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Off the top of your head, tell me this: how much of your wardrobe do you REALLY wear, on a regular basis? Half? A third?
Or, as our own Chris guessed when I asked about her closet, ten percent?
Be honest.
Stylists estimate that most women wear about a third of what is in their closets. There are a lot of reasons for this: we are crunched for space and wear what is accessible, we are crunched for time and wear what is clean, we are crunched for ideas and wear what is safe. But while we are consistently falling back on the same outfits over and over, we are constantly shopping, because we know we need something else to wear.
And then we bring those new pieces home and stick them in the closet and continue to wear the same things over and over, all the while declaring "I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR."
Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to look at what constitutes a functional basics wardrobe, and at why we are so nervous about letting go of that huge mass of things we never wear. I am in the process of paring down my own closet, and I challenge you--yes, YOU, I see you over there pretending you don't hear me--to do the same. Get in there and figure out what you have and what you need and what you don't ever wear. And get rid of everything in that last category.
How do you know what to keep? Marie Claire gives us one starting point, with a list of wardrobe essentials for any budget. Ten pieces, including gold hoop earrings, that we all need in our closets. I would recommend a wrap dress over a sheath dress, but that's just me; the list is basic and useful and still chic.
Now imagine that your closet consisted ONLY of the ten pieces on the Marie Claire list. Could you do it? Or would you find yourself naked and worried on a Wednesday morning? Are there pieces on that list that you would take off? Others you would add? Why?
If you're still not sure where to start, Catherine at [my] style files reminds us to choose basics in neutral colors, and to invest in these core pieces (black pants, for example). She also offers a good strategy for breaking up with the unwearable (or unworn) parts of your closet:
Once you have gathered your essentials together, stand back and take a long, hard look at what is left. Probably 80% of your closet! If you are having a hard time putting these items into piles such as (1) consignment, (2) good will and (3) “too good to go to either but I still don’t wear it” – this becomes your sisters/friends pile, have your friend, family member or spouse take a look at your non-essentials to give you their opinion of how often (never) you have worn these pieces. It will become easier to part with these things after soliciting another’s opinion, I promise. Now, take a deep breath . . . don’t you feel better?
Parting with the 90% of your clothes that you honestly never wear can be difficult, for a lot of reasons. Catherine's idea of having a pile that you go through with a trusted friend is terrific, because it takes the pressure off of you; someone else will help make the final decision.
Could you do it--could you pare your closet down to JUST the things you really wear? I'm trying, but it's hard. On Saturday, we'll talk about why it's so hard, about what our investment is in our wardrobes. What do we get from a closet full of clothes we never wear? And starting next week, we will look at what you really need in your closet, how to choose basics that fit your lifestyle, and how to make your minimalist closet work with the trends for Fall '07.
Susan Wagner writes about fashion at Friday Style and The Working Closet, and about everything else at Friday Playdate. She is wondering how she wound up with so many pairs of khaki pants in her closet.
