Wearable Wardrobe

I was chatting with my mom and sister the other day and they accused me of having more clothes than anyone in the family (I have three sisters so including mom, that's five girls). I countered that in fact, both of their closets were fuller than mine and they agreed that was probably true and amended their accusation to say that I had more wearable clothes than anyone else. I had to concede to that point. I told them that was because I am a good shopper and that if something in my closet becomes unwearable, I get rid of it. But it got me thinking more in depth about what constitutes a wearable wardrobe and I came up with the following:

1. If you don't like something, get rid of it. This doesn't mean you have to spend hours cleaning out your closet. I keep a bag in the back of my closet and when I come across something I don't want anymore, I toss it in there. When the bag gets full, I drop it off at Goodwill or take it to a consignment shop if it's resellable. Come up with a system that works for you, just get the junk so you can focus on the good stuff.
   
2. Do not compartmentalize your wardrobe. Do not look at your tops and say, these are work shirts and these are weekend shirts. Probably 90% of your shirts could be worn either to work or on the weekend depending on what you pair it with. I almost always buy clothes that are "in between", they are not over the top dressy or super casual. Unless it is for a super special event, I don't buy something unless I can imagine myself wearing it in at least a couple of situations and think of ways to dress it up or down. Also, don't limit yourself by separating your spring and fall clothes because most can transition throughout the year and if they can't, then you need to start keeping that in mind when you are shopping. With your clothes doing double duty, you'll find you have increased your wardrobe without even buying anything.
   
3. Keep your closet organized. You are only going to wear the clothes that are easy to get to. If you don't have your closet and drawers organized in a way that you can see everything, you're never going to wear it. I organize my closet in the following categories: jackets, long sleeve shirts, three quarter sleeve shirts, short-sleeve shirts, sleeveless shirts and tanks, skirts, pants and dresses (and then grouped by color within each category). Sweaters are grouped together in drawers as are jeans. One dresser is devoted to super casual: pajama and lounge pants, t-shirts, workout clothes, sweatshirts, etc. each with their own drawer. I keep coats in the front closet and the hall closet is filled with items that need to be hemmed/mended or steamed/ironed before they take their place in the big closet. I also keep shoes laid out so that I can see them all, boots are kept in the front closet. OK, I totally just gave away how many clothes I do actually have since apparently most of my storage space is devoted to them. :) But regardless of how many clothes you have, come up with a way to keep them organized so that you can wear all of them.
   
4. Don't shop at the last minute. When you need something in a time crunch, you always end up spending more and settling for less than you would if you had shopped in advance. When you get an invitation to a wedding, start thinking about what you're going to wear right away, don't wait until the week before you head out of town. If you don't have the perfect dress, then keep your eye out for it the next couple of months. If you know you are going to start interviewing for new jobs soon, start building an interview wardrobe, don't wait until you get the interview. If you are single, don't wait until you get asked out to fret over your date night outfit, have a couple of things ready to go. And so on. Make a list of the situations you need to outfit yourself for and then take inventory of your closet. If you realize you wouldn't have anything to wear if a particular situation came up at the last minute, make note of what you need and keep your eye out for these things every time you're out so you have them when the need comes up. This will keep you from buying things you don't love which leads us to #5...
   
5. Don't settle. Let's be honest, most of us don't need anything. So, why buy something if it's anything short of fabulous? Be picky when you're shopping and everything that ends up in your closet will be wearable.