Wednesday, October 10, 2012

The Closet Project

I'm sure by now, everyone's heard the statement that we women wear 20 percent of our clothes 80 percent of the time. This surely accounts for the collective groan at 6 am in every time zone of "I have nothing to wear!" Let's assume that most women are wearing a different outfit every day for a week. This seems reasonable, given that we're all busy, many of us work, and all of us have responsibilities. If we are blessed with such abundance that we can only wear 20 percent of our clothes and still have 7 different outfits, that means we have at least 35 outfits. And we still have pajamas, underwear, workout clothes, dressy clothes . . . I don't know about you, but that seems a bit excessive to me.

So I'm putting my closet on a diet. I'm going to try and edit what I've got so I only own clothes that I wear regularly. If there is something I own that doesn't get worn regularly, there needs to be a good reason for keeping it (special occasions, maternity clothes, etc.). While I'm at it, I'm going to try and add a few pieces into the mix so that I can make nice, modest, appropriate outfits for my life as it is now.

My reasons for doing this? Well, there are a few. I believe that God calls us to be good stewards, and this includes owning reasonable amounts of possessions and sharing unneeded things with those who are less fortunate. I also want to set a good example for Emily and Erin. I don't want them to believe that they need dozens of outfits to be happy. Another reason is the closet space in our home. We live in an adorable little 1950s-era house, with 1950s-era closets. While we have some additional drawer space for clothes, it still leaves us with about 5 feet of hanging space. I need to measure, but I don't think there's more than that, and there might actually be less! My goal is for all of our clothes (Dan's included!) to fit in the space we've got, with a few exceptions. Lastly, if I blog about this it keeps me accountable. Not least because Dan will read this and ask me when half a bunch of my clothes are headed to St. Vincent de Paul!

So here are the rules I've made for myself.

1. Only keep what fits and flatters. (Exceptions: maternity clothes, nice dresses that may fit once the babies are weaned)

2. Only keep what is worn regularly. (Exceptions: special occasion clothes, maternity clothes, seasonal clothes)

3. Only keep what fits with my current role and lifestyle. On a regular basis, I wear simple cotton t-shirts, button-down shirts, jeans, sweaters, and simple skirts or dresses for church. I have to wear a collared shirt for work, so I do own a few (ok, about 25) tops that I might not wear if it weren't for that, but they will mostly be staying, even if they don't all earn a place in the closet.

4. Only keep what is reasonably modest. I am still figuring out what my exact standards are for modesty, but I know not everything in my current wardrobe meets them. Eventually, I know I need to come up with something specific, but for now, I'm going to try things on and see how I feel in them.

5. Only keep things that go with at least one other item. If I need to purchase something to make it wearable, that new item must go with at least one other item. This one is a bit complicated, but I know I need to have a rule like this to combat unnecessary expansion.

Depending on the way things go, I may come up with additional rules and/or exceptions, but I think this will be a good start.

Anyone interested in joining me? Comment below and let me know your plans!

15 comments:

  1. I think this is an excellent project. My current job requires a uniform, which I actually hate, but that means I don't have to think too much 5 to 6 days a week. Leaving the house for other reasons is another story altogether.

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    1. Uniforms are awesome for that! I kind of have one for the rest of the time too - I just wear the same thing in different colors, haha. I'm usually happy if I leave the house in clean clothes!

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  2. Ok, I actually LOVE this idea! Consider me on board!

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  3. Love it! I need to go through my closet my entire room before I pack up and move when I get married. What helped you go through your belongings (not just clothes) before you and Dan got married?

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    1. My mom. Definitely not me. I was waaaay too busy to worry about things like clothes. It's really just now that I'm getting rid of stuff that I should have donated/tossed then. So, imagine your life a little more chaotic, and imagine packing all of your stuff up and moving it over and over...now that I've done it, that last one is the best motivator by far!

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  4. I definitely need to clean out my closet. There are so many clothes that I keep hoping I will fit back into and, instead of that happening, I just get depressed every time I see them! We have a really large closet so I need to stay on top of it to make sure I'm not just keeping stuff because we have room for it. Maybe I'll work on it this weekend when hubs is working!

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    1. That is frustrating! I used to hate opening the closet when I was pregnant because only one or two things hanging in there fit, but I didn't have anywhere else to put my regular clothes!
      You could always pack up things that you're not wearing right now and put them somewhere else, so you are working with what you're wearing right now?

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  5. good for you!!! i did this after my 4th child was born. 19 yrs ago!! i have still to this day kept it simple..and life is so much easier. good luck!!! and i too, kept my maternity clothes..and guess what?! i just gave them to my daughter..can you imagine?!

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    1. Oh, my goodness! That is wonderful. I really am hoping that making it simple now will make life easier as it gets ever more complicated. My grandma was such an elegantly dressed lady, and I'd love to have a touch of elegance when I get older. I think it was mainly the simplicity of what she wore, though!

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  6. i've been trying to pare down the closet since Charlie was born. My rule is usually for every two things I get rid of make sure I have one that fits your above rules. I'm terrible at throwing stuff out though (ask the hubby). I'll try it again!

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    1. Getting rid of things can be really hard! I'm not good at it either, or I wouldn't be doing this project :)

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    2. So you've inspired me, I started the closet/bureau/dresser/under the bed project. Yes, I have way too many clothes. Look for a post coming soon on my project! Will of course link back to you!

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  7. John could use a major closet purge but I'm afraid I can't join your challenge for myself. I have about 10 shirts total and 2 dresses I never wear because they don't fit since I had babies.

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    1. Yeah, Dan's half of the closet could use some work too! But I'm hoping to lead by example here :)

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