Wardrobe Management

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Does a “One In, One Out” Policy Work?

One way in which many women try to maintain a manageable wardrobe is to institute a “one in, one out” policy.  This means that each time they bring something new into their closets, they need to let go of an existing item.   In some cases, this item must come from the same category as the new piece (i.e. a dress for a dress or a long-sleeved top for a long-sleeved top), but it can also just be one for one from any wardrobe area.

one in, one out policy

When you buy something new, do you cull an existing item?

I have loosely tried to follow this policy since I started the blog, but I haven’t been very strict about it at all.  What usually ended up happening was that I noticed “closet creep” had occurred, so I spent some time going through everything and getting rid of enough items to level things out again.   But doing that doesn’t feel very deliberate, which is my theme for the year.

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Useful Links on Capsule Wardrobes

Capsule wardrobes have been a big topic of discussion on many blogs recently.  In addition, the fall season of minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 kicks off on October 1st.  So I thought this might be a good time to share some useful links on this timely and popular subject.

capsule wardrobe

Have you ever dressed with a capsule wardrobe? This was my first one. 

If you are contemplating taking on a capsule wardrobe challenge or if you already dress in capsules and want to improve your process, you might find the articles below interesting and useful.   Even if you aren’t ready to do Project 333 or a similar challenge – or have no desire to do so, you’ll likely still receive benefit from reading a few of these blog posts.  There are some great nuggets of wisdom therein on dressing with less and making the most of our wardrobes.

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How Many New Items Should We Buy Each Year?

A few weeks ago, I launched my private Facebook group.   The discussions in this group are so interesting and thought-provoking that I will periodically share some of them here on the blog.   Today’s post includes the very first discussion topic that I posed for the group.

New Items Per Year

What’s a reasonable amount of clothes to buy per year?

The Question…

Here’s the question that I asked the group members to comment on:

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how many new items it is reasonable to buy within a given year. I know there isn’t one number that will apply to everyone, but I’d love to get some thoughts on this subject. I know that the 50+ items I’ve been purchasing each year since I started “Recovering Shopaholic” is still too many, although it’s a lot fewer than the 150-200 annual purchases I made in 2012 and previous years. I’m thinking that I could probably reduce my purchases by half and it would still be more than enough, provided that I make wise choices. Thoughts?”

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July “Love It, Wear It” Challenge (LIWI) Update

I’m glad my last post on the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and marketing messages was so well received.  I have been very impressed by the wonderful comments that have been written in response to that post by many of you.  I deeply appreciate everyone who has taken the time to share her thoughts.  Due to the sheer volume of comments, I may not be able to respond to each comment individually, but I am grateful to each and every one of you who has taken the time to contribute to the discussion.   Clearly, many of us are frustrated with the tactics that stores are engaging in to get us to buy more.   I will likely write more on that topic in the future…

But now it’s time for another “Love It, Wear It” Wardrobe Challenge (LIWI) update.   I usually post my accountability updates first, but I decided to mix it up a bit this time since I’m still deciding on a few of my July purchases.  As I mentioned in last month’s LIWI update, I’m not going to go into as much detail in these updates until I do my wrap-up at the end of the year.   As my “working closet” is coming together, not as much is changing every month, so I don’t need to get into as much granular detail as I did in the early months of the challenge.   However, I still have things I want to share as I continue to build a more workable wardrobe for myself, so I will persist in doing monthly LIWI updates until the end of 2015.  Then I will likely figure out a new challenge for 2016 so I can keep growing and learning…

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Closet Downsizing and Wardrobe Minimalism Tips from Readers

When I shared my tips for a reader looking to downsize her closet and asked for additional suggestions, I never imagined I would get so many wonderful comments from all of you.  I was so impressed with the quality of the recommendations given that I decided to share many of them in this follow up post. I know that many subscribers don’t read the comments on my posts, but they are often equally as helpful as what I write.   In this case, I would venture to say that the suggestions in the comments may be more beneficial than the tips I offered.

closet downsizing tips

Do you struggle with deciding what to cull and what to keep?

I didn’t include all of the comments and I edited some of the ones herein for the sake of clarity or brevity. I didn’t want this to be too much of a marathon post.  I have given credit to the person who made each comment.  I hope that those of you who are looking to downsize your wardrobe will find these additional tips as useful as I did.  If you have anything to add, please feel free to do so.

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