The Simplicity Project – Too many clothes, nothing to wear

When I was 4 my mom went to the hospital to give birth to my little sister and my grandmother came to take care of us for a few days while she was there. My mom and I had spent quite a lot of time going through my clothes and choosing outfits for me to wear for each day that she was gone.

The second day that my grandmother was there I came upstairs wearing the second outfit that my mom and I had picked out. Her reaction, not knowing of this arrangement, was to tell me to get back to my room right now and change into the clothes I was wearing the day before. They weren’t dirty yet and I shouldn’t make more work for my mother by wearing fresh clothes when the clothes I had already worn could be worn a second time.

What followed was a knock down drag out fight in which my old school grandma forcibly changed me into my other clothes while I screamed in protest the entire time and cried the rest of the day because of it. My mom was mad and I believe came home a day earlier than planned.

Nineteen years later I lived with my grandparents for several months. My grandma really did wear the same clothes every day until they got dirty. She wore an apron to keep that from happening. She changed into “work clothes” if she was doing anything particularly messy, and she always looked good. Her summer work uniform was almost always a light cotton blouse, white, and tan trousers. She had a house dress that she wore in the morning before she readied herself for the day’s work that was a really nicely cut wrap around affair that she probably sewed herself. She exercised in her underwear, which is something I discovered by accident when I came upon her in the basement one morning unawares.

I find myself doing the same thing more and more often as I get older. (Well, I don’t exercise in my underwear. Having an audience of small children discourages that sort of behavior.) I will wear the same clothes 3 days in a row as long as they smell alright and don’t have food splatters. I wear aprons when I cook. So, I rotate the same 5 or 6 outfits all the time and have drawers packed with clothes that I hardly ever wear but think I might some day.

I dislike trying to get dressed up because I only have a few things that I like anymore in a closet full of things, and I don’t seem to have any in between stages of looking nice.

I need a mom wardrobe, and a much smaller but still functional CFO wardrobe for meetings and such, and I need too be able to look dressed up on occasion in a grown up sort of way for events.

Does the mountain of clothes I currently have accomplish this? Not really.

Do I need to keep the 5 target long sleeve tees that I bought a few months after having BamBam when they were on clearance so I could have some shirts that fit and could be worn under things but are now a few sizes too big and I wear for pajamas most of the time? They are very comfortable, nice fabric and colors.

I wear 2 pairs of jeans in rotation, exclusively, for pants, and I have many more pairs in the drawer, not counting summer wardrobe, that I don’t wear. Why am I keeping them?

I am always worried that I will give away all of the extras and then something I have worn exclusively for months will finally wear out and I will wish I had held on to those extra items.

This is silliness. I don’t need that many extra. Do I?

So here’s what I’m aiming toward in the next few weeks.

Mom wardrobe – Winter

7 tops that fit nicely and are comfortable. (I usually layer them over camis.)

Only camis that I have actually worn in the past 5 months. The rest can go. (What about the ones with torn lace? Keep and sew or get rid of them?)

6 casual everyday cardigans, I love sweaters, for variety.

2 pairs of jeans
1 pair of trousers
1 pair of corduroys ( so comfortable I have a pair that are too big and I could maybe alter.)

1 pair of sandals that fits well and supports my feet properly. (I will have to wait for these because I don’t have any money to get them.)
1 pair of cute lace up shoes that are not meant for exercise. (Must also wait to shop.)
1 nice pair of boots (Thrift store?)
1 pair of running shoes

2 dresses that are comfy and flattering and go anywhere.

CFO Wardrobe

2 pairs of trouser type pants, grey and black
1 black skirt – Knee length

4 blouses

2 business cardigans

1 pair of sensible black heels, short so I can stand in them

1 3/4 length black trench coat, lined

(I can use the boots from the other wardrobe too, depending on what style they are.)

Events

2-4 nice dresses that can be dressed up or down easily and are flattering in cut and length.

I already have shoes to wear with them but another pair of pretty sandals would be nice.

What do you think? To much? Too minimalist? Is there anything I’m forgetting about? Please tell me what your wardrobe basics are that you couldn’t live without.

ps.
I’m planning to show you pictures of this weeks keepers, rejects and not sures, as soon as I get them taken

Share your simplicity project.