Making Room in the Closet

Let's get to it, shall we?

This week's assignment (#5):

Go through your wardrobe and get rid of 25% of your clothing. Then, also declutter your bathrooms.

As I've been writing up this post, I keep looking for an aha moment or a story to tell about me and my clothes. After all, our clothes are fraught with meaning, with self-expression--and for most of us in the Western world--excess.

But, honestly, my closet isn't like that. Never has been. I have been infatuated with the whole capsule wardrobe idea ever since I enrolled in The Canadian Armed Forces--Reserves at the age of seventeen so I could leave home for the summer and not be homeless. There, I experienced the efficiency of having just enough items for two sets of uniforms (one, my combat field uniform: combat boots, field jacket, field pants, two t-shirts (issued to women only and much coveted) and two--or was it three pairs of socks (an army is only as good as its feet)? My "dress"uniform was similarly sparse and less clearly remembered since I hardly ever wore it.  I was only a reservist for six months.

The other reason I don't have a lot of clothes is that I truly hate shopping. But, I still had sentimental clothing. Clothing I had kept--not because I could wear it --no, not that-- clothing I kept because I was emotionally attached to it.

Some of it was here:

In the basement, under the stairs. Surprise, surprise--sentimental clothing. These are the few items I have left from the days when I was young and skinny. These are items which have survived many past purges. These are clothes that would either be expensive to replace (like wool dress coats) or were such favourites, I wore them only a few times, "saving" them for "best."  A couple of dresses were just fun--and one was a spontaneous gift from an old dear friend.

I went to my wise facebook group and asked them, "How do I get rid of these?"

Two thoughts emerged.

1) If you are hanging on to something because you feel you must, somehow, for some reason, fit into it again (like expensive wool coats), let them go.

2) If you are hanging on to them because you would really miss them if you didn't have them when you were that weight again where you could wear them, keep them. (Like the dress my old dear friend gifted me. I tried googling her and looking her up on Facebook, but I didn't find her.)

I also go rid of a dress I had sewn (but never hemmed) (size 8), a beautiful cobalt blue dress and jacket(also size 8), and an old much loved but fairly ratty jean jacket. (size unknown).

And then I stopped. I kept thinking about a few items that I assumed I would find...but didn't. A denim skirt. A denim jumper. A beautiful, heavily patterned light cotton dress. I found myself grieving for these items. Sometimes, I thought, sometimes I purge too much. (Ihave132 blog posts with "declutter" as a label. This will be #133)

So, then I turned to my bedroom closet.

Chris's side, the center, my side.

I emptied it--and gathered clothes to give away as I went, putting them in a designated spot on the bed.

I don't even remember what was in that pile, now.

While the closet was empty, I decided to paint it. It's on my latest home list, after all!

It was shocking how filthy the walls were. I used the paint I had purchased --but didn't use-- for the downstairs bath. I took one day and pushed through. I was determined to get my gorgeous, clean and tidy bedroom back!

I also took the opportunity to go through some boxes I had on the wall of shelves in the basement holding old textiles, curtains, and pillows and the like.

I wound up with five garbage bags, a box, a grocery bag of hangers and a lampshade for donation and a paper grocery bag for textile recycling. I also decided to consign one item.

When I restocked the closet, I discovered I had only one pair of capris and no shorts. Nothing, in other words, shorter than ankle pants. And I didn't have any shirts with short sleeves, either--only sleeveless. I purged everything "too small" last year.

So, in a fit of uncertainty and madness I decided to purchase Alison Lumbatis's Get Your Pretty On Summer Challenge 2017. I wanted to see what would constitute the quintessential summer wardrobe.

Turns out it is four tops, four bottoms, four pairs of shoes, two dresses, two purses, two pairs of earrings, two bracelets, two patterned scarves, a denim jacket and a hat. (Oh, and a swim suit and cover up.)

So, I went shopping. I bought two t-shirts (which surprisingly had the second one discounted to 1/2 off because I bought two) and a pair of bright blue capris.

I don't have all the pieces in the Summer Challenge--but I have more than enough for me!

 In case you're keeping track, I am missing a dress, and another purse (a bright coloured cross body bag). Those "neutral" capris were supposed to be olive shorts, but I didn't find any which fit.

This is quite the liberal interpretation of the footwear required, (and not nearly as much fun as the recommended sandals with pom poms) but I'm fine with it.

What I really lack is jewellery. Oh well.

I am actually hoping that none of the clothes in my closet this summer will be in my closet next summer. I am hoping (and actively working towards) being a smaller size. The summer 2018 wardrobe post will be a fun one to write!

(PS. I could not wrap my head around the bathroom portion of this week's assignment given the downstairs one is still not quite finished.)

Make Room: Challenge One, Part One: The Clothes

Oh, I am so excited. I applied --and I was chosen!-- to be a member of Melissa Micheal's launch team for her new book, Make Room For What You Love. (Yes, it's an affiliate link! My first.)

I joined Melissa's 5 Week Make Room Challenge. You can too which is great because in my efforts to keep house over the years, I've found that doing it alongside kindred spirits has been so helpful. I hope you'll join me. It's open to everyone

This week, it's time to focuson the Master Bedroom. First, to switch the seasonal clothing (Part One) and then do a bit of spring cleaning. (Part Two). (It's a looong post, folks, sorry.)

But First: Background.

As most of you know, I don't have a lot of clothes. I wear a uniform of sorts to work (just so I don't risk getting paint on my everyday clothes) and I don't need much.

But even so, it's unbalanced. There are odd gaps and entirely too many of other kinds of things.


Last fall, as a way to get a handle on what to wear, I paid Alison Lumbatis to send me a shopping list and 21 outfits coordinated from that list. Then, I spent a mad few weeks trying to buy what was on the list. (I posted about what I wore for a couple of weeks. Week 1, Week 2.)

I considered doing the same thing for Spring, but it is more expensive this year...and what with the exchange rate on the dollar, I thought I'd pass.

As a bonus to the package I bought in the Fall, I did get the shopping list and outfits from the Spring of 2015. So, I used that to help me figure out what to keep, what to let go and what I might want to add.

After all--that's one of the reasons to let go of things, right? To make room for new.

So, one evening, I emptied out my closet and my dresser.

The Closet.

I worked from the door to the wall (so, right to left).

I tried on nearly everything. I used one of Melissa's questions: Would I buy this again?

I made the following piles:
1) too small (S)
2) donate/consign (D)
3) give to my daughter. (D)
4) pack away for winter (W)


First up: Cardigans.

I have 6. Six! It's absurd.

And they are all black or dark blue or dark grey. Blech.

Two cardigans were exiled to the "too small" pile.

I kept one I was iffy on because it was a gift from my Mom. It's awkward to wear (it is essentially a blanket in poncho-type form), but I decided to give it another year.

So, I left myself three plus the poncho thing. 2 black and 1 dark blue. I really wish at least one of them--maybe two--were in a fun, happy colour, as my Spring List suggests.

Party Jacket: 1

Black and sheer. It's one of the things I bought last fall and it'll be fine to wear out and about. Like so:

Vest: 1

My fur vest from the Fall shopping list? Obviously winter wear. However, I think I'll try and consign it next fall. It was fun...but extremely silly.

"I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok..." 

Tunics/Shirts: 10

3 Flannel shirts
2 collarless shirts, one black, one striped
1 burgundy tunic
2 jersey knit tunics, one "snakeskin," one black
2 sleeveless T's. One Eileen Fisher, white linen, 1 black and white plaid.

From the Fall shopping spree, I have two flannel shirts that I did not wear nearly enough. I absolutely love them!

But it isn't flannel wearing season anymore, so those have gone to the hamper to be washed. I gave another thin plaid flannel to my daughter.

Somehow, the collarless shirts survived the Great Purge of 2015. This time, the striped one went to donation and the black to the "too small" pile.

I put the sleeveless Eileen Fisher linen tank top in the "too small" pile, even though it fits. I found it extremely hard to clean. I'd like to consign it, I think.

Here I am wearing it in the summer of 2014 when I bought it. I was much thinner then than I am now.

I lent the plaid tunic to my daughter. I love it.

2014, again. old glasses.

I broke up the two long sleeved jersey knit tunic tops from H&M.* I put the snake patterned one into the donate pile, and kept the black, though I suspect it'll be too body-con. I also have a lovely burgundy light weight long sleeved tunic blouse. It's good for all but the hottest (and coldest) weather. It stays.

"Fancy" Tops: 2

A long sleeved top with a silver threaded center panel and a tank top made with sequins (shown above).
They stayed.


Pants: 9  10
2 pairs ponte knit pants, 1 grey, 1 black.
5 pairs of jeans. 1 dark wash "skinny" ; 2 boot cut, dark wash (same one, two different sizes); 1 white, NYDJ; 1 burgundy.
1 pr black leggings
1 wide legged yoga pants, black

Let's see, my 2 pairs of ponte knit pants are clearly winter wear and joined my flannel knit tops.

Of my five pairs of jeans, three; the NYDJ (I could cry), and two dark wash ( skinny and boot cuts) were too small and so exiled with the sweaters. So, I was left with a pair of boot cut jeans and the burgandy jeans. That left my leggings and sweat pants, which stayed.

Not in my closet, and, I had, in fact, forgotten all about them, are a pair of flare jeans I bought as part of the Fall Challenge. They need to be taken in at the waist, so, I removed them from the closet. I loved how I looked in them, though, and they fit, so I just may resurrect them for Spring. Full length jeans are too hot for me to wear in the summer.

I do have to wear the right height heel for them to work.

That gave me a few hangers!

I brought out the box of summer things I keep under the bed.

Blouses, tanks, shorts, tees and a pair of pj's. The warm weather essentials.

Blouses: 4 (all sleeveless)

All of my summer tops except one are sleeveless--and it didn't make the cut. I really need more short sleeved tees!

Cami/Tank:1

I've never worn it, but I'm sure I'll wear it someday!

Long sleeveless summer dress: 1/1


Closet Count:

Cardigans: 6 before/4 after (2D)
Fancy dress jacket: 1/1
Vest: 1/0 (1D pending sale)

Button ups/tunics/Tank: 9/2 (2W, 3D, 2S)
"Fancy" tops: 2/2
Blouses: 4
Cami/Tank: 1

Pants:   10/5 (2W, 3S,)
knit pants 2/0
Jeans: 6/3
Leggings: 1/1
Sweat pants: 1/1

Long sleeveless summer dress: 1/1

The Dresser.

Time to put away the little space heater, too.

I made short work of my dresser. Only two drawers (middle and bottom right) were of concern: one holding bulky sweaters, and one holding lighter knit tops. Three long-sleeved jersey knit tops stayed in the drawer. I had a short sleeved burgundy T-shirt, but I didn't like the way it fit, so I gave it to my daughter. I kept an old sleeveless black T shirt--I like to clean house in it!

My jersey knit turtleneck was packed away with my four sweaters and I donated a heavy knit purple turtleneck.

same tub as before, now packed with essentials for winter!

I put my two pairs of shorts in the sweater drawer. (I need more shorts!)


Dresser Count:

Turtlenecks: 2/0 (1W, 1D)
Bulky winter sweaters: 4/0 (4W)
T-Shirt, short sleeves 1/0 (1D)
T-shirt, long sleeves: 3/3
T-shirt, sleeveless: 1/1

Shorts: 2

Wow: that's 30 items. That seems like  lot to me. And yet....not quite enough.

Here's the closet, after:

Hmmm. Rather dismal.

Donation Pile:*

Alison's Spring list would have me purchase some light and bright coloured shirts, but I looked on-line and ran away from the prices. I think I can manage without.

But I do need/want to purchase at least one more pair of shorts (black) and two pairs of capris (dark wash denim and white). (Fortunately, I can source those locally, but still, pricey.)

I'd also like a few short sleeved tops--maybe 2 or 3? Plus shoes. And that should do me, I think. Well, OK, I just might get a pair of culottes--to go with my sequined top!


Many thanks to Melissa for inspiring this switch over! I've read about half way through the book, Make Room for What You Love: Your Essential Guide to Organizing and Simplifying and I'm happy to say I love it! (Yes, that's another affiliate link. The second.)

*Also, I want to mention H&M's fibre recycling program. You can take any clothing or textile in any condition whatsoever into any of their stores for recycling and re-use.

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AT Closet Cure: Assignment #3

This was doozey of an assignment from Apartment Therapy. It was deliberately designed to be broken up over Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Friday: Dresses and Skirts.

Although I only have 9 items in this category, it was hard to let go of some things.

I have one skirt (on the left, there, above)--actually it is a skort. I absolutely loved it for that reason. Unfortunately, I've put on weight since I bought it, so it is now too far above my knees for me to be comfortable wearing it without tights. (I hate tights.) So, after much dithering, that's in the donate pile.

I have two long dresses. The stripe I just bought this summer, so it's staying. The second is an L.L. Bean, a winter weight knit in plum and I adore it. It's my only winter dress--but, boy is it snug. I would be very upset not to have it should I lose enough weight to fit into it properly, so I put it back in the closet. It is that classic.

I have five--no six!-- short dresses. Two are properly tunics--very flimsy knit--but they still work. One is a maybe--and a fixer-upper. It also requires ironing before wearing. The thing is, my Mom made it for me and I want to keep it--but I won't wear it again. (sigh.)

The other three don't fit.

I'm keeping only 4 items. (The two tunics and the two long dresses.)

Saturday: Jeans and Casual Pants

Well, this was interesting. Turns out I had over twenty pairs of pants and shorts lurking about in the closet, the wash and various drawers. For someone who, in the past, has literally spent a winter wearing one pair of pants (though doubtless I had more than that in the closet) this was a shock to me.

I kept more than I ought to have (13!), but I did get rid of eight pairs of various yoga pants and shorts.

Namely, I kept two pairs of jeans which I can't fit into--but one of those pairs--my white denim NYDJ cost about $200.00!

I have a pair of jeans in the "maybe" category. They fit--but the denim is very heavy and I don't like how they feel when I put them on.

The rest are keepers.

For work:
(In case some of you don't know, I work in a paint department where I mix paint. So, I like to keep a dedicated wardrobe just for work.)
1 pair of capris (summer)
1 pair of yoga pants (winter). I could really do with one more of each, actually.

Strictly Summer: to put in my off season bag under my bed.
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair of white linen pants (to be ironed).

Winter/All Season:
1 pair of jeans
1 pair of leggings
2 pairs of knit pants, winter weight, both nice.
1 pair of knock about knit pants. (To be worn in the house and maybe on a quick run to the hardware store!)

Sunday: Tops and Jackets/Outerwear

This is a huge category.

First, the tops.
Total: 26

Summer: 12
plus work: 6

Winter: 4
plus work: 3

I am letting go of one--out of all of them!--yes, just one.


Second, Outerwear.
Total: 6

Keep:
1 wine faux leather Fall/Spring Jacket
1 black Winter coat: to be replaced as soon as possible
1 black knit zippered jacket.
1 light blue hoodie from Vancouver

Let Go:
Navy Spring/Fall Jacket (too small and has been for several years).
Grey and Black houndstooth men's jacket (snug).


So, at the end of assignments 2 and 3, this is the donate pile (not everything is pictured as I gifted some of my sweaters to my daughter):

In future, it'd probably be best if I didn't pile the discards in front of my mirror!

From the comments thread at AT on this assignment, I learned that H&M Canada has partnered with Unicef Canada, to recycle, re-use and reduce waste from unwanted clothing.  In light of the recent refugee crises, that's where these will be headed.


I wonder what's next?

AT Closet Cure: Assignment #2

Sweaters, she said.

Sweaters!

Oh gawd--it'll be like ripping off the band aid, I promised myself--quick, ruthless, still painful.

In the spring of 2013, I found, much to my delight, that at the weight I was then, I could find clothes--nice clothes--to fit me.

I went on a mini shopping spree and put together a cute little summer wardrobe.

When fall came around, I ordered clothes to be shipped to me--ordered them from Land's End and Old Navy in plus sizes. I tried them on, agonized. Returned, re-ordered and finally settled on some lovely things. All of them too good, mind you, to wear to work. (I do not want to get paint on anything costly or time consuming to replace. Though I have.)

But then I gained some weight. Not a terrible amount--but just enough to make the sleeves too tight and the hems too short.

I went back to wearing yoga pants and Walmart T-shirts.

So, tonight was the night.
Face the demons.
Face the disappointment, once and for all.

I counted.
I had 24 sweaters.

sorry for the crappy lighting, but I did it while I was motivated which was after 9pm.

That includes 6 cardigans (2 not shown) and 6 turtlenecks.

After the sort and purge, I now have 12 sweaters-- including 4 cardigans and 2 turtlenecks. Unfortunately, pretty much all the colour was purged as well.

That black and grey diamond up there? Bought that last year and nearly wore it to death. I want another one!

But it's Ok. I find sweaters far too warm for work (not that I'd wear these there, anyway) and a titch too warm for most days at home when I'm doing stuff around the house. I mostly just need them when I'm sitting at the computer or watching TV. And all I need is one good cardigan for that!

Weight-Loss Wardrobe

My love has been locked in a tower, swallowed whole by a wolf, poisoned by an apple and left to sleep it off.

What could be so colourfully dormant? What could be waiting, languishing for its rescuer?

Are you ready to meet my long lost love?

Clothes.

Not just any bunch of t-shirts, turtlenecks, jeans, and straight skirts, though, no: I have those. What has been waiting for me all my life is my ideal wardrobe--a miraculous collection of just the right tops and the right bottoms which pair up to create endless variations, just like the right set of notes create all the necessary movements in a musical piece.

I had been going to wait until I reached my mythical, ideal weight. Last week, I realised I didn't have too. I've lost enough weight, now, that I have enough options to actually choose something I like instead of settling for something I merely need. (Though, as I expect to continue to lose weight, I will continue to wear some items even though they may be a size too big. It's when they're three sizes too big that I'll begin to replace them.)

Since I was in the military reserves in my late teens and handed a ready-made (though ugly) minimalist wardrobe, I have been captivated by capsule wardrobes. Capsule wardrobes are made up up of the minimum number or pieces in any category (tops, bottoms, and layers) to give maximum versatility.

I studied this one created by Imogen Lamport, at Inside Out Style blog for a "Busy Mum.". (She is absolutely fabulous at this, by the way.)

source

Tops:
Wear-anywhere top
3 T Shirts: stripe, solid, tank.

Bottoms:
Jeans,
Canvas Skirt

Layers:
2 cardigans, each fabulous.

Accessories:
2 scarves
2 necklaces
bangles
Leather shopping tote

Footwear:
Boots
Ballet flats
Sandals

These pieces, before you even change out the accessories, she promises, offer 22 different looks. I love the efficiency of this concept, not to mention how economical it is.

The "new Mum" Capsule is simply fabulous, too. You can easily see how everything will mix effortlessly. It doesn't include accessories.

source

 

 

Imogen explains how capsule wardrobes work--and how to construct one-- in her free e-book, Your 5 Step Formula for a Fabulous Wardrobe. Highly recommended.

 

This is exactly the concept of my weight-loss wardrobe.

 

To be continued...

 

 

(This is a cross-post with my weight-loss and self-image blog, my psyche my soma.)