Why I'm aiming to only have 10 items in my wardrobe (Part 2) - Deciding what's in and what's out....

Do you have a wardrobe stuffed full of clothes but still find you don't have anything to wear? Do you take ages to find the 'right outfit?' How about your shopping habits? Do you end up buying the same type of item of clothing but just in a different colour, or spend wildly on an item one season and find you dislike it the next? Or worse still buy load of on sale items because they're a bargain (you'd never buy them at full price) and end up wearing them only hand full times? How confident are you about how well the clothes in your wardrobe actually represent who you are today? Are you happy with them?

Well, I was like that until I discovered the idea of the capsule wardrobe or (the 10 Item Wardrobe). It's changed the way I dress, the way I shop and helped me identify my style and it's all because I was really inspired by Jennifer (author of the book Lesson from Madam Chic) to try and come up with my own version of a customised capsule wardrobe.

"The point of the (capsule wardrobe) is to free yourself from jam-packed closet full of ill-fitting, underused, or poor - quality clothing. Your ultimate goal is to create a wardrobe that you love, in which every item of clothing speaks to who you are, and to create space for your clothes to breathe- by eliminating clutter."

Latst week I wrote about how I came across the idea of the capsule wardrobe. If you'd like to read that please click here 
http://reliablerealist.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/why-im-aiming-to-only-have-10-items-in.html

So today I will discuss how I actually got started with my capsule wardrobe and how you can too. Specifically how do we start to choose which items we should be keeping and which ones we should be discarding.

But before we proceed let me say this again 10 Item Wardrobe should not be taken so literally. You don't have to follow exactly 10 items. Mine is not 10 at the moment I am happy to manage 20 and it looks amazing. I love everything in it and even though I actually have less items than before I never feel like I dont have anything to wear! So no need to panic about throwing or giving away your clothes it's about doing what works for you.

Your wardrobe should roughly consist of 10 items (or more) but do not include:

-outerwear (coats, jackets , blazers),

-accessories (scarves , gloves , hats and wraps),

-shoes and under shirts/vests, tank tops or chemises that you wear as under layers.

The point of the capsule wardrobe is to ultimately free yourself from a jam packed closet full of ill fitting, underused or poor quality clothing. Your ultimate goal is to create a wardrobe that you love and that at a moment notice you can pull out any item or mix and match full confidence knowing you will look great and that fully show off your style and personality. It also creates a space for your clothes to breathe where there is no clutter and save you time and money.

Also the capsule wardrobe is assessed each season and items are interchanged accordingly.But before we can start to work out what should be 'in' we have to work out what should be definitely 'out!' i.e. It's time to clear out the clutter...

Clear out the wardrobe clutter

Before you finalise your 10 (or more ) items, clear the clutter from your closet. It is very important to physically clean out your wardrobe and only have your 10 items (plus extras discussed above) hanging. It is very easy to think you’ll just wear your 10 items during the month but still keep your other 100+ clothes jammed in the wardrobe ‘just in case’ or out of sheer laziness or lack of anywhere else to put your clothes. But the physical act of taking all of your excess clothing and getting rid of it or storing it elsewhere is very powerful and prevents you from ‘cheating’.
During the process of clearing my closet clutter I took the plunge and got rid of 70% of my wardrobe. This, for me, was a tremendous accomplishment. 
I sold a number of items on eBay, gave some to family and friends and donated the rest. Giving my clothes away was so much easier this time and I attribute this to the physical act of taking it all out and assessing. When my excess clothing was all thrown on my bed and one by one I assessed each garment, I asked myself a few key questions that helped me to let go.

This is my pile of clothes that I decided not to include in my capsule wardrobe

Wardrobe Assessment Questions:
“Do I still like this?”- in so many instances I was holding on to something because I paid a lot of money for it- not because I actually still liked it.

“Do I ever wear this?”- I had so many clothes that I simply did not wear- some I hadn’t worn in over two years! - and inherently I knew I never would wear again, but for some reason I couldn’t let go.

“Does it still fit/ look good on me?”- People gain or lose weight, have babies, and get older - bodies change! It is important not to be in denial about your current body shape. Dress yourself for current body – not the body you used to have or wish you had.

“Does this article of clothing still speak of who I am?”- This is a very powerful question and in most instances the answer was a resounding NO. I was holding on to blouses and skirts that I purchased in my early 20s (I even found a few baby doll dresses- yikes!). A lot has changed since then. I am a wife, a young mother.My tastes are more refined and sophisticated. Those clothes were not right for the new me.

Getting rid of your excess clothing is definitely a process and you might not be ready to discard everything the first time around. That's all right. After you sorted the items you no longer want and still have a lot of excess you can store the rest in space bags or a container in the loft. You'll be surprised how you can go for an entire year without them and probably forget them totally.

It works on every budget and on every size. You have to dress with the body that you have and with the budget you have now. Everybody can look good. You can look beautiful. You don't have to be a size 0 super model or buy all designer clothes to achieve the capsule wardrobe. It works absolutely for every body.

Do not be intimidated by the number 10. Ten is just a guideline. You can have 15, 20 or more core items if that works better for you. It's not about the number but the new way of thinking about your wardrobe. 
So go ahead, when you feel ready start de-cluttering process and say goodbye to all those clothes you no longer really need or want. 

I know it can be a bit daunting and you don't know where to start so feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Then next week , I' ll share and show you my own Spring 2014 capsule wardrobe to work for me and how you can too....

I would love to know what you think. Please leave me a comment below or if you wish you can also email me at annadizon.rr@gmail.com. I try to respond to every comment or question.

See you next week! xx

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All quotes in italics are excerpts from the book Lesson from Madam Chic.