People often ask me if I have a large wardrobe. I never know how to answer that. After all, what is large? It occurs to me that people are unsure how ‘big’ their wardrobe should be and/or if having a ‘big’ wardrobe is a good or bad thing. In truth, there is no direct answer to either of these questions. A truth that is more revealing is that people wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time”.
The 80/20 rule is as old as the hills and rings true even for our clothes. The question is, how is it possible that rational, intelligent people can end up wearing only 1/5 of their clothes most of the time? There are lots of reasons, all of which are normal, common and can be overcome. Lets take a wander through your wardrobe with these approaches:
Consider the pain points in your wardrobe Do you have a lot of clothes that don’t fit anymore and opening your wardrobe doors reminds you that you’ve gained weight? There are two options here: 1. Assess how important it is to you to lose weight and how important it is to you to do the things that will help you lose weight and then do them or 2. Let go of this old form of you and embrace the new you. Either way, it’s ideal if you have some clothes that fit you now; consider buying some basics that suit your lifestyle and that fit you and you feel great in now. Not when you lose weight.
Is it hard to coordinate or mix and match items? It may be because there is a disproportionate amount of pairable coordinates For example; you may have 10 easily wearable tops but only 2 pairs of pants that comfortably fit. You might have a lot of colourful pieces but without a more neutral piece to pair it with. Annoying. Consider adding to your list whatever item might help bring to life others. For example, if you have a lot of dark bottoms for corporate wear but not many tops; choose a colour that could blend with the bottoms you have and add ‘white button up shirt’ to the list.
Consider how you spend your time It’s frustrating when you don’t have a number of go-to, easy to wear outfits for each segment of your life. Although it may be practical for you to wear your activewear or boardies everywhere, does it make you feel energised? It is possible to feel good in the clothes you wear every day. Consider how you can level up your style, even incrementally. If you’re in need of more comfortable casual clothes and usually sub-in the old leggings or gym t-shirt, add some items to your list such as a well-fitting pair of jeans, a casual linen button down shirt, a good quality cotton tee-shirt; anything that helps you to feel a little more suited to the occasion but still comfortable.
Has your life changed at all in the last 2-5 years? Often we can go through major life changes but our wardrobe lags to catch up. A good rule of thumb is if you haven’t worn it in the last 12 months, it may need to find another home, or brought in with your more recent purchases. The old KonMarie method is beautiful, if you hold it and it doesn’t spark joy, thank it and pass it on.
So, the question isn’t really around the size of your wardrobe but the ratio of how much you are wearing the majority of your clothes. You want to be wearing 80% of your clothes 80% of the time. A wardrobe that meets the needs of your lifestyle, is current to where you are in your life just now and has pieces that can make a variety of outfits is more likely to help you achieve this.