DORÉ

First tip: Buy less. As obvious as it gets, but as someone who had a rather massive wardrobe for many years, I’m truly happier now with a smaller amount of clothing. Shoes don’t count, as long as you can store ’em. :)

Second tip: Buy stuff that goes with stuff. I used to fall in love (see tip #3) with things that were so amazingly beautiful, but didn’t “go” with much else in the closet. So they didn’t get worn much. And then all that beauty eventually got sold or consigned (or donated…) and hopefully off to a new, better home. But I was out both the money spent and the space in the closet for as long as I had those relatively non-wearable items. Now when I shop, it doesn’t matter how beautiful something is…if it is the wrong color, cut, etc for what is already in my closet, then it stays in the store.

Third tip: Buy only what you love. Yes, you’ve heard this before. But if you take it seriously…because most of us don’t LOVE everything we buy. If you really, truly LOVE it, you’ll wear it and enjoy it for many years. If you just like it a lot, or think it will work “well enough”, you’ll always be looking for the better version of it. So only buy what you absolutely, truly love.

Fourth tip: Buy, as much as possible, for longevity. Standard black wool coat? That you NY’ers will wear for four months straight? Eh, it might be a tad boring. But that is what scarves and brooches are for. ;) That standard coat will last you for a long, long time, if you’re buying quality and a pretty classic cut. Dress it up with accessories (which are usually easier on the budget and often take up far less space) and no one will notice that you’ve been wearing it for five years. :)

Accessories (and I include shoes – well, at least most shoes, the not-as-practical ones, anyway) have always been the “dessert” of dressing for me. My wardrobe is fairly simple and I have “uniforms” that I defer to for spring/summer and then for fall/winter, but the accessories are the icing on the cake. Mine are varied and colorful and sparkly and gilded and who knows what (not all at once, of course). They’re the things that people notice when I go out. And I use pretty much the same rules I do for my wardrobe: Buy less, Buy what goes with other stuff, Buy only what you love, Buy for longevity. It works. :)

I agree, there are clothes you like and clothes you love. Stick to the clothes you love…

I have a very small closet that I share with my husband and althought I have slaved back and am still editing it doesn’t hold everything. Thankfully we have some space so I have a covered closet rack in the basement which I try to store Winter or Summer clothes depending on the season and keep a small collection of seasonal items in the main closet at all times and Coats in a front hall closet.
I got good hangers and bins and try to fold everything as neatly as to stay organized and have space.
I also agree with the “love it” theory. I’m trying to edit out things that are ok and only keep what I love. My only stumble has been staples/essentials I don’t love the white tee I currently have but I need it and haven’t found one I love yet. But I wear it so it works.
Shoes lately have been my issue, practical, fashionable, comfortable, wear with everything….struggling. I actually am going my Garance’s list from her book, I’m trying a pair of Chelsea boots to see if that works, I have two pairs of heels I love and trying to figure out the rest.
In the end I’m sure I could edit more but it’s always a work in progress right?

Ah I love beautiful clothes. I firmly believe I’ll live longer because of it. It’s a daily motivation :) But! I was drowning in clothes/accessories. Every space occupied to exploding. And it was stressing me. In the past I’ve cleaned out Marie Kondo-style. And I’ve regretted it by and large, getting rid of things that I liked, bc I had “too many navy sweaters”. You can never have too may grey sweaters if that’s your thing! Right?

So now what I ask myself: Am I feeling this, right now?

Most of what I own is pretty timeless – shirts, jackets etc. Emmanuelle Alt would be my spirit fashion animal. But it changes too. Beloved purple velvet riding jacket? Not feeling it (I’ve worn it to saturation). And definitely not throwing it. Grey extra-long oxford trousers – they were a work wear staple that seem tired now. But they are timeless and going nowhere.

So asking “Am I feeling it?” let’s be make a short-term commitment to moving things around without the pain of getting rid of things. I box them away til the next time. My current wardrobe (meaning the things that are basics or in heavy rotation) is in view, I get the satisfaction of a clean-out, and I can get dressed without digging through piles from seasons past, but without losing the pieces I love.

And all this reminds me to buy less :)

Downsizing your clothing is a great tip and honestly the one I think most need to spend more time on.

Having clothing that can be worn in almost any season (if/when they’re layered) is also fantastic. Nothing better than a versatile wardrobe for keeping the number of items of clothing you need down.

Only keeping the items of clothing you will likely be wearing in your closet I think is a good trick as well. If there’s something you want, but don’t think you’ll be wearing any time soon, store it someplace else.

I hate having a tight closet – makes it hard to look through, so anything to loosen things up enough to be able to rummage through a closet properly is necessary in my mind.

x // http://eliseandthomas.com

I have a small hanging rail and over the years have become used to being disciplined and having a tightly edited wardrobe according to considered guidelines I’ve made for myself – goes with other things, will wear it often, love it etc,, – you know the stuff! Now, if I get carried away in the sales or have a special event which means buying things that don’t fit into these guidelines, I have an anxiety attack! I can’t cope with too many choices or any kind of wardrobe chaos. Sad. But truly, less is more.

I live in a place with four distinct seasons. Lately I’ve taken to editing my clothing down each season until my closet looks like a little boutique (my winter boutique is in there now). Everything else gets stored for future seasons. When spring rolls around, I will go through my bins and put together my spring boutique…

It’s fun and I somehow buy less this way.

This summer when I moved, I looked at every piece, thinking if I love it or not. So I ended up donating half of my clothes: the ones I didn’t love, the ones that didn’t fit, weren’t the right colour, cut or fabric. After that I have been spending a bit more money on some staple items, like a winter parka, trench coat, wool sweaters, beautiful jeans, two leather handbags etc, but almost everything I now own is good quality, durable (except those Joni jeans, but where else would I find such a great fit?) and I love them.
So I just keep everything as neat as I can, and I’m inspired to do that because I love those clothes, I want to take good care of them.

That’s a great mental trick Mary, thank you! :)

I have no idea how people do it without a storage space. My boyfriend is very spartan and hates clutter, and so for his sake I’ve resolved to become more diligent about switching things out by the season (especially since he very generously permits me to have the run of the bedroom closet).

For a long time I was impulse-buying a lot of crap, and eventually became so fed up with the quality of most of it that I reverted to buying fewer things and better things, which doesn’t always save money (nicer things are costly) but is definitely a more elegant and satisfactory application of funds. I prefer classic lines and tailoring for the basics, but I supplement it with a deep arsenal of unusual and eccentric things, and things that don’t make pragmatic “sense,” and I never throw away vintage or costume pieces once I’ve used or worn them as I find I will inevitably wind up using them again. (This holiday season, I was invited to one Krampus-themed costume party and two masquerade events, and was extremely pleased to discover that I “happened” to have just the perfect thing for all of them. I say never throw that stuff away – makes life much more fun.) xx