I have now completed the first half of my 2015 “Love It, Wear It” Wardrobe Challenge (LIWI). I feel this project has been instrumental in helping me to feel better about my clothes, shop smarter, and cultivate a more workable wardrobe. I continue to learn new things about myself along the way, as well as what types of clothes, shoes, and accessories work best for my life and my evolving style aesthetic.
As with last month, I am splitting this update into two parts. In today’s post, I will share what I wore during June and give you a glimpse into my “working closet” halfway through the challenge. In part two, which will go live early next week, I do some analysis into what has yet to be worn and why. In both posts, I will include lots of numbers and photos to help illustrate my points.
I hope you will find this update interesting regardless of whether or not you are following along with LIWI yourself. Those whose eyes glaze over with numbers will have many photos to look at, while those who like data and statistics will likely embrace those parts of the posts. I encourage you all to see if you can draw parallels between my situation and your own and glean some pearls of wisdom from my mistakes and the lessons I’ve learned.
I don’t think I will go into this much detail again until the end of the year when I’m wrapping up the challenge. I don’t expect things to change all that dramatically over the next few months, as I have worn the bulk of my items at this point. I would prefer to do my LIWI updates in a single post if at all possible, so I will have to dial back my analytical nature a bit next time… But when it comes time to wrap up the challenge, it will probably be back to full tilt numbers and data once again.
An Overview of LIWI
Before I dive into my update, here’s a quick reminder of what LIWI is about (read more here). The objectives for the “Love It, Wear It” challenge are to wear what we love and to have the right types of clothing, shoes, and accessories for our lives… our real lives. By this, I mean the lives that we are actually living in the here and now – not imagined, wished for, or previous lifestyles.
The process for doing LIWI is as follows… The idea is to create a “working closet” by moving everything you wear into a specific area of your closet space. As much as possible (uniforms and dress codes aside…), you should only wear what you really want to wear. Anything that is uncomfortable, fussy, or no longer in line with your personal style should be passed on for donation or consignment.
Although I started LIWI at the beginning of the year, you can dive in at any time. A lot of readers have decided to take on the challenge after reading about how it’s helped me with my wardrobe, shopping, and style. Some of those readers share their updates in the comments section of my monthly posts, and anyone who wishes to do so is welcome to play along and report in on how LIWI is going for them. This post will be all about my experience, but if you want to see how others are navigating the challenge, I invite you to read the comments. Questions are also welcomed!
What I Wore During June
Prior to showing you how my working closet has shaped up after six months of the LIWI challenge, I want to give you a quick look at what I wore during June:
Here are the clothes and shoes I wore during June 2015.
In all, I wore 46 items of clothing last month and 10 pairs of shoes. This doesn’t include dedicated workout/lounge wear – I generally wear “regular” shirts with lounge pants at home. Nine of the garments were worn multiple times (the largest number of wears was seven, for my boyfriend style jeans) and three pairs of shoes were donned more than once (one pair of black boots was worn ten times).
My June numbers represent four more items of clothing and twice as many pairs of shoes as I wore during May. The main reason for the differences is that summer finally arrived on the scene towards the end of the month and I happily started wearing more of my warm weather wardrobe. I wore three necklaces during June and didn’t wear any scarves at all (although I’ve started to wear scarves more this month). Accessories will be discussed in the sections below.
I know the images above are pretty tiny (more images of my clothes and closet are included below), but you can see that I’ve mostly narrowed my color palette down to a few primary tones:
- Black (and prints including black)
- Blue (mostly cobalt and some denim)
- Red/burgundy
- Pink
- Purple
- Grey
There are a few outliers in the mix, including a light green/grey striped tee and a white cardigan, but the colors above are my main players. My predominant print is stripes (no big surprise there…), but a few other prints feature as well. My shoes are mostly black or metallic and fairly minimalist in style (I do have one pair of leopard print sandals that I still love to wear).
It’s much easier for me to get dressed since I’ve narrowed down my color palette. Most of what I have coordinates well with my other pieces in terms of color, which simplifies things quite a bit. Shopping is also easier, as I’m able to pass over a lot of pieces that are in colors which don’t appear in my palette. I’m still honing in on the styles and silhouettes that I prefer and the clearer I become on these specifications, the easier it is to navigate both the brick-and-mortar and online stores. Of course, I am still open to new styles and “wild card” items, but it’s helpful to have a consistent color, style, and silhouette story that guides both our getting dressed and shopping processes.
Six Months In – The “Out and About” Clothes
After six months of the “Love It, Wear It” Challenge, here’s what my working closet looks like now:
Here’s what my “working closet” looked like at the end of June 2015.
The size of my working closet (for non-workout/lounge clothes) as of the end of June was 94 items. My May number was 93, so the number has only gone up by 1 item. However, this number is a bit misleading, as I have decided to separate my dedicated workout/lounge items into their own section for two reasons:
- I was finding it confusing to have some of my workout/lounge clothes (e.g. the casual jackets and some of my tops) included in my standard wardrobe while others (e.g. workout/lounge pants and other tops) were not.
- I want to give adequate attention to this area of my wardrobe, as I had previously neglected it in favor of my “out and about” clothes.
I have definitely been wearing more of my “regular” clothes while I’m at home, particularly my tops, and that’s a good thing. I don’t need to keep everything completely separate. However, I have some pieces that I only wear for working out, going on walks, or at home, and I want to keep track of how many such items I have. Thus, I have opted to track my workout/lounge clothing separately for the purposes of both LIWI and my closet inventories (see my most recent one here).
The image above shows quite a few items that were not included in last month’s update, as I started wearing more of my summer clothes and moved them over to the “working” side of my closet. I expect to add even more pieces to my working closet before my next update, as I figure out which of my warm weather items I love to wear and want to keep. I’m sure some of my summer clothes won’t make the cut and I will do at least a bit more downsizing as the season evolves. I also plan to do another round of the “KonMari Process” later in the year, which should help me pare things down further.
I don’t have a target number of clothes for my working closet. I just want my wardrobe to be cohesive and work well for my life, and I would like to be wearing my clothes on a regular basis. I know I’ve written about wanting to wear everything I own eight or more times per year, and that is still my ultimate goal, at least for most categories of my wardrobe. However, I don’t want to get rid of pieces I love just because I’m not wearing everything as often as I’d ideally like. I believe that in time, my wear numbers will go up and reach a level that I’m happy with. I have already seen quite a bit of progress since I started this blog, and I’m willing to be patient as long as I’m moving in the right direction.
The Clothes By Category
Here’s a summary by category of the clothing items I’ve worn so far this year – and opted to keep (we’ll get to shoes and accessories later), as well as how the numbers have shifted since my last update:
- 3 pairs of pants (same)
- 7 pairs of jeans (+1)
- 10 skirts (+2)
- 7 dresses (+4)
- 6 coats (same)
- 3 short jackets – motos, blazers (same)
- 10 cardigans (+2)
- 21 long-sleeved tops (-2, moved 4 tops to workout/lounge category – see below)
- 13 short-sleeved tops (-1, moved 2 tops to workout/lounge category)
- 15 sleeveless tops (+1)
Here’s a bird’s eye view of the out-and-about garments I’ve worn so far during 2015:
Here are the “out and about” clothes in my working closet as of the end of June 2015.
Since it’s almost impossible to see the individual items in the tiny images above, here’s a closer look, broken down into tops, toppers, and bottoms/dresses.
Here’s a look at the tops in my working closet as of the end of June 2015.
Here are the cardigans, jackets, and coats I’ve worn so far this year.
These are the pants, skirts, and dresses I’ve worn as of the end of June.
The Dedicated Workout/Lounge Clothes
My dedicated workout/lounge clothes were not included in my working closet number above, for the reasons I outlined earlier. In this and future updates, I will list my workout/lounge numbers in their own section. Here are those numbers:
- 17 workout tops (+3, moved 6 tops from above into this category)
- 11 pairs of workout/lounge pants (+3, moved 3 pants from above into this category)
- 5 casual jackets – worn for workouts, walks, and at home (same)
Here’s a look at some of those pieces (I don’t have photographs of all of them):
Here’s a look at some of my dedicated workout and lounge clothes.
I think I probably have too many pairs of pants in this category, as I don’t really need 11 pairs. Some of these pants were downgraded from “out and about” garments, while others are getting worn out and will likely be passed on soon. However, I’m in no rush to downsize this category of my wardrobe, especially since pants are so hard for me to find. As I see that I’m not wearing certain items (within this category and my wardrobe at large), or if I’m unhappy with how things look or feel, I will opt to donate or consign them at that time. That’s the beauty of LIWI… KonMari will also probably come into play later in the year, especially since I found it so helpful back in May.
Six Months In – Shoes and Accessories
I’m also tracking all of the shoes and accessories I’m wearing during my 2015 LIWI Challenge. I keep a running list of shoes worn and I track my jewelry by moving the pieces that I wear to separate areas of my jewelry box. With my scarves, I move them from being folded up on a shelf to hanging them on a hanger in my working closet. Here are my accessory numbers as of the end of June:
- 20 pairs of shoes (+4)
- 37 pairs of earrings (+2)
- 14 bracelets (+2)
- 9 necklaces (+1)
- 4 watches (same – as pictured in my January update)
- 5 scarves (same)
- 5 purses (+1)
Here’s a look at the shoes and accessories I’ve worn so far this year:
These are the 20 pairs of shoes I’ve worn so far this year.
Here are the 37 pairs of earrings I’ve worn so far this year.
These are the 14 bracelets I’ve worn – and kept – since the beginning of the year.
I’ve worn 9 necklaces – 6 long and 3 short – so far in 2015.
These are the 5 scarves in my working closet – the same as for May.
I’ve carried these five purses since the beginning of the year.
Conclusion and a Glimpse at Part Two
Since this LIWI update has already gotten quite long and I wrote a lot about what I’m noticing about my wardrobe above and last month, I won’t do much more sharing here. Overall, I feel that my wardrobe is coming together quite nicely. I have a much greater awareness of what I love and what I actually wear, which is the whole point of the challenge. I’m still buying a fair amount (though less than in previous years), but I’m making fewer mistakes and my new items are better serving my life. I know I will have a lot more to share as I get deeper into the summer season and notice how my warm weather wardrobe is shaping up…
Part Two of my June LIWI Update will be centered on what has yet to be worn this year and will go live early next week. There will be lots of photos and numbers there, too, as well as some analysis about the other side of my wardrobe. In addition to looking at unworn clothing, I will also address the shoes and accessories that have yet to make their way out on the town this year and identify some of the reasons for that. Stay tuned…
Your Thoughts?
I know some of you have opted to take on the LIWI challenge this year. I’d love to learn how it’s going for you, as well as what you’re discovering about your wardrobe and yourself in the process. Please share your thoughts in the comments section of this post (or part two). For those who haven’t yet adopted the challenge but are interested in doing so, it’s not too late! If you have any questions or concerns before you get started, I would be happy to address them. For everyone else, I hope you’ve found this post interesting and I welcome your insights, too. Have a wonderful weekend!
Recovering Shopaholic 
Dear Debbie, I really love your earrings, all of them and I totaly get why you are keeping all of them. But I thought you wouldn’t duplicate any more by buying what you already have and part with much more?You have so much stuff, part of it seems a little bit dated, part feels modern and fresh.I’m not for parting completly with older things one owns, but I ask myself why you keep 2 black purses with the same function,why 2 purses with animal print? Why do you keep the duplicates in your necklaces?Why do you keep 4 pairs of black/grey boots?Why 3 pairs of metallic sandals?Why 2 black peeptoes?As for your clothes, though they are still so many, I like that you have a range of styles and colors which give you so many different options, though you duplicate there in function as well. What are you waiting for?I do not get it. What and why are you hiding under all of these things.?Why don’t you allow yourself to shine? To me you are a beauty für woman who is on the right way,but somehow you limit yourself from doing much better.
I think what we keep in our wardrobes is very personal. I have 4 identical pairs of Dansko sandals, in different colors. I have back troubles and these shoes keep my back from hurting. But anyone peering in my closet would think “Enough with the Dansko Sophie sandals!” I also love handbags with built in organizers. I have 5 which are very similar although different colors. I don’t want different styles. I love that style. I have 6 sheath dresses – a perfect silhouette for my body type and lots of cardigans to got with them. I love and wear them all.
I have found my style and I am very comfortable with it. I wear things that I enjoy just because I enjoy them. To me, that is enough.
This blog has never been about minimalism. There are plenty of blogs for that. But it is about Debbie’s personal journey to figure out how to put shopping for clothes in its proper perspective. It has been a fascinating journey that she has invited us to watch. I appreciate being a guest in her home!
Well put Anne! I read Maya’s comment the other day and was saddened by it. I hope she is new to the blog and that it is not her intention to hurt Debbie’s feelings.
I am very glad you commented Anne, I completely agree with you.
Dear Debbie, I hope you are not upset by Maya’s comment. You have come such a long way, I admire you! Please keep up the good work.
I actually was kind of upset by Maya’s comment and wasn’t sure how to respond. But basically Anne said most of what I would have wanted to say, so there isn’t much I want to add. We are all on our own path with different goals and desires. I don’t feel like I am hiding under my stuff at all. I think I am MUCH less focused on clothing and shopping than I used to be. I don’t have a target number of items and I keep things as long as I am still wearing them. My three pairs of black boots are all being worn. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn’t have bought all three, but they heel heights and styles have variations that work with different pants. It’s hard to discern nuances in the small images I post here. I am happy with the progress I am making and how my style is evolving over time. I am the only one who needs to be happy with my wardrobe and style and I am becoming more and more so as time goes on.
I have two pairs of earrings – a pair of small fake diamond studs for everyday wear and a pair of real diamond ones for ‘best’. I have eight necklaces, all silver with a pendant and three bangle type bracelets and that’s it. My jewellery choices are definitely quality over quantity and I wear and enjoy everything often.
Debbie. No. More Stripes. You have enough! 🙂
I wonder what your next purchase will be, mine will be knitwear for autumn. I’m full up on skincare thank goodness, I spent £200 on it last week. Oops!
I forgot to mention I only have two handbags/purses too! One in black for winter, one in red for summer.
It sounds like your accessories are really meeting your needs, Saltbox. I’m glad I am not buying jewelry at the rate I used to. I think I have only bought one item this year (a beaded black bracelet) and I mostly did it to support my friend’s new store. I haven’t worn it yet and it might have been a mistake, but it was very expensive. I am happy with my current jewelry collection, but I know I will pare down more over time. And I continue to love my stripes. They are kind of my signature style and I could wear them every day and not tire of them 😉
Debbie, thank you for your data! Did you ever imagine when you began your adventure in 2013 that you would be living with less than 100 items of clothing? Ok sticklers, I know I am not counting shoes and acessories… It’s amazing to see how far you have come in defining your aesthetic, and in curbing the shopping beast. (Even if it never goes away!)
It sounds like some are impatient for the analysis post coming next, but the previous comments make me uncomfortable. This is Debbie’s journey, and she has been brave and kind enough to share it with us! Everyone is in his or her own place in this trip called life. I can certainly imagine a life with 3 or more pairs of black peeptoes, and I would be embarrased for you to poke your nose into my closet and gawp at my ridiculous necklace collection! But I love and wear almost all of them; those I don’t wear are sentimental pieces still waiting for the right person to go home with…
As an adult, I am responsible for defining “enough” for myself, and not for others. (Unless they are my minor children!) Thank goodness mine are grown, and I don’t have to define for them any longer!!
My ‘no more stripes’ comment was tongue in cheek. That’s why I wrote it with full stops and s smile at the end. Your comment about my comment is inflammatory and unnecessary. If you cared to look you would know that I’ve been a long time commenter here and I champion Debbie at every turn.
As for your necklace collection I don’t give a sticky fig, I was merely sharing my jewellery collection and not criticising in any way. Get over yourself.
Oh, my goodness, and apologies! I clearly knew the stripes comment was tongue in cheek. I was not intending to be inflammatory. I referenced “comments” plural. I have been reading for months, and have been through the entire archive, so I am aware of both your writing style, and your support of Debbie. Had I been addressing you in particular, I would have replied to your post vice initiating my own.
I have been “over myself” for quite a few years now, and apologize for having caused offense.
Hi Liz, I took your comments to be mainly about the first post, and think its very thoughtful of you to give some support to Debbie.
I have quite a few of what outsiders might see as ‘duplicates’ but would question the ‘rule’ that seems to be cited on many blogs that this should always be avoided. First, if a certain type of thing works well, there is no harm – it will get worn if you like it, and is actually a marker of your personal style. Second, they are usually not identical, for example the fabric texture, detailing, etc may vary; this is often very difficult to see in a small photo, but means a lot to the owner. Third – things wear out. In my case I seem to destroy shoes quickly, as I love walking. So I have identical back-up pairs of a two styles I really liked, bought when I spotted them on sale. I don’t think this is foolish. Debbie may have her own reasons for having a few similar pieces, as long as she loves them I really don’t see the problem.
Alice
I think I would have had a hard time imagining myself with the number of garments I have today, Liz. I was always a “more is more” type of person, but that wasn’t serving me. I appreciate very much that you defended me. You said it very well. The key is that we are all on our own journey. What is great progress to one person may seem like not nearly enough to another. I can understand why some people might criticize how much I have or the level of seeming duplication (it’s hard to see subtle differences in small thumbnail images), and they may even be right. A year or two from now, I may be in a very different place and may feel much like they do. But for where I am today and how far I have come, I am proud of myself.
Like Alice, I saw your comment as referring back to the first comment on this post. I didn’t think you were referring to what Saltbox had to say. I’m glad the two of you cleared up your misunderstanding, as you are both very valued commenters here.
Alice, your points about “duplicates “were right on. What you said are all reasons why I have more than one item in a certain category. I ran into a problem not long ago from NOT having a second pair of walking shoes. I used to always keep my old pair when I got a new pair, just in case I needed it. But my old pair was split on the bottom and I had to throw them away. Well, my new pair started to really hurt my feet, but I had to keep wearing them until I got a replacement pair. I had to rush out and buy new walking shoes and exceed my quarterly budget. I don’t think I will let myself get into that situation again. There’s nothing wrong with having a back-up (or even two) for items we wear often.
Liz made me feel better. Debbie is so very tolerant and understanding of everyone else’s “ways” that I couldn’t take the criticism of her slow and steadiness. We are all different. I am like Maya: when I decided to declutter about 9 years back, I did it all one night, filling up the trash bins and then some in our condo’s back elevator room and lining up a dozen bags to haul to Goodwill in the a.m. Then it was done, no looking back with regret. But everyone knows or should know his/her own style and speed, tolerance for change, and needs. We impatient ones have our own problems!
My big deal now is longing to get rid of stuff, but there isn’t anything more to get rid of since what is left is functional, “sparking joy,” or my husband’s. I miss the catharsis but not the junk. Carry on, Debbie. Your blog is the one I check several times a week.
I’m so happy that readers like you, Liz, Anne, Jessica, and Alice feel protective of me, Helen. Yes, I try hard to be tolerant and understanding of what people have to say here. I try to see what I can learn from all of the comments even if they seem harsh, but I do sometimes feel hurt by them. I am a sensitive person and have really been working hard to turn my shopping issues around and build a more workable wardrobe. I agree that we are all different. When I have pared down too quickly in the past, it sent me on a shopping “binge” and I don’t want that to happen again. I do better paring down more slowly, but I know that others are the opposite and doing it like a band-aid works better for them. Differences are what makes the world go around… I like the catharsis from getting rid of things, too. I find it easier to downsize in other areas beside clothing. It seems like you are in a very good place with all of your “stuff.” I commend you. I’m glad you like my blog even though you are in a very different place than I am.
Liz’s comments including the stripes one seemed cheerful and fun–not wicked. E-mail is tough for tone of voice. Let’s not be hard on each other.
Agreed, Helen. I didn’t take the stripes comment (which was actually made by Saltbox) badly at all. I knew she was being tongue in cheek with what she wrote. I feel fortunate in that almost all comments made here are very respectful. Even when people challenge me or others, it is generally done in a helpful not hurtful way. I know that not all blogs are like that, so I count myself lucky. I have only had to delete fewer than 10 comments (other than out and out spam) and that’s pretty good for 2.5 years!
Hey Debbie. I just recently looked at some of your oldest beginning posts and I believe I read you mentioning that you had over 300+ of clothing/shoes/accessories all together back when you first started! So compared to back then there is a definite HUGE improvement in the number of items in your closet. The palette looks tighter also (dark, bright, cool) with only a few warm outliers. Perhaps now that your wardrobe is down to a much more manageable size, it’s time for more focusing on styling for your personality without much purchasing other than necessities? I believe you did mention wanting to start the Evolve Your Style program?
Yes, here are my numbers from January 2013, Margaret:
Tops: 129
Bottoms: 51 (skirts, pants)
Toppers: 75 (coats, jackets, cardigans)
Total number of garments: 272
Grand total with shoes: 327
Grand total with shoes, purses, and scarves: 386
Crazy, huh? So I have definitely come a long way since then! I think I am definitely focusing more on honing my style now that I have fewer items and am not shopping as much. I do want to do Evolve Your Style, but I haven’t made it happen yet. I’ve had a lot going on and haven’t wanted to take the extra time. I do see the value in it, though, and recommend that others check it out (http://www.insideoutstyleblog.com/evolve-your-style) even before I start writing about it here on the blog. It’s on my list to pursue, along with a bunch of other stuff, for when my life is a bit more settled. The past few months have been very difficult for me…
I’ve always thought this blog wasn’t really about minimalism, or about style, but about building a better/healthier relationship with shopping and your wardrobe. So numbers and style exercises are not aims in themselves, but can be a fun part of developing this relationship. I started off with very similar numbers to the above, and have downsized about 10% over a year, which has bend huge help. I hope to downsize further, and enjoy numbers and spreadsheets, but am trying to avoid this becoming too much of an obsession. Also style, I spent too much time obsessing over style blogs last year. The LIWI challenge looks like a good way of allowing the style to emerge from natural preferences, and in Debbie’s case seems to be working
Yes, that is exactly what this blog is about, Alice, although I write about minimalism, style, and other topics. Congrats on the downsizing you have done over the past year – that’s great! You’re right that the numbers and spreadsheets can become obsessive if you let them. I was in that place for a long time and even though such exercises have helped me, my ultimate goal is not to need to do it anymore. LIWI is helping me a great deal and I’m so glad I decided to take it on.
Debbie–I learn so much from what you have done! I so admire that your wardrobe has diminished in size but increased in functionality in just 2 years and I hope that at some point I can be as successful. One important lesson that I have gleaned from your blog is that, like everything in life, it takes time to overcome the shopping urge and to pare down a wardrobe. Every day is a new challenge and opportunity. Thanks for defining so succinctly your color palette as that makes it easier to create one of my own. Keep writing!!
Thanks so much for your comment, N. Yes, it is definitely possible to overcome a shopping problem, but it does take time. The amount of time will vary from person to person – and there will likely be hills and valleys along the way, but it’s worth it. You have to remember that you didn’t get to where you are now overnight, so it will take time to get to where you want to be. I’m glad you have found my journey helpful and inspiring. That has always been my intention in doing this…
Hello Debbie;
I haven’t been commenting though I have been reading. I wanted to congratulate you on your progress- you’ve done so much hard work and it shows! I also love your photography, please keep including in posts since I don’t do instagram 😉 If you wanted to be a ‘minimalist’ then sure, you could keep pairing down. In all fairness, your closet is highly functional and I think that you don’t need to do too much purging- I think it’ll come naturally hereout.
I’ve been struggling a lot lately and have stepped away from most blogs and posting about wardrobe-related things until I feel like I’m in a better place. Right now, I’m focusing on trying to figure out what brought all this on all of the sudden and working through it without losing my mind!
Meli, it is good to see you commenting here. I have wondered how you are and I saw your recent blog post about how you have been struggling. I hope you aren’t being too hard on yourself about it, as experiencing relapses is SO normal when one is in recovery from a compulsion or addiction of any kind. When we go through stress, we often go back to habitual ways of coping, even if those coping mechanisms don’t really serve us. I know you have been following my blog for a long time, so you’ve seen my ups and downs. I think that as long as we keep trying, we will make progress even if we have setbacks. I wish you the best of luck in turning things around. I have every confidence that you will get back on your feet before too long. I am rooting for you all the way! than you for your kind words about my progress and my photography. I will definitely share more photos here on the blog. I am posting semi-regularly in Instagram, too, but I am still getting used to doing so. I like when people post in multiple places, so I will try to do the same, at least sometimes.