. Uncomfortable? Goodbye. Not my style? Goodbye. You get the idea...
THREE GARBAGE BAGS full of donations later, this is what I was left with for this Spring season:
1 pair of jeans
3 skirts
2 dresses
2 toppers (1 cardigan, 1 light weight hoodie)
4 shirts (2 button downs, two t-shirts)
12 items total. Not too bad, right??
A few notes...
So, what do you think? Is this enough? Still too much? Did I allow myself too many exceptions? Tell me about your wardrobe choices. Do you have any tips on how to get good quality clothing on a very limited budget? I'd love any feedback on this topic!
Next up: "Enough" kids clothes!
To read more about what got me started on this, visit my post here: Enough Already
- If you told me I would have filled up 3 garbage bags of my own clothes I would have laughed. I had no idea how much excess clothing I had until I had defined "enough" and did the hard work of getting what didn't meet that description. I wonder how many other good opportunities I have missed because I assumed a challenge didn't apply to me?
- Full disclosure: I did keep one pair of pants and two t-shirts for "dirty work," like yard work, painting, etc., but I'm not counting those. But even if you did, I think 15 pieces is still a major improvement.
- When I first started browsing "minimalist wardrobes" on the internet I immediately wanted to go shopping, which was entirely beside the point.
- I made two new purchases: the coral cardigan and the chambray shirt (to "warm up" my spring wardrobe, because it is still pretty chilly here), everything else I already owned.
- This is not exactly a wardrobe of a fashionista, but it is what I have.
- I'm two weeks into this experiment and I am already enjoying the amount of time it saves me in the morning!
- Working with a limited amount of pieces also helps eliminate excessive amounts of shoes and accessories because you can easily see if a pair of shoes, scarf, handbag, etc. goes with anything you are actually going to wear.
- White button downs make me feel pretentious. Blue chambray shirts are delightful.
- 10 pieces of clothing per season means each item will get a lot of wear, so quality is important. Right now I basically buy my clothes where I buy my paper towels, so I will have to learn some better shopping habits.
So, what do you think? Is this enough? Still too much? Did I allow myself too many exceptions? Tell me about your wardrobe choices. Do you have any tips on how to get good quality clothing on a very limited budget? I'd love any feedback on this topic!
Next up: "Enough" kids clothes!
To read more about what got me started on this, visit my post here: Enough Already