Fashion

[MacDUFF]

@MsLomo 

"...(almost the whole truth)...."  LOL...I hear ya!

Yeah, I wish DG would go back to her original classic denim and the original cut of her jeggings, which were less like sausage casings than the newer iterations.  I'm not holding my breath, though.  And I'm hoping the ones I have will continue to wear like iron 'cuz I'm not crazy about the new fabrics either.  Thanks again MsLomo and have a great evening!

[MacDUFF]

I counted approx. 75 tops in my closet, including my wool coat, jackets, blouses, tees, sweaters, ponchos, ruanas, toppers, vests, hoodies, and 2 sharfs LOL. 

I could post every outfit combination of these tops, but they are not dramatically different...maybe a t-neck underneath or different jewelry/shoes or washes of denim or a poncho thrown over...it would be a big YAWN after a while.  Even if I could claim at least 2 outfits from each top and had 150ish outfits, I wouldn't have enough to carry a thread for even half a year.

I also have...

30 bottoms, including jeans (the overwhelming majority), a few old WWC, two pairs of dress pants (1 winter, 1 summer), and 3 skirts

4 dresses

14 base layers...2 Eileen Fisher organic linen tanks, several CuddlDuds, several lightweight silk crews, a few Under Armour layers, 1 Cabella's heavyweight silk t-neck

12 scarves

And a nice, manageable stash of footwear, handbags, and jewelry

I did a quick calculation...a guesstimate, really...of how much I spent this year (which started last October with some cashmere) on tops, shoes, handbags, and jewelry, including approx. 50 thrifted pieces (mostly summer tops), approx. 9 new retail pieces (including Kut from the Kloth and AG jeans, Theory and Ted Baker cashmere sweaters), and also including three try-on fees and the $$ lost on re-donating thrifted items that didn't work, and came up with approximately $650.

[DiAnne]

I don't count (especially not shoes)! 

[MacDUFF]

I'm still wearing my old wool Vince navy hoodie clutch coat (even tho it does have a few snaps, I just "clutch" it closed and dash to and from the vehicles).  This is the most expensive clothing item I've ever purchased, including shoes and handbags...$150 at the Rack about 4-5 years ago.  It'll probably last me the rest of my life for as little as I wear it around these parts.

Colorful cotton (thick) fingerless gloves, old from a beach boutique (and my only other pair of gloves = charcoal grey cashmere...I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that I used to have 7 pairs of gloves...in the South!!!!  What was I thinking!!)

Old Sporto boots with sherpa trim...still keeping my tootsies toasty warm and dry after all these years...from Marshall's

[MacDUFF]

Hahahahahaha!  That's too funny @DiAnne !  Hey, I was wondering if you saw the pic of my denim jacket with the ruffled trim?  I know we were chatting about jackets in general a while back, but I haven't seen you around lately.

(Honestly, I don't usually count anything in my closet. LOL)

[MacDUFF]

In conclusion (finally!)...

I got off the marketing/fashion industry merry-go-round. 

I disentangled myself from the seemingly endless cycle I was trapped in of running around to different shops, coming home and wondering what the heck I was thinking and running back to return...

shopping 'til I dropped and never/infrequently wearing the purchase and lugging bags full of landfill clothes to Goodwill...

browsing/browsing/browsing online, ordering, awaiting delivery, stuffing another item in my over-stuffed closet or...

re-packaging it, running up to the UPS store, awaiting confirmation, awaiting refund, and following-up...rinse and repeat.

I still have a few blanks to fill and a few things that aren't keepers, but I'm at a point where I love my (much smaller) overall wardrobe. 

I have a better grasp on my shopping "issues" and what triggers them. 

I have an outfit or a special piece for every imaginable event.  If you called me right now and invited me to any event, I'd be ready to go in 10 minutes.  

I wear almost everything in regular rotation.  Nothing in my closet still has a price tag on it, and every purchase is accounted for...I can see just about everything at a glance.   

I think I have a variety of styles from which to choose, and I think they are mostly "throw it on and go" effortless and youthful looking (but age appropriate). 

How it can be possible that I have less clothes than I've ever had, and yet feel as if I have an endless array of choices, I really don't know, but it's a really good feeling!  

The shocker was the emotional part of the whole process...the self-examination...the "why" questions.  It was downright ugly and raw for a while, let me tell you!  As the old song said, I was "looking for love in all the wrong places!"  LOL!   

Next year I'm going to continue thrifting and limiting retail purchases.  I'll continue to look for quality, timeless pieces on sale.  For most, but not necessarily all, new retail and thrifted pieces I bring in, one will go out.  Although I'm certainly not looking to re-fill my closet to overflowing ever again, I now have plenty of room to add pieces that are fun, but destined to be short-lived...or functional, but not necessarily loved...or just plain perfect.  Future purchases can only get better!

I used to think I was fairly mindful of purchases, but I was lying to myself.  And the puny and ineffectual purges prior to this one were laughable.  Granted, I've probably over-compensated to a point of being hyper-mindful, but better that than a heedless fashion sheeple. 

I guarantee you shipping & handling and try-on fees will be few and far between.  

I don't need a single thing...which is not to say I won't be buying.  Never say never, of course, and I'll always be a clothes horse and a shopper, but the days of being a fool for fashion are over.  

[MacDUFF]

Well, it's been one heck of a wild ride, but that's (almost) everything in my closet and, thus, the end of this thread.  I hope you were inspired in some way or another...if you ever undertake your own epic closet purge, I wish you the very best! 

Thanks so much to those who followed along...thanks for your comments and suggestions, but most of all, thank you for your hearts...they meant a lot.  I'll see you around the boards, and will leave you with these thoughts...

"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."  ~generally attributed to Benjamin Franklin..."Quality remains long after the price is forgotten" is another version and is generally attributed to Aldo Gucci 

"Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity."  ~Einstein

A very Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.