Who Won?

Don't bother counting--this isn't all of them!

Yes, the results are in.  I have culled and counted.

I have 123 skirts.

The closest guess came from Crissy, who guessed 112. 

I was surprised by how LOW the guesses were! 

I told you guys, I have a LOT of skirts!

I started with 170 skirts, so I reduced their number by about 25%.

Not too bad.  I really didn't expect dramatic results with this category.

The good news is that I don't have a ton of clothes up in the attic anymore. 

 My off season skirts (fifty of them!) are hanging up there, but that is all.

Certainly not a minimalist wardrobe, but not as out of control as it was!

Once Crissy chooses her prize, I am going to put the other three prize packages up on etsy.  So if you didn't win, but there was something you had your eye on, stay tuned!

The Sweater Slog

The Great Closet Clean Up marches on...slowly. I'm finding it was a lot easier to get rid of a tee shirt than it is to get rid of a sweater. How come? Well, because most of my tees are bought at regular retail stores, while most of my sweaters have come from thrifts. If I need a new black tee, I know I can walk into Target or TJ Maxx and replace it for a few dollars. On the other hand, if I need a new brown turtleneck sweater (which I do), I'm either going to have to be patient until I find a good one at the thrift shop, or it's going to cost me. Result? I'm reluctant to part with the less-than-stellar specimens I already have.

Today I bit the bullet and worked on another batch of these darn sweaters: the pullovers and turtlenecks. I started with eighteen and culled six, including the brown one in the top photo (I loved that sweater) and the red one, a beautiful Ann Taylor...but it's scratchy. Once again, trying everything on in quick succession really drives home the differences between the good and the bad.

Another "tough cull" was this pair of shorts from prAna. They were a clearance rack purchase, but still pretty spendy. Problem was, I never felt completely comfortable in them. They were always sliding down, and they have some awkwardly placed pockets. No use hanging onto them, no matter how much they cost. Out! Overall, I did well on the shorts front. I started with twelve pairs and purged half!

What are the hardest things for you to part with?

Sweating the Details

Ready for an update on The Great Closet Clean Up? As you might have noticed, I've been lax, and that's because the categories I have left seem so daunting: sweaters and skirts. Besides the sweaters in this armoire, there are also totes full of them up in the attic, and it just seemed overwhelming to drag them all out. Today, feeling guilty about procrastinating, I decided to ignore the sweaters in the attic (which are mostly heavier sweaters or turtlenecks anyway) and just concentrate on what was at hand: basic cardigans, lightweight pullovers, and short sleeved sweaters.

I did a great job on short sleeved sweaters, beginning with twelve and keeping only seven. That's almost half! Lightweight pullovers went from sixteen down to eleven, so a loss of five. Cardigans were a little tougher: I began with nineteen and moved only five to the donate pile. I think that's because the option of buttoning or not makes them a little more versatile.

While I was on a roll, I finished up the armoire by culling long sleeved tees and anything striped or patterned. The long sleeved tees were another tough area, because I mostly wear them underneath other things. I started with fourteen and pulled only four to donate. Striped and patterned tees: kept ten, lost three.

I'm going to attempt a before and after here:

It doesn't look as dramatic as I hoped! Keep in mind that I'm also rearranging, so there are things in the armoire now that I used to keep in the closet. Even so, I think you can see a big difference in the bottom two shelves. I got rid of a LOT of black tops that had seen better days and many tees in green hues that were just not flattering.

Speaking of black tops, I culled both my basic, black cardigan and a black v-neck sweater. That was a real hurdle for me, because I have a need for both in my wardrobe, but they were past their prime. I had to keep telling myself, "You can replace it with something better." I did hang onto a few things that are less than stellar, but they are on probation now. If I don't find myself wearing them this fall/winter, they are O-U-T!

Now I'm afraid that I've dodged the attic as long as I can! Unless I want to work on skirts...

Perfect Tens

I'm here! I'm here! I haven't been swallowed up by a massive pile of tee shirts! It's been a busy week, but I've been squeezing in some closet clearing when I have a chance.

The last time I blogged, I was getting ready to tackle the towering pile of tee shirts. I began with 71 tees (I found two more after I started) which is a scandalous amount no matter how you look at it. Yes, I wear tees a lot, year round, but surely there was room for improvement.

For some extra help, I turned to yet another book. This time it was I Have Nothing to Wear by Jill Martin and Dana Ravich. I had seen a video clip of them helping a woman to clear the clutter from her closet, and their goal was to cut what was in there by...ready for this...SEVENTY FIVE PER CENT! In fact, here's a link to the video.

The book makes no mention of 75% or even 50% or any percentage of all. What it does is guide you through a process of culling the duds from your wardrobe based on asking yourself if each piece is a "ten." A big part of this is being honest about who you are and defining your style. We all have things in our closets that aren't really who we are. For example, I am not a fan of denim, unless it's a pair of jeans, so out went a denim jacket and a denim shirtdress. I also feel a lot better in clothes with a defined shape, so many of the items I'm culling are the less fitted ones.

And then you try things on. Just as the Practical Princess book advised, try on one category of things at a time. I was working on tees, so I put on a plain black skirt and attacked the pile. The book suggests some questions you can ask yourself when deciding if something is a keeper: Does it flatter your figure? Does it show your personality? Is it in keeping with your style? Does it make you feel confident? Is it in perfect condition? Does it feel comfortable on your skin?

Results? After starting with 71 tees, I got rid of twenty outright. Of the 51 I had left, I moved twelve into another category, leaving me with a total of 39. That's not too bad!

---sound of screeching brakes--- Wait, what is this new category I'm suddenly adding into the mix? Well, this is where I diverge from the book's philosophy. They believe you should never wear a single thing that is less than a perfect ten. I agree with wearing the tens to work or to dinner with friends, but for grocery shopping or hanging out at home, I think a seven or eight is fine. So I picked out the twelve nicest tees from the cull pile and substituted them for the printed and/or oversized and/or worn out tees I had for casual wear. Everything isn't a ten, but it's an improvement over threes and fours! (And now I'm just laughing, because this all sounds like some kind of demented math class!)

So what did I get rid of? Besides issues with condition and fit, anything green or with yellowish undertones was out. Trying things on in rapid succession made it very obvious how terrible I look in those colors. Also, anything that felt too short. Tees are being cut longer now, so some of the older ones looked dated due to the length.

How did I do? I think I get about a B in this category. I could shave things down some more, but space isn't an issue anymore, and I do feel good in all the tees I kept. Hey, if nothing else, it's a start!

Closet Stumbles

The first big hurdle.

For the past few days, I've been going with the plan of tackling one section of my wardrobe at a time. The bad news is that I remembered I had some winter pants in storage, so my final pants total rises by five. The good news is that I culled four other areas fairly successfully.

Dresses: 4 gone, 9 left.
Jackets (not outerwear): 2 gone, 5 left.
Pajamas: 9 pieces gone, lots left, but I no longer need to store off-season stuff in the attic.
Gym clothes: Culled 5 tees and 2 sweatshirts.

Now that may not seem too impressive, but some of the dresses and jackets I've kept are on probation. While I was trying things on, I realized I'd been keeping certain pieces "for nice" which is why they weren't being worn. They are things I really like, so I've told myself I either wear them or they're out. I may even tie a piece of ribbon around the hangers to make them stand out!

Truth be told, I probably still have more sleepwear and gym clothes than I need, but as long as everything fits in one drawer, I'm good with it. Anything that was in deplorable condition or that wasn't comfortable is gone.

So now the big hurdle: tee shirts. I'm talking about solid-colored, short-sleeved tees. I'm starting with the pile shown above, 69 tees. Yes, sixty nine. Name a color, and I have it...even if it isn't particularly flattering. Today's goal is to try on each and every tee and separate the wheat from the chaff. Keeping in mind that I wear these tees to work all year 'round, I am not trying for a super-low number, but if I can cut it to about half, I'll be happy.

Wish me luck!

Baby Steps

Ah, the curse of the things that are "too good" to get rid of.

So to bring you up to date on the Great Closet Clean Out, I decided to hold off on the info from Miss Minimalist and try something less extreme first. A search through the library catalog turned up a promising title: Practical Princess Perfect Wardrobe: Declutter and Re-jig Your Closet to Transform Your Life by Elika Gibbs. Who can resist? Transform my LIFE? Heck, I was going to be happy with transforming my underwear drawer! I took the book to the gym with me and started reading.

First off, just seeing the beautiful clothes in this book is enough to make you want to pitch your entire wardrobe and start over. The bags, the Givenchy gowns...uh...yeah. But once I started reading, I picked up some tidbits that made sense.

Focus on one category of clothes at a time.

What a simple recommendation. It makes sense, so of course I've never done it. I usually just grab for whatever catches my eye, and I end up overwhelmed. So today I put it to the test by starting with one of the smaller segments of my wardrobe: pants.

I started by putting on a plain top that goes with everything. It's a color I like in a cut I like, and it's something I'd wear with every single pair of pants I own. Then I tried on each and every pair of pants, one after the other. Seeing them all in succession like that gave me a better idea of the ones I feel great in vs. the ones that make me feel kind of dumpy. I started with thirteen pairs of pants and ended with ten. And, yes, I'm ditching the Ann Taylors in the photo above, even thought they are beautiful pants that were once pretty pricey. I look crappy in them, so why have they hung around so long?

Thirteen pared down to ten. Not so great. Maybe I'll have better luck with jeans? Not really. I began with seven pairs and only cut out one. Sweatpants? Began with eight and now have six.

At this point, I'm beginning to think I might need a dose of Miss Minimalist after all. --sigh-- Any advice?

Psst: Don't forget the giveaway!

Closet Questions

Using this post as a guide, I've been attacking my closet again this morning armed with a few questions:

Is it in style? The short, boxy sweater with crochet trim? Out. The pull-on knit skirt with the floral pattern? Out. If I'm honest with myself, I'd feel dowdy and dated wearing some of these things. It may be a "perfectly good" black sweater, but it will drag me down. Out!

Is it MY style? A linen blouse in a dusky blue is just not me. And I could see the sack-dress on someone else, paired with leggings, but not me! I need more tailoring, sharper colors, and what on earth was I doing with that short, denim mini?

Does it fit? This was an eye opener for me. Even though I weigh exactly what I've weighed for the past several years, things fit differently. Some things fit better than I remembered, and some fit worse. If it's something I really like, and it can be altered, it's going in a separate pile. That pile also includes a piece or two with a missing button, slack elastic, etc. Now the trick is to FIX the things in the pile, not just let them sit there!

Do I need it? Ay, there is the rub. This is my problem area. I know I have an excess of black skirts, but each one is different. I don't favor one over the others, they just fill different needs. But I can be more aware of what I aleady have so I don't keep bringing home more. In fact, I found two things in my closet with the tags still attached and decided I don't need either of them. I'm glad I save my receipts!

Is it in good condition? Because I have such a huge volume of clothes, most don't show a lot of wear. But once I get into my pajama drawer, underwear, gym gear, tees, etc. condition will be a factor.

This is how my closet looks right now. It's progress, but not enough. I'm going to give it another run through, after I read the "Wardrobe" chapter in The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Living Guide and the wardrobe posts on Francine Jay's blog, Miss Minimalist . I'm not going to get to the point of a "capsule wardrobe," but I need a jolt of something stronger to get me to pare down further. And I haven't even touched any of the other areas where I keep clothes!

Reminder! The Guess the Number of Skirts contest is open for as long as I'm working on my closet!

Have You Worn It In the Past Year?

The Great Closet Clean Up begins!

How many times have you heard the advice to purge everything you haven't worn in a year? That little nugget is constantly at the back of my mind when I'm working on the closet, but I ignore it at will. The white skirt that always makes me feel like a nurse? Haven't worn it, probably won't: OUT. The espadrilles I bought in Spain even though I didn't really love them: OUT. Pin-on flowers that are still attached to the cards they came on: OUT.

But this top? It's true, I haven't worn it in a year. You can see my bra straps through it, and that bothers me, so there it hangs. But when I tried it on today, it suddenly hit me: I can wear a sweater over it! So it's getting a second chance.

What about the ethnic pieces in the far reaches of my closet?

Chinese jackets, salwar kameez, a muumuu from Honolulu. Nope, sorry, I'm hanging onto them.

Do you think it'll ever be in style to wear jeans with the pattern of the wire shelving faded onto one leg? OUT.

Know what else is OUT? Capris. I've never liked them on me, but I had a few pairs knocking around. Without fail, if I wore them, I felt like a frump. Now I don't know about you, but at 43 years of age, I don't need any help feeling frumpy. OUT OUT OUT!

Thus ends today's progress. I didn't do anything methodically or spend much time on it. This was just a little warm up to get me in the mood! Thanks to Sherry for sending me a link to closet-clearing advice she found helpful. I am definitely going to read that! Also, Melanie suggested working with a friend over to encourage me to let things go. Isn't that what all of you are for? :-)

Great Closet Clean Up!

Okay, I am starting The Great Closet Clean Up of Fall 2011. It's official! Release the balloons! Cut the ribbon! Cue the band!

What the heck am I up to? Cleaning my closet? Doesn't everyone do that? What's the big deal? Well, the big deal is that I have a ton of clothes, and I say I'm going to do this every time the seasons change, and I never do. Sure I purge a few items, but once I reach the point of a semi-organized closet, I lose interest. Everything else just gets stuffed in totes, pushed up into the attic, and forgotten until the next time.

What you're looking at up there is my closet with this pile of skirts removed already, a few items pulled for the thrift shop, and another little pile of things moved to the sewing room for alterations. Besides that closet, I have a box of shoes under the bed, a six-drawer dresser, multiple boxes of off-season clothes in the attic, and...

...an armoire full of tee shirts. It's a lot. Now I don't think I'm going to pare things down so everything fits in the closet, but I do think I can scale back considerably.

I thought I might benefit from some guidance in this process, so I brought home a book called Shop Your Closet: the Ultimate Guide to Organizing Your Closet with Style. The back cover looked promising:

Unfortunately, that's about the best part of the book. I started reading it this afternoon, and so far there isn't much of anything new or helpful inside. I'm going to keep reading, just in case, but it looks like I'm going to be winging it!

So that's basically it. Posts for the next few weeks will be very closet and wardrobe oriented. If you have any tips or advice for organizing or purging, any book recommendations, or any questions you'd like me to explore, jump right in and leave a comment!