Yellow Coat #2!

By about 10 votes, and overall popular demand, I’m going with #2. This was my first inclination, but thanks very very much to those of you who voted and gave input. There will be more important decisions to come.

In celebration of #2′s inauguration into the Perfect Closet project, I blatantly stole this outfit idea off of Pinterest got dressed up and donned it for the occasion. Toby the Wonderdog gives his stamp of approval. What say the rest of you?

Title courtesy of Coldplay – “Yellow”

So here is the part where I admit that I’m just a bit dismayed with my inability to get going on this project in a lively manner. It will happen, trust. I have lots of fun things in the works, features, giveaways. The gettin’ is just getting going. Believe.

However, I may have mentioned before, how much I want this project to be reader interactive and make this blog a living thing again. So this is also the part where I ask you to be active participants! I am by no means a comment whore, since I personally realize the impracticality of leaving comments on random blogs, to no avail. It seems pointless, I know. That said, I’m introducing a new feature for PHASE ONE of The Perfect Closet Project. And I’m asking for your help.

Welcome to the This or That portion of the blog. This is where I ask your input in deciding what items I should keep or ditch. In many cases, when weeding out extraneous items in one’s wardrobe, we discover that some of the items we own are so similar as to make one or the other unncessary. It’s an easy mistake to make. But to that end, it’s easily corrected and a great way to pare down the old closet. Time for a FACEOFF!

Let’s begin, shall we?

This or That: Yellow Coat Edition

    vs.    

Will this be more exciting if I write it like an epic Shakespearean saga? Gather round, ye! ‘Tis a tale of two fair yellow coats. Both alike in dignity, in fair Denver where we lay our scene. From ancient Candie’s thrift store find, break to new yellowness. Where civil outfitting make civil overcoating that much more difficult.

Okay forget it. I suck at iambic pentameter. Let’s just discuss pros and cons.

Yellow coat #1…

Coat #1 is a fun find, that I once acquired via thrift. It’s a sort of lightweight canvas material. Three quarter sleeves. Worn a handful of times on the previous Closet365 project.

PROS: Cute. Oversized buttons. Light. YELLOW. Flared peplum shape. Name brand.

CONS: Not really warm. Buttons awkwardly. Is missing one button on the right sleeve. Another button coming off on the front (and I rarely can be arsed to repair my items). Wrinkles badly with every wear and doesn’t wash easily to correct this.

Yellow Coat #2…

Coat #2 is a coat I once loved so much that I sold several other favored items to Plato’s closet, so that I might justify it’s purchase according to the Closet365 budget. I felt like a smack addict, the way I lusted after this coat. It is polished cotton bubble trench, with 3/4 peplum sleeves, sash and lining.

PROS: Cute. YELLOW. Nice buttons. Sash. Warm-ish. Can be dressed up or down easily. Washes and wears nicely. More outdoor-friendly than Coat #1.

CONS: Bubble shape does not always lay the way I would like it to and can look cupcakey. (Which is a pro or a con, depending on the day. And also my hair is icky in this picture. But I guess that isn’t the fault of the coat.

So now you get to help me decide. Will it be Coat 1 or 2? Which yellowness should hold a place in The Perfect Closet?

Poll is below. All you have to do is vote, but additional feedback in the comments will be taken into consideration. I will make a final decision and post it within the next 48 hours. Thank you!

Title courtesy of Traphik feat. T-Pain – “Everybody Else”

Well now. I hope everyone is having a good week and also tolerating the slow-goings around here at Closet365. I started my new job yesterday and hope that things will settle into a better routine for life and blogging and all of the things, shortly. Thus far, there is no real rhyme or reason to the posting schedule. Much to my own irritation. We’ll get this though. We will, guys.

Until then, I have managed to put together the first straight up outfit post, to tide you over. Here is one of the dresses that made the first cut. I had fond memories of it from previous runs with it and today proved no different.

You will also have to forgive the fact that I’m repeating items you’ve already seen. I’m hoping that in my year sans blogging, my loyal readers will have forgotten. But in case you’re me and are OCD about these things, my apologies. I promise I own lots more new things that I’ll be showing you as we go along. But if the point of the project is to make the best of the current wardrobe, then I for one, am going to enjoy doing just that.

I like this outfit because I feel it’s rather indicative of where I’ve been with fashion lately and the style I’m moving towards cultivating. In the past, my outfits were very much about bells and whistles. Influenced by the demands of creating something new and different every single day. When the fact is, some of the best outfits are the simple ones. I have become hugely addicted to statement necklaces in the last year, and often, I feel like the best way to wear these pieces is against a more subdued backdrop.

Obviously, there is still some pattern mixing here. And a big ol’ belt. And big sunglasses. So you see? Some things never really change!

Other than that, I got nuthin’. How be ye, readership? What are your thoughts? What would you like to see here at Closet365? What are you reading? Tell me things!

Title courtesy of Heavy D & The Boyz – “Nuttin’ But Love”

I specify loyal, because I realize I’m a jerk for posting a slew of big plans and then posting nothing for a week. It’s been a little crazy what with the whole change of jobs and moving in three weeks, in addition to a whole bunch of other stuff. I know. You read that right. I am indeed changing jobs. AGAIN. And moving. AGAIN. Trust me. I have had a couple of serious talks with myself about whether or not I’m just addicted to upheaval, but the the conclusion is no. This whole last year was always sort of intentionally transitory and it’s been a wonderful experience, but what I’m onto now, is all of what I hope will be a permanent nature.

But enough about that. Let’s talk project. Where are we at? Here is where we are at…

The giant pile you are beholding would be the results of the first big wardrobe purge. It was a real doozy, but by the grace of a entire pot of Tribute Blend and the Mad Men playlist on Spotify, I conquered the biggest hurdle of them all: Admitting That I Owned Too Many Things.

See, I knew that I had a lot of ridding to do. I’ve actually been on a bit of a decluttering kick since the beginning of the year. It was my overarching New Year’s resolution that I begin to rid my life of clutter, be it tangible or symbolic. I got off to a good start by simplifying my internet life and a few errant drawers. But then Mars went into retrograde and things got kinda fucked. But now that my ruling planet is direct once more, the project can get a move on. (I’m only sort of joking about this.)

So on today, my singular day of unemployment between said job change, I decided I would begin tackling the monumental task of paring down my wardrobe. I thought this would be easier than it actually was. I thought this because A) I never had that much space to begin with, and B) I’ve undergone a couple of closet cleanings prior to and since my last move.

C) Yeah…not so much.

As it turns out, I am a wicked good hoarder.

If anything, I am frightened of my own ability to conceal the absolute plethora of crap in my possession. There is some David Blaine/Mary Poppins/Creepy Shit going on in my closet, y’all. I’ve been hiding my momumental landfill of clothes from the world, my boyfriend, baby Jesus and most importantly… from myself.

So I conducted a physical inventory of all the clothing items I own.

First count:
* 45 pairs of shoes
* 80 layering tanks and tees
* 75 shirts
* 47 skirts (forty seven?!)
* 40 pairs of pants/shorts
* 12 coats
* 45 cardigans/sweaters
* 55 pieces of workout attire which also double as sleepwear.

And wait for it…

*86…EIGHTY SIX DRESSES. WTF?

I’d laugh, if it didn’t kind of make me want to cry. Ladies and gentleman, we have a problem. Although I am opting not to count shoes, sleepwear, workout clothes or layering tees and tanks among my 100 wardrobe pieces. That still puts me…oh…199 pieces over budget. Obviously, this would not do.

The good new is that, as I worked, I also began sorting process. Some pieces were easy to part with, while others required more debate. And I am still nowhere near my goal of having 100 pieces as the basis of my wardrobe. However, at days end, the count looks more like:

* 40 pairs of shoes
* 40 layering tees and tanks
* 52 shirts
* 26 skirts
* 65 Dresses
* 28 pairs of pants/shorts
* 5 coats
* 35 cardigans/sweaters
* 40 pieces of sleep/gym clothes

Grand tally? 219. So another substantial parting will need to take place. I may need to reevaluate my priorities as far as this project is concerned. The rest of this month and all of May will be devoted to further decluttering. I intend to let you readers weigh in on some of the tough decisions. Additionally, we will talk about what to do with all of the old unwanted items, since that’s part of the process. And unfortunately, bonfires are illegal last I checked.

My main concern is my dresses, because I have a very hard time parting with The Collection. A side project of taking them all on parting outings, may be in the works. That or hypnosis. I’m not really sure.

Parting with clothes can be emotional. We all know the basics – if it’s torn, if it’s stained, if it doesn’t fit, if you haven’t worn it in five years…get rid of it. But sometimes it’s more complicated than that. What if you only wore it once, but you still remember how much fun you had that day, and you’re worried that you’ll never be able to recreate that moment that way again, without that exact cardigan?

I guess this is why decluttering can be so good for the soul. Memories are memories for a reason. You can’t make them happen twice. You just have to go out and make new ones. I reminded myself of that a lot today. I look forward to the simplification that this project brings, and the promise of bigger and better memories.

That. And also… I work at a clothing store. With a generous discount. There will always be more clothes. And that might be precisely the problem.

Title courtesy of Rihanna – “We Found Love”

It’s late, and and I’m terribly tired and distracted. Thanks for playing along so far. We’ve made it through the week (And then some. Oops) and now it’s time to wrap this up, so that the whole shebang can get underway. Yippee skippy! Away we go!

PHASE SIX: UTILIZE

PHASE SIX is where we end our perfect closet project, but also where it begins. It’s the most abstract of the phases, because even I’m not sure yet what the last phase of this project looks like, or if it ends at all.

Once we’ve pared, and played and pinned and pained over every facet of my closet and my wardrobe, what’s really left? Well, there are a couple of answers, but the one that comes most strongly to mind is ENJOY IT. So when I say utilize, I mean that most literally. Wear the things. Wear them places. Veni, Vidi, Vici. But sometimes to really enjoy an outfit means to wear it with intent. Living in the moment is something I am admittedly bad about. However, it’s my hope that with all the leg work of the project already executed, PHASE SIX will allow me to do just that.

For me PHASE SIX means savoring a job well done, whether it’s the closet itself or the outfits that come out of it. And then forgetting all of the above as situation warrants. Because really, if all of my hard work is eventually going to lead me to believe that I can’t wear a trench coat and a green dress and  red flower and bird necklace and some gaudy CZ blinged out earrings, then what good is it really? Advanced style is great and all, but at the end of day I want to utilize that which is already innate. In 2010, my first project changed my life in ways I’ll perhaps never be able to really articulate. But it did. If I get even a fraction of that experience from this new project I will be extremely fortunate. The point of PHASE SIX is to roll with it and appreciate it for what it is.

I’m at a huge risk of being trite here, but what I want to point out about this project versus the first is that the Closet365 project is now about the journey as opposed to the destination. Quality over quantity. The marathon and not the sprint. All those good cliche things.

PHASE SIX will allow me to put the finishing touches on a few things. After the first five phases, it will be a chance to fine tune whatever is left by my approximation. Maybe we’ll talk about beauty tips. Maybe I’ll learn how to do those neat braid things or wear liquid eyeliner without looking like a hot mess. Maybe I’ll pare the wardrobe down to even less pieces or maybe I’ll add more. Who can say, when it’s still so far away? And who really cares at this point?

PHASE SIX is where we really get to live out the dream. In my heart of hearts, my aspiration for this blog and this space is to make it a permanent and ever-evolving project and quasi-lifestyle. It’s a yearlong project without a definitive 365 mark. It is ongoing. Which is not to say that I want it to take over my life. Just that I want to continually share the things I wear and what I do in them, with the reading community however big or small. I want to share my joy when I buy a new statement necklace (oh so much joy!) or when I wear said necklace out and about on clear day with the amazing people that make up my life these days. To utilize is to live and love in the wardrobe I own and build and create.

So I guess the whole point of this is that I don’t even know what all PHASE SIX will look like, and that’s okay. The fun will be in the finding out. If you had told me two years ago, or a year or six months ago what my life would look like now, I would have probably laughed. I have been infinitely lucky and I find myself ever-inspired by the developments. I can’t even wait to see what comes next.

Alright. So now we’ve got lift off. Let’s do this.

Title courtesy of Wicked: The Musical – “One Short Day”

I swear eventually, I am going to hammer all of these out! I suppose the beauty of this new project is that I’m not adhering to such a strict posting schedule. Definitely more conducive to everyday whims. But on the other hand, I’d like to finish this outline for your behalf and then get it started! I’m very anxious to begin the actual project, especially since April is already halfway over. Eep! Okay, let’s do this.

PHASE FIVE: STRATEGIZE

True story: WordPress thinks “Srategize” isn’t a real word. Luckily, I disagree and so does dictionary.com. According to the dictionary to strategize is “to make up or determine strategy. To plan.” Heck yes!

See in PHASE FIVE we will have already build a pretty solid wardrobe. Pared down to only the best pieces, stored neatly and accessibly, compiled in digital form and with a foundation of quality pieces, ready and at my employ. So this is the part where we figure out out.

Every girl knows how to dress herself on a daily basis. Some better than others. But in this phase, I want to really look at some of the tips and tricks of planning a wardrobe. Any Susie Cupcake off the street can put together an outfit on the fly, but what I’m interested in is how much more can be gotten out of my clothes when I actually put time and effort into this process?

There are so many facets to this. In the age of style blogging, I’ve learned a lot about utilizing inspiration from a breadth of sources. We’ll look at some of the best places to get outfit ideas. Additionally, well look at how you take an idea from inspiration, such as another blog or a fashion magazine, and then make it one’s own? And how do you organize your inspiration. As someone who once kept a Blackberry file of outfit ideas, as well as a folder of magazine clippings, sticky notes on a white board and now a Pinterest file, I’m interested in streamlining this process. It turns out I’m such a fan of planning, that it’s all I ever do! I am a Jenny of ten plans and zero executions. I’m hoping PHASE FIVE will help me change that by discovering one solid system.

Ah but there’s more to strategizing than just borrowing outfit ideas off the interweb! In PHASE FIVE, I want to look at other techniques for getting all that I can out of my wardrobe. Some other things that I’m curious about are just your basic rotations to make sure each piece gets its due. I know a friend who specifically keeps her shirts at the front of the closet and then banishes them to the back after wear, so that the other shirts get a fair shake. I’m not sure if this practice would work for me or not, but I do think it’s worth experimenting with.

And what about seasonal rotations? I’ve never been one to swap out my winter things for summer things or vice versa. All my shit is just shoved in a closet space year round. But if we’re minimizing and streamlining, perhaps it’s time for me to start? PHASE FIVE will be all about trying new strategies and seeing what sticks.

Lastly, PHASE FIVE may be a good time to examine some Best Practices as generated by the fashion and style blogging community. We’ll look at remixing. What it means and how to make it work for us. (Because I still have no idea.) And 30 for 30 challenges. What’s the deal with those?

I’ve already touched on how hectic the original Closet365 schedule was, but the truth is that many of us have busy lives and sometimes putting together a cute outfit is low on the priority list. But I’d like to think there are ways around this. Is there merit in planning a week’s worth of outfits? How do we brainstorm on the go? I’m highly curious about the dressing habits of my readers. Does anyone still lay their clothing out the night before? Does it work? I want to know!

PHASE FIVE is about putting the wardrobe to work and hoping something fabulous comes out of it. Hooray!

Title courtesy of Mark Ronson – “Introducing The Business”

First off, my apologies for the delay on this post. It should have been up yesterday, but I was thwarted by a long and exhausting day. I then spent my evening attending to such pressing matters as bathing the dog and finishing up my income tax return. Good stuff. But I do apologize for not getting this posted. Here it is!

PHASE FOUR: OPTIMIZE

So by PHASE FOUR, we have already purged the closet, sorted it, and turned it into a world of digital splendor. What’s next to do on the agenda? Now is when we really perfect the closet.

The Optimize Phase is about getting down to the meat of things and ensuring that of the minimal things I own and have so meticulously selected, that they are the right things. This is about having the foundations of a solid wardrobe and getting our building blocks in place.

There is plenty of literature out there about what should make up a woman’s wardrobe. The 12 classic pieces, 100 items every woman should own, the top ten must-haves. We’ve all seen these various philosophies, and I do think they hold some merit. So during this phase, we’ll do a lot of examining of what makes up a perfect wardrobe. Is the the building blocks concept outdated? Do I really need a suit jacket if I never go to business meetings? Can I omit the pair of espadrille wedges in favor of another set of boots, given my locale?

Personally, I think there is a lot to the idea of owning timeless pieces. My personal style is pretty classic and preppy, so I uphold the tradition of the pencil skirt and the crisp white button down. I adhere to the little black dress. (All number of them that I own.) But perhaps we can look at our options here. Since having a minimized wardrobe means only making room for the best and brightest, I’m interested in what these are, and how I can put them to use. I’m sure there are competing philosophies out there and no one is more right than the next, but I believe it will be fun to do the research.

What I don’t own, will look at acquiring and we can weigh the options together. I’ll then work these pieces into the rotation and base outfit posts around them. This might also be a good time to look at other style philosophies and technique – dressing for one’s body type, color schemes, (AM I A WINTER OR A SPRING? I HAVE NO IDEA) and all that jazz. I’m curious about trendy pieces. What percentage of the closet should go to colors and prints of the moment and what pieces should remain an institution?

PHASE FOUR will be a good time for updating and editing, so that all our ducks are in a row. For example, I own a couple of white Oxford shirts, all in various states of disrepair. Is it time to don my big girl shoes and buy one nice piece? You’ll get to help me decide.

This is the sort of technical phase as opposed to the technological. It’s when we really get to pare it down and determine our essentials as well as our loyalties. I personally, am excited for the learning opportunity that this phase entails. While I have followed fashion from a very young age, it’s been awhile since I’ve brushed up on my basics.

Since PHASE FOUR is about building blocks, it’s time to put my personal style under the microscope. If we look at personal style as a lifelong endeavor (and I surely do!) I believe that we are constantly evolving in our tastes and priorities, but it’s important to know why these things are so. I’m thinking of PHASE FOUR as a time to revise my wardrobe’s mission statement, dig? I dig.

Title courtesy of Kate Nash – “Nicest Thing”

Are you so glad that I’m back and already struggling for unique greetings, with which to commence every post? Yeah. Me neither. Let’s distract ourselves. HEY LOOK UP TOP! I gots me a new banner! I am super excited about this, for several reasons: a) It signals a new era here at Closet365, while still paying homage to the original and b) It just looks totally neat. Thanks and love to my collaborator on this one. We done good.

I don’t know why I’m talking so backwoodsy today. Let’s just move on to the good stuff.

PHASE THREE: DIGITIZE

Don’t be sidetracked by the awesomeness of my cape shirt. I happen to think it’s pretty spectacular. But if there’s one thing I’m possibly even more stoked about besides my cape shirt, it’s PHASE THREE of the Closet365: Perfect Closet Project. You read correctly, I plan to usher my wardrobe into the digital age.

This has been a dream of mine for a very long time. I mean, what girl didn’t see “Clueless” and want Cher’s computerized closet?

Now. I may not be able to swing that animated hanger graphic or a 360 degree model of myself to try on outfits. But I do have access to technology and the will to make this happen. That’s got to count for something, no?

The idea for the digitized closet came to me shortly after finishing the first Closet365 project. I have always liked the interactive nature of blogging and I often felt dismayed that readers of the blog couldn’t get a better look into the wardrobe I was working with. But further, I have confirmed that the need for such a thing exists while conversing with various customers who shop in my store and frequently lament that they buy similar pieces to ones that they already own. And wouldn’t it be awesome, if we could see what we already own when we’re on the go shopping.

Oh yes. Oh yes, it certainly would be awesome. So…uh…pretty much that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to digitize my closet.
My original idea was to use my laptop to keep a running catalogue of every item in my closet, but as of late, it has occurred to me that something more portable is mos def the thing. Ladies, and gentleman this is the era of the iPhone. If there isn’t an app for that which you seek (there are a couple of crappy ones, I already checked) well…you might as well make one.

So. For PHASE THREE, the main object will be establishing said catalogue. I will spend the two months, photographing all of my items (Phase One starts to make twofold sense here.) and keeping them filed on my phone, which I can then refer to when shopping as well as during daily brainstorming sessions. Never again will I fumble when pondering whether a thing matches another thing or when describing something in my collection. The visual reference guide will be in the palm of my hand.

So then why is this part exciting for you? Well, because in addition to these files being on my phone, I plan to incorporate the wardrobe catalouge into this blog. At the end of PHASE THREE, it is my intent that readers should be able to see the items that compose the Closet365 closet. I daresay, they can even make requests. It won’t be foolproof I’m sure, but I expect it will be very damn fun.

Lastly, while we’re on the topic of fashion in the digital age, I plan to use PHASE THREE as a good time to discuss and play around with the other various mediums available in internetland for fashion forward peoples. What is really the point of Polyvore anyway? And how can we make Pinterest a tool for productivity as opposed to procrastination? No for real, if you figure that one out, I implore of you to let me know. But if not, we’ll work on this together.

If the point of the digital age is to reach out and connect, then why not take style blogging to that next level of interactivity? Fashion may not be the final frontier, but I definitely believe it’s worth exploring.

Title courtesy of Beyonce feat. Lady Gaga – “Video Phone”

PHASE TWO: ORGANIZE

Yeah. This one is as necessary as it is self-explanatory. See, you can’t have The Perfect Closet Project, unless you quite literally have the perfect closet.

Each phase of this project will take approximately two months, with a bit of wiggle room. So after I finish weeding out my wardrobe, it will then be time to fit all of my goodies into one rather tiny (and shared) closet. Now, I expect to actually have an itty bitty bit more space at the abode I’ll shortly be moving to. Yes, I am moving again. I told you it was a shake-up. But my hope is that this move will lend itself to a bit more permanence and establishment of roots. Thus, it’s a good time to take stock and then ORGANIZE said stock.

I believe that a large part of making the most of one’s wardrobe is making it accessible on the most basic level. As previously mentioned, my current closet set-up makes it very inconvenient to not only locate but even see the things I have. So often, I end up wearing the same items over and over, while ignoring the skirt that’s buried at the back of the line-up or the shirt that’s tucked away in a bottom drawer. If you have to find a search party for an item, chances are good, it won’t get used or enjoyed.

My closet philosophy is that you should be able to actually see what you’re working with. It’s how ideas are made and executed. Organization is not just for nerds! It’s for everybody!

For the record, I don’t think the perfect closet needs to be anything epic. I’m not striving for a the Mariah, or even the Carrie Bradshaw walk-in. There will be no pristine white shoeboxes or grand chandelier. As with all the phase of this project and the overall philosophy, this is about working with what you have. Which in my case, is limited space. Still, I am a firm believer that with a dream and enough OCD,  I can transform my wardrobe and my closet space into a thing of absolute beauty and reform.

As we navigate PHASE TWO of the project, we’ll look at various organizational tools, utilizing space, DIY storage, et al. We’ll brainstorm the various merits of colorzing vs. sleeve typizing. We’ll pit wire against plastic and bitch incessantly about the necessary evil of those tiered skirt hangers that work so well for maximizing small spaces but also are a total pain in the ass to hang things on because then I CAN’T SEE WHAT I HAVE DAMMIT and then just throw those damn skirts on the floor already.

Okay maybe we’ll omit that last part.

But seriously? What ever happened to my black lace a-line? I want answers…

Title courtesy of The Noisettes – “Don’t Upset the Rhythm”

As promised, I’m about to start outlining my project for you. Let’s hop to it, shall we?

PHASE ONE: MINIMIZE

Right. So. Back when doing my previous project, I once filled an entire walk-in closet to capacity with garments and otherwise manner of acoutrements. If you’ll recall, the Closet365 always had a limited budget, but in my time doing it, I became very adept at stretching my last dollar. Regularly scheduled thrifting trips and my proximity to clothing at work made it easy to fill my life to the very brim with clothes, clothes and more clothes.

However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last year or so, it’s that you can’t take it with you. Not symbolically and not literally. Although, believe me I tried. A truckload of clothing followed me into my new life, but I soon became discouraged with the fact that more clothes than I knew what to do with. I was dismayed to find that the clothes that once brought me so much joy were a burden on space and at times, a harbor for bad memories. At the end of 2010, I quickly rid myself of a lot of things, just by selling and donating the unnecessary.

Even still, I quickly found that I had too many things when I moved into my first studio apartment with a rather unfortunate closet situation. More items got purged and what I couldn’t part with got shoved in a tub and tucked in to the wall with the Murphy bed (I know right? I really have one! Although I don’t use it.) I then went to work at another clothing store and acquired…you’ll never guess…MORE CLOTHES.

For the record, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with owning a lot of clothes. There are so many wonderful garments out there needing good homes and ain’t nothin’ wrong with an appreciation of beauty. The problem comes when you have so many things shoved in a dark closet that you can’t even tell what you own anymore and thus end up neglecting half of your wardrobe. This is where I’m at.

SO. This is where PHASE ONE comes in. In the next two months, I plan to significantly reduce the volume in my wardrobe. The idea is that I need to rid myself of everything that I don’t absolutely cherish. The things that don’t fit. That are old and outdated. That I haven’t worn since the early 2000s, Etc. And from there, we can start anew, building a wardrobe that is both functional but also current and adored. I’ve become a fan of decluttering in recent years. It’s my perception that the less you have, the more you appreciate and enjoy the things you do.

In PHASE ONE, you’ll get to join me for the big ridding. In a perfect world, I’d like to own about 100 clothing items. No more and no less. And rotate items out of the collection as needed. I’m not sure how exactly this will go, so for PHASE ONE, you’ll get to join me as I sort through the mess. I may require help deciding between various items. What to keep and what to toss. I will send some of my older garments on a farewell tour. It will be a quick study in minimalism, simplifying and letting go.We’ll talk about how to edit an overflowing wardrobe and good options for what to do with the crap you no longer want.

I am very excited for this part of the process because it also means a clean slate of sorts and comes at a very apropos time, which you’ll get to hear more about later.

Also of note, unlike the previous incarnation, I will not be posting every single day, but I have set a goal for myself of about two outfit posts per week in addition to a couple more on the current phase and what it entails. And maybe a random lifestyle post here and there as I see fit. The formula will not be exact, but that’s part of the fun. Are you excited? I’m excited.

Title courtesy of MGMT – “Congratulations”