Well, I went through both my warm weather (3 months of the year) and cold weather clothes, and found...107 items. *hangs head in shame* I definitely have a project.
I'm SO excited to hear about your progress!! And for the record, I don't think that 107 items is a shameful starting point at all... watch an episode of "Hoarders" and you will instantly feel better. LOL (...or just Google Imelda Marcos, if you don't already know who she is.)
So after starting this thread last week and then abandoning it, I'm back with my list!
Thanks for all the other lists they were very helpful and helped me to get in gear and finish streamlining my closet!
So my goal is to have everything I have lined up, maybe by March(?) and then not to buy any clothes for a year. Some things I'll need I don't have yet, I've noted them at the bottom.
I also have one box of items in my closet. I'm nine months pregnant so I don't quite trust myself to know what I'll really need/use. Figure it's better to wait a month or two to find out.
I've gone with brown as my base color and kept all the colors in muted pastels so I can mix and match. I kind of wonder if I should have gone with black though because I'm realizing it's much easier to find basics in black! It's just not my color though:(
I've also tried to do pieces that will work through varying seasons. (layers!)
I haven't counted things up yet, and I'm not sure if i'm going to give myself a specific number. I need to figure out what's realistic, since this is for four seasons.
Haven't listed my lounge clothes or accesories yet either, I'll be back with that.
Suggestions welcome!
BTW, does anyone have particular places they like to shop? I do most of mine online and I'd love to do it all at one place but it doesn't seem possible. Trying to buy from sustainable/made in US.
Taupe tank
Pale green tank
Black tank
Lilac tank
*
Mushroom colloered tunic t/dress
Pink Short sleeve dolman like tee
Lilac ¾ sleeve bamboo tee
Brown drapey H&M tee
Dusty pink drapey H&M tee
Long sleeve tan and pink Henley
*
Lt blue bamboo hoodie
Lt pink bamboo wrap sweater
Cream ¾ sl cardigan
Purple Tunic length zip cardigan
Tan wool pullover sweater
*
Skinny Jeans
Bootcut jeans
Tan Cords
Brown leggings
Brown fold-over wide leg yoga pants
Short tan linen skirt
*
Brown boots
Tan sanuk slip ons
Brown sporty looking flats
Old tan moccasins
Brown thong sandals
Nude strappy heels
Pale pink platforms
Tennis shoes
*
Tan wool trench coat
Brown puffer jacket/coat
Yellow rain coat
Blue fleece
Still need:
1-2 pair of gauchos
Brown knee length jersey skirt
Summer 1-2 summer dress
All purpose flip-flops
I kind of have too many shoes, but right now I like/use them all and can't decide which to get rid of.
Are any of ya'll on Pinterest? I actually made a board cause I am a visual person. I am hoping to post pics of my minimalist wardrobe on there, as well as post various links related to maximizing the potential of a limited wardrobe and dressing classy with just a few pieces.
If anyone is interested, it's in the early stages and doesn't have much on it yet....but here it is...
I'm paigekitten on pinterest as well.
A friend brought over some shoes that were passed onto her so I kept a pair of sandals, and nice black shoes so I'll trash my duct tape sandals.
Above is a pic of my newly minimized closet. I'm not on pinterest but thought I'd share anyway:) Still needs work.
BTW, Rainey Daye I really enjoyed the link you had to the article about how much clothing we owned in the 30's - and how much it cost!!
I am thinking of revamping my sleepwear to simplify it...and what I was thinking was to buy two sets of old-school pajamas, the kind with matching pants and button front long sleeve top...and then buy two tanks to match the pajamas. I think this would cover all sleep situations...since at home I'd probably just wear the tank top with undies to bed and pull on the pajama bottoms when up and around kiddo...then have the top to wear for extra warmth as well as around others (particularly family members who think tank tops are immodest).
So here's my question...should I go for woven cotton pajamas or a lightweight flannel? I live in Texas if that helps. Currently I have one pair of jersey pajama bottoms and two pairs of lightweight flannel pajama bottoms and wear a variety of knit tops with them (whatever is clean..tanks, my tees, DH's tees) and the only time I feel sweltering in them is with the flannel ones in midsummer, but I just go barefoot, wear them with a tank, and roll the legs up to my knees and it's no big deal.
If I get two sets of pajamas with the tanks I think I can rid myself of all my mismatchy pajamas as well as my robe and one of my dusters (I still like to keep one handy as a super quick coverup).
Reason I ask is that VS is having their big sale and their flannel pajamas (which I really like) are about $10 cheaper than usual. But if I'm gonna go for woven cotton I can just get some inexpensively at JCPenney pretty much anytime.
Love the area rug idea, I am going to start doing that now!
Love the area rug idea, I am going to start doing that now!
ME TOO!!
Hi minimalist ladies :-) I've been following the posts here but this is my first comment. I'd say we're more "simple" living than minimalist, but I'm inspired by the ideas here. I'd like to pare down even more than we already do. It's so hard with kids and well-meaning family members. 
Regarding wardrobe, I just did a little shopping for basics as well as a lot of purging. I'm trying to get rid of items that I've held on to for one reason or another (you know the excuses!) and it feels SO much better to have just the clothes that I actually wear. I probably have much more than I really need, but for now this feels good. I only have about 2 feet worth in our closet, so that actually seems like not too much! I have only one drawer of clothing, too. I should get rid of some more shoes.....
It's nice to open the closet and feel like I have so many great options rather than feel like "oh I can't wear that because it doesn't fit right, or that because it isn't my style, or that because it has a small hole" etc. All that junk is gone! Whew 
I've had a minimal wardrobe for about four years, ever since I got pregnant. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on maternity clothes. I wore the same leggings, sweats and stretchy tops and tunics all the time.. I kept some of my old clothes in storage but never fit into them again :)
But I realized that it was freeing and completely doable to live with a capsule wardrobe. I never had to think about what to wear anymore. With a newborn baby I just continued this, though I had to unfortunately give up wearing the tunics because of breast feeding. I just switched to sweats and jeans with a top.
The three of us share the built-in closet in our bedroom. Not a walk-in, just a regular closet. One half is my husband's, the other is mine and DD's. She has one shelf of clothes and one for diapers and pajamas, plus a couple of dresses in the rod. I have one shelf for tops, one for pants, one for undies and pajamas, plus a few things in hangers. The shelves are half empty, not stuffed by any means. The upper cabinets are either empty or used for other storage. DH needs to cull his dress shirts, he wears one a few times a year and hardly needs the amount that he has.
I dress very casually. I like multi functional things like a simple, elegant dress in a stretchy jersey, that can be worn casually or amped up with jewelry for a party. The colors in my wardrobe are black/grey and shades of blue and red.
I buy organic and fairly made, high quality but no luxury brands. I have started sewing and knitting a lot of DD's clothes.
I haven't counted my clothes in a long time.. maybe I should do it for fun, I like this type of thing, and making lists and inventories :)
I have a perfect amount now where I don't run out of clean clothes and I feel like I have options, but I like everything and there is nothing in there I never wear.
Oh boy do I need this thread right now! I'm still slowly purging away as an aspiring minimalist and have recently turned my focus to my closet. There are so many items in my closet that I only wear once in a while and a couple that still have the tags on them! 
Though I am MUCH better than I was a few years ago, I was a total shopaholic. I think part of the problem for me is that my wardrobe is really all over the place, I don't have one specific style. I need to make a list of everything and perhaps you all can help me pare down my current wardrobe.
Okay, so I know that this thread is more about OUR minimalist wardrobes, but I am in the process of updating my kiddo's clothes as we head into warmer weather. With kids, the wardrobe things is a bit more difficult, since when they are small they are constantly growing and must have an almost total overhaul from one year to the next (thought I do try to buy the warmer stuff a little big so it lasts through two winter seasons if possible).
My question is this...and this is for the mamas of toddlers and up (cause babies are a whole different world of dirty clothes). When planning out wardrobes, which should there be a greater quantity of...shirts or pants/shorts? Cause I know kids are constantly getting stuff on their shirts when they eat...but then there are falls on the playground/yard and potty accidents that mess up their pants/shorts too. What should the ratio of shirts to pants be?
I keep our pants/shirt ratio equal-ish. In reality we have a couple more shirts because I put long sleeved shirts under my girls summer dresses in the winter.
One idea that helps me is having a clothes swap party, just a ladies night with wine and snacky foods. About once a year, my friends and I have a clothes swap party where everyone clears out their closets of decent clothes that you just don't wear and make a big pile in the middle of the floor. Everyone sorts through and finds what they want. We do ladies clothes and kids clothes. If you can get at least 25-30 people, you will definitely find some great stuff, and then donate the left-overs to charity. Then, sometimes items will come back around the next year and keep the trade going! It is a good way to supplement your wardrobe. I always find around 5 new things. It is a really fun excuse to have a ladies night and helps everyone out.
My wardrobe isn't minimalist, despite getting rid of 2 boxes of clothes when we moved. I'm on my last baby though and hopefully after I lose the baby weight it will be. This blog post (not mine, I don't blog) inspired me to start thinking about it.
http://daylightrising.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/twenty-seven-pieces-update/
Okay, so I kinda missed the boat on this a bit. I actually have been living with and wearing less than the list below for a few months...basically one pair of jeans, one skirt, a few tops, a couple of hoodies, and occasionally a pair of shorts or a skort just around the house till I had the jeans and long skirt clean again!! But I am finally getting serious about filling out my 36/365 wardrobe and wanted to get some input.
Do you think the list below works...or does it make more sense to add in an extra hoodie/sweatshirt in place of the long sleeved tops and just layer...so that I get more use out of what I have more year round? I live in Texas where it's hot 2/3 of the time, if that helps.
Outerwear:
1. trench coat with removable liner
2. cardigan
3. hoodie
4. hoodie
5. wrap
6. scarf
7. winter hat
8. gloves
Shoes:
9. chunky sandals or flips
10. slip on shoes
11. boots
12. strappy heels
Accessories:
13. purse
14. belt
Tops:
15. tank top
16. tank top
17. tank top
18. tank top
19. casual short sleeve
20. casual short sleeve
21. casual short sleeve
22. nicer short sleeve
23. nicer short sleeve
24. casual long sleeve
25. casual long sleeve
26. nicer long sleeve
Bottoms:
27. jeans
28. jeans
29. black slacks
30. long black skirt
31. long denim skirt
32. shorter black skirt
33. shorter denim skirt
Dresses:
34. LBD (litle black dress)
35. print dress
That leaves me with one open spot and I'm torn between a cute olive green cotton dress that has to be worn with a tank top underneath that is super comfy in the summer and a wrap skirt in sari material that can be worn several ways...or do I keep both and get rid of the black slacks since I can always wear dark jeans or a black skirt with a nice top instead of the slacks (Maybe I can post pics of me wearing each thing and get ya'lls opinions?)
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