The 4-5 piece French wardrobe #1

[The_Ida]

^How did you find out that it was bad for you? At this time, I only have two things to dress for - school and going out. I can't stand having to think about what to wear in the morning, so my ideal wardrobe consists of pieces that I can just grab and put on and it's fine. My way of solving this is (apparently) buying a lot of black but also dresses for every day that don't all look the same. I don't keep buying the same empire waist black dress, that's always something.

I don't think you can go with the one in, one out-rule with everything in your wardrobe. I can't with tops and dresses, but I sure can with shoes, coats and jackets Theoretically I could go by the rule with jeans, but I never buy any. It still makes me wonder if I'm stuck or just lazy

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I was buying a lot of black, to the point that people were asking me if I was depressed I had a huge number of black sweaters, especially ... it seemed I couldn't go shopping without buying one. I'm still wearing those sweaters, in fact ... And then my whole seasonal wardrobe hinged on a single piece, so if something happened to it (and it did), I was totally screwed. I was also in a rut, and my wardrobe wasn't very interesting.

Now I know some people are just into black, and that's fine, but I am really meant to be more of a color person. As I've mentioned before, wearing too much black brings my energy down. (Do you mind saying what your astrological sign is? If you've said before, I've forgotten )

And I think there's a big difference between having a considered uniform and being in a rut, and unfortunately I was in a rut

I do think that there's no point in buying clothes for occasions other than the ones you have reason to expect. Despite Thoreau's comment about "Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes," sometimes your life changes and it does ... require new clothes. Like when you find out you need to interview, or when I started working out of my home office recently and found I had nothing comfortable to wear that wasn't PJs

I feel the same way about food, btw. There's a whole world of grocery stores out there, I don't need to stock everything I could ever possibly need in my pantry. Same thing with the closet ...

 

[The_Ida]

^I actually don't know what my sign is But my birthday is December 2nd And I can tell you that I'm definately depressed from October to March with the lack of daylight that comes with living in Denmark

I need to keep warm, and I need loose dresses so I can wear a billion tank tops and tights under them and sometimes it's a bit tirering...but I guess you're right, as long as one's uniform is carefully considered, it really shouldn't be a problem And as you said, there's no need to rush out and buy myself a ball gown just yet

 

[-Veda-]

The Ida: Dec. 2.... Oh, darling your a Sagittarius like me! November-March I'm just sitting around like Hamlet, all my energy is zapped. T.S Eliot wrote of April being the cruellest month, but for me Feb is 28 days in a mental gulag! We're fire signs and need HEAT and SUN!

Also, find out your dosha (just google it) and adjust your life accordingly. I'm 100% Vata so I REALLY need heat and in northern Ohio in winter....I need to find ways to balance things out. Yoga, Brahms, brown rice tea, and warm baths always do the trick!

But to get on topic: I too suffered from all black wardrobe disease. Low-cut (I'm flat chested) black dresses was all I seemed to be able to purchase! My wake up call came when someone told me I always looked ready for a cocktail party or a funeral! HA! So I cleared out the most repetative items and replaced them with classical colours. Cream, grey, red, and navy were introduced to create a complimentary variety and timeless foundation.

After that, I just go season to season buying a few peices to strengthing that foundation with more trendy cuts and also statement items that can be reworked through the year.

It helps to pick a palette that compliments your pigment, and maybe a style icon to draw inspiration from. Bianca Jagger, Bardot, Kate Hepburn, and Jean Harlow are all reflected in my wardrobe.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ So, as Veda says, you are a fire sign just like us (I'm a Leo.) This means that black is not going to feed your energy--just the opposite. (Black represents water.) I like to use shots of red, but it could be hot pink, burgundy--doesn't have to be red-red. Try it, especially during the winter months, and see if it doesn't help.

Also, if you just can't get down with red, pale aqua/green represent wood energy that feeds fire, so that's another good option. I don't wear green, but I do use it a lot when decorating. You can find jade or sage green, either lots or touches, in every room of my house. Sage green should be good on you, I would think ... aqua too.

 

[Gleam]

fashionista-ta, great post.

I heard a helpful tip which can aid in figuring out what you need to buy, keep, and get rid of: you break down your life by function. What percent of the time do you spend at an office (for example, 80% of your time is in the office), what time to do spend at cocktail parties, clubs, black tie events, kids' soccer games, etc.? Your closet should correspond with these percentages... for example 80% of your clothes should be office-appropriate. Of course, many outfits can work for many different functions, so you should never be at a loss with this method.

I haven't quite done as I preach here -- I simply like party dresses way too much and my closet is filled with them!!!

 

[HiHeels]

^That's one nice approach, very interesting. How has it been so far?

so far it has been working out very very well. monetary budgets don't work for me, but a budget based on how many items i'm allowed to have at any given time really really has. i wish i had thought of this sooner.

 

[maiden voyage]

i don't do the 'one in one out' thing exactly...
but i do have a specific amount of storage space for all my clothes... so there's only so much space for each category - jackets, outerwear, sweaters, shoes, etc...

having that visual/spatial framework helps me keep it all in balance. and i have to be good about pruning, or else there's no space for anything new!

 

[HiHeels]

i should clarify, it is not piece-for-piece. if i find a skirt that is great, i look very critically at my wardrobe and see if there is something that can go (skirt, shirt, pants, etc.). if not, then i have to look very critically at the skirt, and question why do i want more. an endless appetite is not a good enough reason, imo, to own more than i need. well, to be fair, i already have more than i need to be sure, but i'm drawing a line in the sand and saying i don't need more than the too much that i already have. lol
honestly, at some point all the good treats become more of a nuisance than a pleasure. and it's just money money money out the window constantly acquiring. i'd like to trim my wardrobe a little now - i'm under 30 pieces for the fall/winter season, but i'd love to get down to 20, however i'm not going to get rid of perfectly wonderful items. i will, however, keep it in mind when they succumb to age, and pause before i replace them. i might value the space (mental space) over the potential to fill it.
my wardrobe has reached a point where it is a very satisfying collection of great choices, so hopefully i won't be doing the cyclical routine of purging at the end of each season. i'm not interested in disposable clothing or disposable design. people don't go through furniture like that. why shouldn't i value the clothing that i've spent money on. kwim?

 

[fashionista-ta]

Just to clarify ... and I thought this was clear already ... when I refer to purging at the end of each season, I am talking about things that should be purged due to either wear, or something else unsatisfactory ... a fit problem that's not practical to have fixed, or something I just don't feel good in for whatever reason.

I also do not necessarily replace something I've gotten rid of ... I often see how it goes without it. Recently I wore out my only pair of comfortable, lougewear pants and I didn't replace them right away. Later on, I bought two pairs to replace the one because I found that's what I really needed.

When my Lanvin bag fell apart, I exchanged it for a different bag (on sale), and then put the rest of the money toward another straw bag for spring. I had a straw bag already ... but I really loved the one I found. I love few enough things that when I do, I know I should buy it. I'm at the point where my 4-5 pieces a season can sometimes be luxuries rather than necessities. My wardrobe is still quite compact & luckily I am not running short of mental space

The fact of the matter is that while I keep everything as long as I can, and I'd love it if everyone did, clothing doesn't fall into the category of "durable goods" ... furniture can last a lifetime and beyond, while clothes do not. Furniture from centuries past is still around & being used (some of it by me), but when people buy true vintage, especially shoes and evening wear, very often it falls apart or shreds on the very first wearing

 

[fashionista-ta]

i don't do the 'one in one out' thing exactly...
but i do have a specific amount of storage space for all my clothes... so there's only so much space for each category - jackets, outerwear, sweaters, shoes, etc...

having that visual/spatial framework helps me keep it all in balance. and i have to be good about pruning, or else there's no space for anything new!

It's interesting you say that, because Peter Walsh (Oprah's clutter guy) is all about fitting your stuff into the space you have. Let's say you have 4 bookshelves, and 5 bookshelves' worth of books. He says, well I guess you're going to have to get rid of one shelf's worth He's right of course ...

 

[GasolineRainbow]

Right, as if someone who read enough books to have amassed 5 shelves' worth would be willing to get rid of one shelf's worth. A book-lover would sooner turn their kitchen cabinets and shelves into a library rather than de-clutter.

While I'm no hoarder, I could never abide by the "one in one out" thing. It seems rather puritanical to me, especially for those of us who try to apply the "4-5 piece every season" principle.

 

[Hebden]

Right, as if someone who read enough books to have amassed 5 shelves' worth would be willing to get rid of one shelf's worth. A book-lover would sooner turn their kitchen cabinets and shelves into a library rather than de-clutter.

You're so right...when I run out of bookshelves I just start piling books on the floor

 

[fashionista-ta]

Right, as if someone who read enough books to have amassed 5 shelves' worth would be willing to get rid of one shelf's worth. A book-lover would sooner turn their kitchen cabinets and shelves into a library rather than de-clutter.

While I'm no hoarder, I could never abide by the "one in one out" thing. It seems rather puritanical to me, especially for those of us who try to apply the "4-5 piece every season" principle.

Well, I'm a bona fide book lover, and for many years I couldn't bring myself to part with any ... not just books, but magazines, or really any piece of paper with written words was hard for me to let go of. But lately I've been clearing out ... the thing is, the books that spoke to me 20 or 15 or 10 or even 5 years ago, many of them no longer do ... I've kind of outgrown them. Not all ... but many. So I find that I am able to pare down to fit the space ...

 

[fashionista-ta]

PS You can kind of look at it as, books are the wardrobe of the mind I loved loved loved the red corduroy overalls I wore when I was 18 months old, but they're not still in my closet I kind of realized that there was this archaeological aspect to my bookshelves, chronicling my development, and I don't need all that when it's actually all inside me ...

 

[misstarshine]

I'm definitely trying to reduce my overall possessions. Recently I was able to part with some books that I felt I no longer needed as I had gotten all I could from them. Then about 2 weeks ago in the span of a few days I needed 3 of those books I gave away. I think books and clothing are the two areas that i continuously re-use. I also reduced my linen closet and haven't missed a single item.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I collect books I'm getting rid of in a bin till I have a fairly good bunch, and then donate them. This would give me a chance to pull one back ... but I never have, and I haven't missed any after they've been gone.

My linens are very pared down to begin with, but I'm afraid before long I'm going to have to do a stock up ... my dogs love to scratch before curling up on the sheets, and I've been noticing these tiny holes that I believe are a result of that (They look quite shocked when I tell them not to do it ... the expression is priceless. They and their ancestors have been doing it for millennia, what could be wrong?) I believe I have 4 pairs of bath towels, no hand towels really (no place for them in my bath), probably 6-7 washcloths, 2 bottom sheets, 3-4 top sheets, a few pillowcases ...

 

[Milfbutsingle]

i am loving this thread and wanted to ask this question: How do you create new looks with the clothes you have? I am a very good shopper, I buy what I love, but I also love shopping. I go through my closets every season and give away shoes and clothes I don't wear, but I do have a lot of great stuff that I guess I am just sick of *sigh* ...But when I put it on to wear it I always think" Gosh I love this! Why dont i wear this more?" So...any advice would be greatly appreciated. Fyi-it has been a while since Ive cleaned my closet out last, or had a closet party by myself...maybe I need to go through EVERYTHING oyy vey

 

[fashionista-ta]

i am loving this thread and wanted to ask this question: How do you create new looks with the clothes you have? I am a very good shopper, I buy what I love, but I also love shopping. I go through my closets every season and give away shoes and clothes I don't wear, but I do have a lot of great stuff that I guess I am just sick of *sigh* ...But when I put it on to wear it I always think" Gosh I love this! Why dont i wear this more?" So...any advice would be greatly appreciated. Fyi-it has been a while since Ive cleaned my closet out last, or had a closet party by myself...maybe I need to go through EVERYTHING oyy vey

Many times necessity is the mother of invention ... I had something in mind to wear, but a piece was at the cleaners, or I discovered while getting dressed that it should be so I try something else.

I hang all tops on one rail, and bottoms on another ... that kind of helps when putting combinations together.

Why don't you try giving yourself an assignment ... like every Tuesday you will wear a combination you've never worn before? Or create a lineup of pieces that you're not wearing, and each week pick one and either find a way to make it work, or discard.

I would say before getting rid of something you don't wear, figure out whether something is wrong with the item, or if you just haven't put it together the right way. Sometimes you have something that just really doesn't go with anything you have ... at which point it may be time to cut your losses. If you really love it, though, maybe it's worth acquiring another piece or two to make it work ... and take your wardrobe in a bit of a new direction.

 

[misstarshine]

Mmmmm necessity definitely works for me too. I have had this baroque(ish) gold and green top for ages and never worn. Then one day my mum knocked on the door and it was the first thing I grabbed and paired it with some denim shorts. It looked really good and ever since i now wear it quite frequently.