In Love with Less

For the past month, I have been operating out of what could be considered a capsule wardrobe.  I have done similar experiments in the past with my seasonal wardrobe, but this time around I did something I have never done before.

Since we were completely renovating my closet, I had to take everything out and then carefully select what would go back in.  Although I love the way my closet looks now, I have lost quite a bit of storage space.  There just isn't room for everything now, and while I know that we could have added back a top row of shelves, I found myself really loving all the space, so I had to make some cuts.

While a few things went into the giveaway bag, most things just went into labeled tubs for storage.  I may go through and giveaway more in the future, but for right now, the fact that something was still in my closet means that it had already passed quite a few viability tests.

In all my time watching minimalist videos on YouTube for inspiration and guidance about my decluttering, I noticed that 33 seems to be the magic number for a capsule wardrobe.  Curious about how that would look for me, I did keep count as I put things away too see if I too could be content with this number.  Did I leave it at 33?

No, not at all.  I just have too many lovely pieces to not put a few more into my rotation.  But, I did cap it at what easily fits into this space without having to cram or smoosh anything else.  I have been using just this wardrobe for over a month now and really, really loving it. 

I have been struggling to find things that I feel comfortable wearing at my new job.  I mean really struggling.  After finding a few things I feel comfortable in, and by a few I mean literally two dresses, a skirt/top combo, and a shirt jeans combo, I now wear those four outfits on a rotation. 

And having that small number is working really, really well.  I feel comfortable in everything and it all fits well and looks good plus makes me feel joyful when I wear it, particularly my Son de Flor floral wrap dress.   I never have to spend time trying to decide what I'm going to wear this way and that has been a burden off my shoulders each morning.  

Don't get me wrong, I love putting together a creative outfit for my personal time, running errands, or going out with friends, but work?  No, thanks.  Those work days usually begin at 4:30 in the morning, which is far to early for serious decisions like what I'm going to wear for the day.

Do I still love all my clothes?  Yes, yes, a thousand times YES!  But having this small selection available at one time really has helped me to focus and get the most possible wear from my beloved clothing.

In fact, I love that I keep reaching for the same things over and over each week and still feeling excited each time I have the opportunity to wear each item.  I know everything else is safe and sound in storage and it will all come out in its time.

This particular Jam Jar dress from Joanie Clothing, is something that I thrifted and then had to make alterations to because, sadly, Joanie does not carry my size.  It's been sitting on my sewing table for months waiting for me to be able to get to it due to all the renovation stuff stacked in the way.  Now it's done and ready and I am loving this dress for spring!

Outfit Info:  Jam Jar Shirt dress from Joanie