Last week, I shared the good news portion of my 2016 wardrobe review, my closet “all-stars.” In compiling the information for that post, I was pleased to see that my frequency of wear numbers had significantly improved over my 2015 statistics. Now it’s time for the flip side of the equation, my wardrobe “benchwarmers.” As with my last post, I will share numbers and photos, as well as my thoughts about the lesser worn – or not worn at all – items in my closet.
Wardrobe All-Stars and Benchwarmers
2016 By the Numbers: Wardrobe “All-Stars”
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that 2017 is off to a good start for you. In the next few posts, I’m going to review my goals and numbers from 2016 and give you some updates and thoughts on my progress. We’re going to start on a high note today with my wardrobe “all-stars.” In upcoming articles, I’ll share an update on my wardrobe “benchwarmers,” a review of my purchases, and a recent closet inventory. I will also report on how I did with my 2016 balance goal and reveal my theme for this year.
What Are Your Favorite 100 Wardrobe Items?
A couple of weeks ago, I read about an exercise that could help us to pare down our wardrobes. The instructions are simple: select the top 100 items in your closet. The idea is that once you separate out your favorite pieces, it will be easier to let go of at least some of the things that didn’t make the cut. Since I love to do wardrobe exercises and am always up for a challenge, I decided to take this exercise on. In today’s post, I will share how it went for me, what I selected, and what I learned from the process.
The Number 100 Isn’t Written in Stone…
Now, 100 items may seem like too many for some of you or far too few for others. As with Project 333 and other capsule wardrobe concepts (like this one for example), the number is not nearly as significant as the challenge itself. If you have a small wardrobe but are intrigued by this exercise, perhaps you might want to select your top 50 or 75 items (or whatever number feels right to you). On the flip side, if you have a very large wardrobe and find the idea of paring it down to 100 (even just “on paper”) extremely anxiety-producing, you can of course select a larger number. The point is to stretch yourself and get to thinking about what you really need – and truly love – in your closet.
2015 By the Numbers: Wardrobe Benchwarmers and More Statistics
Earlier this week, I shared the good news portion of my 2015 wardrobe review, my closet “all-stars.” I appreciate all of the wonderful and detailed comments I received on that post. Some of you asked such great questions and made such insightful points that I now have several ideas for future posts. I really do get some of my best post ideas from readers.
Before I delve into the flip side of my wardrobe numbers for last year, the “benchwarmers,” I would like to share some more statistics about my 2015 closet tracking that I probably should have included in my last post.
2015 By the Numbers: The Wardrobe “All-Stars”
I am devoting a large proportion of my January posts to wrapping up last year. It’s now time to take a look at some more statistics, this time my wardrobe “all-stars” for 2015. I have now been tracking my wardrobe for five years! Ever since the beginning of 2011, I’ve recorded how often I’ve worn the clothing and shoes in my closet. I mostly only track “out and about” clothing, but I’ve started tracking at least some of my at-home wardrobe as well. There is now more crossover between the two areas, as I’ve started wearing more of my “regular” clothes at home, especially the tops.
Each year, I’ve aimed to improve upon my stats from the previous year. Seeing that 2012’s numbers were just as abysmal as those from 2011 was what prompted me to start this blog in January 2013. In my initial goals for the blog, I set 8 times per year as my desired frequency of wear for most wardrobe items (with formal and special occasion wear as exceptions). I knew I wouldn’t reach that target overnight, so I aimed for 25% in the first year of the blog and 33% the second year. I ended up wearing 20% of my wardrobe at least 8 times during 2013 and slightly less than that (17%) in 2014.
Recovering Shopaholic 