I’m assuming I’m not the only person with a wardrobe filled with clothes I rarely or never wear. There are clothes I used to wear a lot that I’ve kept for that reason, clothes that I think I might want to wear again at some point, or clothes that mean something and therefore, I keep them. On fairly regular occasions I declutter my wardrobe but there are some things I tell myself I’ll wear so I don’t get rid of them, but then they’re still there for the next clear-out, and the next one, still not worn.
During September, as part of a maximised (non)-capsule wardrobe challenge, I’ve forced myself to wear different clothes every day to be more creative with what I’ve got but also to get a better idea of what I actually do wear, and what doesn’t get worn, even during a challenge like this.
It’s been a really useful exercise as it’s sort of been a wardrobe audit but a live version. It’s most definitely confirmed my view that I have too much clothes, and that I need to do some decluttering, again. But it’s also been a useful creativity exercise as it’s helped me style different items of clothing with something I may not have worn it with previously, giving more inspiration for making the most of my wardrobe.
Because that’s what it all comes down to. The fact that I don’t really need new clothes because I already have loads, and using what I have is the best thing I can do for a sustainable wardrobe. But to make sure I use my wardrobe I need to know what’s in there and I need to like what’s in there. I enjoy a large wardrobe because it gives me the chance to wear different things and be creative with what I have, but there’s obviously no point in having a large wardrobe if I never wear half the clothes. My aim with the challenge has therefore been to test my way through my wardrobe to really get a feel for what I like so that I can then move forward with curating a wardrobe I’m happy with and that I will wear, often and for many years.
Doing this challenge in September meant that during the first days I was wearing summer shorts and t-shirts and on the last days I’ve been wearing layers, woolly jumpers and my rain coat. The weather has to some extent been a challenge but it’s also given me the opportunity to work my way through both summer and autumn clothes, helping with the whole not-wearing-anything-twice aspect. I’ve also been at work most days so have had to stick to at least semi-smart outfits (my work is very casual but I like to at least look decent), which has worked ok even though I’ve struggled a bit with smart trousers, but have instead been wearing skirts (and thick tights during the colder days).
I’ve made a point of wearing clothes that I’ve had for many years but have also tried to make an effort with styling them with newer clothes – like the old woolly jumper above with my new Tencel trousers. And this is something I will continue doing, even though I’m not continuing with this particular challenge. Because I have a lot more clothes than what I used during September so I need to keep this up to keep trying things out and making the most of what I have.
Another learning has been that I have a few pieces that I only really ever wear with the same thing, in some cases out of habit and in some cases because it only really goes with that one thing. When it comes to these cases I will try to be more creative going forward, but it’s also given me an idea of the kind of things I need to add to my wardrobe over time to feel comfortable wearing everything I own.
I mentioned in the half-way report that I’ve been terrible at planning my outfits and this continued the whole month. I am truly terrible at planning outfits, even though I check the weather forecast several times a day to get an idea for what the weather will be like the next day, but I still need time to think about it in the morning. I genuinely want to get better at this though so will definitely try going forward.
I’ve also realised I’m really bad with ironing, and because I’m bad at planning outfits, I end up with a lot of clothes I can’t wear because they’re not ironed and because I’m in a rush in the morning I don’t have time to iron them. So they just hang there. Another thing I need to get better at – ironing after washing so that I don’t put any clothes in the wardrobe unless they’re ready to be worn (also, I will put a hand steamer on my wish list for Christmas to help me get better at looking after my clothes and ensure they’re wearable at all times).
It’s been a really enjoyable challenge to do, to get out of routines a bit and explore my wardrobe. Next step will be a clear-out and a plan for how to curate my wardrobe into something that works and gets me excited rather than slightly overwhelmed.