How Many Clothes Does One Need? - Page 2

[minsca]

All my maternity clothes (which are also my post partum clothes as I hate the maternity clothes with the tummy front on them) I have in storage. We don't have a lot of room, and I was feeling that my actual wardrobe was suffucating with all the clothes that I can't wear anymore. When I do become pregnant again I will put back the maternity clothes and store the non maternity clothes. Then whatever I actually wear will be in my closet, and I don't have to sort through the "can't wear anymore" clothes trying to find something that I can wear.

As for having duplicates, I only have 2 green long sleeved shirts. Basically because I love both shirts and can't bare to give one up right now. Plus I reasoned in my mind, one green shirt doesn't look good with skirts while the other one does.
The two blouses that I have are different multi-colored blouses and different cut, so even though I just said 2 blouses. They are very different.

I think everyone has to find what works for them and what doesn't. For me, right now, a week into it. I love my limited wardrobe. My mind feels uncluttered, I don't feel like I have little to wear, and I do laundry more often. I'm hoping one day when I don't have sticky dirty hands always touching my clothes I will be able to rewear clothes once or twice without having to wash them after I wear them.

[Amys1st]

I am fortunate, I lost weight recently and gave my previous bigger sized stuff away. The maternity stuff left after I finished having babes w Maggie. Also, when done nursing, I passed the clothing on too.

After I finished nursing, we moved to a more walk friendly neighborhood and with two large flights on stairs to boot, I lost weight- 2 sizes. A friend of mine also was loosing weight so she took all my old clothes happily.

Now, on one income and wanting to not buy things to sit in my closet, I buy what I need. If I buy a new pair of black boots, the old ones go out the door. If I buy new athletic shoes, the previous gets demoted to lawn mowing.

The only difference, I live in the midwest so we have really hot and really cold weather so I have things I might not wear for 6 months like shorts etc.

[orangefoot]

Last winter I couldn't get my 'post baby number 4' bum or hips in to any of my trousers and I had read the Little Brown Dress blog so I decided to sew something I could wear as a uniform. As I was hoping to lose weight I settled on a long wrap skirt not a dress because I was going to need boob access.

I made the first one in a brushed twill to see how may pattern would work and wore it every day for about a month with about 5 different Ts and a couple of sweaters.

Then as it got colder I found two large remnants of heavy weight burn orange coloured wool fabric which was just amazing so I sewed another one the same. It is amazing how well orange co-ordinates with brown, turquoise, purple, deep pinks and black! I hate taking the wool one off to go to bed as it keeps me so warm

I bought one pair of jeans from a thrift shop and those 3 things were my whole wardrobe of 'bottoms'

This winter I am back in the skirts and have bought a new pair of jeans because I have lost a bit of weight! I wear them with knee length socks or tights underneath and 3 different sweaters with long sleeved Ts under and sometimes a vest too.

No-one has said anything about me always wearing the same clothes and I don't feel bad about it at all.

Now if only I could work out a similar uniform for summer I would be set!

[PatienceAndLove]

Originally Posted by orangefoot

Last winter I couldn't get my 'post baby number 4' bum or hips in to any of my trousers and I had read the Little Brown Dress blog so I decided to sew something I could wear as a uniform. As I was hoping to lose weight I settled on a long wrap skirt not a dress because I was going to need boob access.

I made the first one in a brushed twill to see how may pattern would work and wore it every day for about a month with about 5 different Ts and a couple of sweaters.

Then as it got colder I found two large remnants of heavy weight burn orange coloured wool fabric which was just amazing so I sewed another one the same. It is amazing how well orange co-ordinates with brown, turquoise, purple, deep pinks and black! I hate taking the wool one off to go to bed as it keeps me so warm

I bought one pair of jeans from a thrift shop and those 3 things were my whole wardrobe of 'bottoms'

This winter I am back in the skirts and have bought a new pair of jeans because I have lost a bit of weight! I wear them with knee length socks or tights underneath and 3 different sweaters with long sleeved Ts under and sometimes a vest too.

No-one has said anything about me always wearing the same clothes and I don't feel bad about it at all.

Now if only I could work out a similar uniform for summer I would be set!

Where did you get your wrap skirt pattern?

[cheery]

I really like this thread. Getting rid of clothes is easier said than done. The longer I have had something the less I feel like parting with it and if I just bought something then why would I get rid of it .... and with this economy,better hang on to it ... so there is always some excuse.

I'd love to stop buying but unfortunately I can't pass up a sale. Flannel night-pants for $3.24 ... better stock up, and get bigger sizes too! I did decide (3 days ago) to STOP going to the store so that I don't see these sales - something is always on clearance. Wish me luck, I plan to stick to this one for a while. (We can get everything we need from the grocery store so there is no NEED to visit dept stores and get caught in clearance sales.)

[orangefoot]

Originally Posted by PatienceAndLove

Where did you get your wrap skirt pattern?

I made the pattern with a bit of maths!

My wool skirt has 6 panels. The grey skirt has 5.

Measure your waist and add half your waist again. Divide this by 6 (or 5) and you have the top edge of each panel. The bottom edge of each panel is at least half again of the top edge so for example top is 8" bottom is 13" Length of each is whatever you like.

Draw one panel on newspaper or other big paper then add seam allowances to each side of about 1/2 inch, top 1/2 inch and bottom about 2" for the hem. Cut this out and use as your template.

Cut as many panels as you need and sew side seams together then make ties/waistband and finish hem.

Here is a pattern with instructions for sewing and drafting a pattern for only 2 panels. I was trying to get the most out of the fabric I had which is why I went with a larger number of smaller panels.

[minsca]

Thank you orangefoot. I think I'm going to make one. I love nice wrap skirts.

[mamaUK]

I have:

1 pair of jeans (i seriously own no other trousers)

5 tops

1 pair black lace up shoes (Look great with jeans)

2 oversized t-shirts to wear in bed

1 long sleaved black zip up top


underwear


Thats it! Is that insane? I find I have to do laundry regularly (every couple of days) I don't choose to spend my money on more clothes than this b/c i feel they are over priced and fall to bits anyway.
Do you think i am mad to have so little? I'm 29

[minsca]

Originally Posted by mamaUK

I have:

1 pair of jeans (i seriously own no other trousers)

5 tops

1 pair black lace up shoes (Look great with jeans)

2 oversized t-shirts to wear in bed

1 long sleaved black zip up top


underwear


Thats it! Is that insane? I find I have to do laundry regularly (every couple of days) I don't choose to spend my money on more clothes than this b/c i feel they are over priced and fall to bits anyway.
Do you think i am mad to have so little? I'm 29

Wow... I down to you. I think if you are happy with the amount of clothes you have then it is the perfect amount. I'm liking my 4 pairs of pants... I couldn't do one though. a) I always have sticky hands making them dirty. b) the laundry room is down the hall.

I really am a believer now that less clothes is the way to go. I don't waste money on cheap clothes that fall apart in a few washes. And the clothes I do buy fit me better because I'm able to spend a bit more money on them, and buy the better quality clothes.

[slsurface]

Originally Posted by SeekingSerenity

I don't have an inventory but I do have a lot. My thing is that it's hard for me to find things that fit right, since I'm so dern short (4' 10-1/2"). When I find something, I hang onto it until it's in tatters. (Or stained beyond belief, thank you kids! )

Ha, I have the opposite problem . I'm 5'11" and have really long legs and arms. My inseam is 34 inches! So it's really rare for me to find clothes that have long enough legs or sleeves. I tend to keep my clothes forever, or until they fall apart. I have some clothes that are 15 year old…I am meticulous about the care of my clothes to make them last. I’ve reached a point in my life where I spend very little money on clothes. I only add a couple things to my wardrobe each year, and those are generally thrift store finds. (Maybe there is something about being 30 that makes me hate shopping for clothes .)

I try to keep versatile cloths that can coordinate/layered easily and be dressed up or dressed down, depending on the circumstance. I have a fair number of clothes, but far fewer than most. One of the reasons I haven’t gotten rid of more clothes is because my weight fluctuates a lot due to a thyroid disorder. I can wear anything from a size 8 to a size 14. So I hate to get ride of something that I might need, yk. For example, I have two pairs of skinning jeans and two pairs of chubby jeans. I tend to wear both of whichever size I fit into each week.

Plus my job as an archaeologist means that I need everything from business suites to field clothes, so I it’s impossible to have just a couple outfits in my closet. I have three pairs of field pants and three pairs of dress slacks. Field clothes are only worn during the summer when I'm in the field. Dress pants are worn every week at work.

The other issue is that I live in a climate that varies considerably. Summers are very hot and winters are very cold...Climate makes a difference in wardrobe choice. Especially when you don’t live with A/C and keep your heat turned down in the winter, so I have to dress appropriate for the weather. This is why I also have about 4 pairs of shorts, which are worn throughout the summer.

So I have a variety of clothes, but they are all used regularly. I wear enough clothes to make one load of laundry each week. Anything that hasn't come out of the drawer in a while gets donated.

[starling&diesel]

I have half of a very small closet rack, and half a dresser (DP has the other half. I've probably got about three nice outfits (mix and match), three casual outfits, and the rest is muck-about clothes and outdoor gear.

[NicaG]

I like the Tim Gunn wardrobe essentials list:
-basic black dress
-trench coat
-dress pants
-classic shirt
-jeans
-any occasion top
-skirt
-day dress
-jacket
-sweat suit alternative

However, this list doesn't take into account a few of the essential items for stay at home mothers (like one or two sweaters that can be washed easily when baby spits up). I also tend to keep some workout clothes around, and pajamas.

[lovebeingamomma]

I am currently working on this as well. I've probably gotten rid of about 10 garbage bags full of clothes in the last couple of months, and I'm not done yet. But that includes ALOT of baby clothes that my babes have grown out of.

For myself, I'm down to about:

3 pairs of pants
2 skirts
2 pairs of shorts
2 pairs of leggings (SAHM pants
2 long sleeve shirts
5 short sleeve shirts
4 sweaters
2 pj sets,
1 winter coat
1 spring coat
1 black dress
workout clothes - about 10 items, could pare this down

Also would like to eventually follow the organic eco friendly route.

[mamaUK]

Originally Posted by minsca

Wow... I down to you. I think if you are happy with the amount of clothes you have then it is the perfect amount. I'm liking my 4 pairs of pants... I couldn't do one though. a) I always have sticky hands making them dirty. b) the laundry room is down the hall.

I really am a believer now that less clothes is the way to go. I don't waste money on cheap clothes that fall apart in a few washes. And the clothes I do buy fit me better because I'm able to spend a bit more money on them, and buy the better quality clothes.

to be honest with you, it kind of happened by accident. I had my second LO 9 months ago and I keep on 'intending' to lose the weight but it just hasn't happened. I am a UK size 12 and I would like to be UK size 10. So i kept on thinking, I will buy more clothes when i have lost the weight. Also I am really fussy so i find it hard to buy trousers which i like the fit of and i don't know about where you are, but in the UK a top would cost approx £30, trousers the same, jeans about £45 and cardigans approx £ 30. Now the jeans tend to be fine but the cardigans and tops tend to be pretty rubbish and lose shape, look not very good after washing etc which is always dissapointing. and even at that price point it annoys me! I couldn't afford to spend more than that on one single item. so I'm a bit stuck really. Plus , i take ages when im shopping and having two children in tow doesn't help one bit............ So I guess what im saying is it didn't happen intentionally, more like by accident LOL I have a washer and dryer which is on daily b/c of the childrens clothes so i just toss my stuff into it when i am doing laundry for them. But it has made me think about how many clothes I actually need/wear during one season. Being a stay at home mum, i could do with:

two pairs of jeans
6 tops
couple of nice button up cardigans
sleepwear
1 pair of shoes
underwear


thats it I guess, I'd be all set.

[bluebunny]

Wow, I would love to pare down my wardrobe some but I'm in-between sizes and it's so hard to get rid of perfectly good clothes that I hope to get into again. I have about nine pounds to lose since my last pregnancy and I want to get pregnant again soon. I have about three different sizes in my closet. I also work outside the home two days a week and need suits for my job.

When I'm done having children and have lost the baby weight, I plan to get my wardrobe down to the minimum.

[ReadingMama]

I got the idea to pare down my wardrobe and create my own "uniform" from one of Elaine St. James' simplicity books. It was the first book about simplicity I read and it's the main idea that jumped out at me. I usually have 4-6 pairs of pants (jeans, sweats, and capris) and no more than 2 weeks of shirts in my favorite colors (black, brown, purple and blue). I only need one dress for special occasions. I have one pair of black mules, one pair of brown mules, one pair of Crocs, one pair of dress shoes, one pair of tennis shoes, and a pair of flip flops. I have 2 purses-one for warm weather and one for cold weather. I wouldn't call my wardrobe extreme, but it is managable and works for my relaxed lifestyle.