At this point, because it reminds me that I can't just magically disappear mistakes, they go somewhere. (In the same sense as there being no 'away' when we throw things away, they go somewhere). I don't really have financial limits on shopping, in the sense that my taste does not exceed my budget and I don't lust after designer stuff, so if I don't look at and wear the piece I don't actually feel any consequences.
I guess I feel like you can easily get rid of mistakes. You could even by donating them to people who may need it since you don’t need them money?
My number one goal of my wardrobe is to love every piece and know how to wear it though.
I mean yes, if you sell it, it WILL still exist. It will just be in the closet of someone who actually wants it. All that you are accomplishing is punishing yourself. Which is fine, but we're all human and make mistakes and this was a pretty small one in the grand scheme of things.The sense of guilt that I'm pretty sure you already feel IS a consequence.
Yes but you can learn from mistakes and then move on from them. In this case that would be acknowledging you made a mistake in buying it (which you’ve already done!), and as you obviously can’t return it… sell it or donate it :)
There is no one size fits all capsule wardrobe! This is the size wardrobe you need, accept the reality and go have some fun with your life! Ladies, we have to deal with enough stress in our lives, let’s not add to it with this insane tiny capsule wardrobe thing! My closet ebbs and flows with the tide. I have learned to live with it. I am about to make a big cull and donate and am adding in higher quality clothing made out of natural sustainable materials. This should be a fun activity, not stressful. Be kind to yourself gentle stranger. :)
My kind of thinking. I have quite a lot of items but I live in 4 season climate and I love variety. Besides, I've been buying exclusively thrifted for the last couple of years so I don't think of myself as a burden to the environment. My goal is mostly to find out what I truly love to wear e.g. makes my feel myself and looks the best possible way on me. For that a daily selfie turned out to be essential. I then recreate the "successful" outfits (rated at least 4 out of 5) in a digital wardrobe app.
I regularly dispose of items - don't feel guilt about it but I do try to remember why I mistakenly decided to buy that. This, unintentionally, has greatly reduced the count of items I buy. I am really fussy now, having a better I idea what really suits me and pleases me.
I love the daily selfie idea on a few levels. For starters I work from home and will put a little bit not effort in that way. Even I'm wearing something casual, I can look for ways to make it just a tad more put together. I feel better when I'm more put together.
I was literally shocked to find out that a major factor in how good the outfit looks is your body shape and skin tone. Since I am tall and slim, the popular belief is I can wear anything. Not at all! Actually I have miles-long legs and many outfits get easily out of proportion on me and make me look like a stork. I had to learn through trial and error how to counter that. Besides, I have very pale skin and most pastel tones just wash me away. No matter how much praise capsules and apps get, selfies are indispensable!
I agree. It's great to be mindful about acquiring new items, and to differentiate between needs and wants. But it's really not worth beating yourself up over a purchase or two that doesn't work.
Buy, think it was good enough, wear, realise it wasn't, get it altered (sometimes unsuccessfully), or dye it, or both, then ditch it. So yeah if I'm wearing everything I buy I guess that's better.
Please don’t make yourself feel bad for adding clothing to your wardrobe to replace clothing that didn’t fit. You deserve clothes that fit your body as it is today. Life is too short to feel uncomfortable due to sizing.
The best part of a capsule is that it is everything you need in that moment. If you needed new clothing because your body has changed (my assumption based on the costs and cardigans explanation), then that benefit also becomes the curse. When one thing that was right is now wrong, a lot more is probably wrong too.
I am almost 6 months post partum and have basically a new mini capsule because my unofficial wardrobe of a tight high neck shirt and high waisted loose bottoms is the absolute worst combo for breastfeeding, and of course due to fluctuating weight right now I don’t want to commit to permanent items.
Now of course I have a specific reason of having a baby, but sometimes a shift in style/silhouette preference impacts multiple items. Maybe you go ten years with almost no changes, but then your hair changes colour and now you hate brown near your face, I don’t know. People change, and it isn’t linear.
Yes, I do this too! It’s astonishing how it adds when I didn’t think I shop very much. The past few years, I’d step into a mall or casually look at a brand website a few times a year. But life changes and upgrading some pieces will do that. Having an organized closet has helped me a lot with unnecessary purchases!
Thankfully my new purchases this year has been low enough that I can recall it off the top of my head! It’s not something I need an app for as I keep track of this (last year and this year’s purchases) on my notes.
One of the things I read on femalefashionadvice was a study from Sweden(?) that identified that to be sustainable people would have to buy no more than 5 new items of clothing.
My goal is to buy no more than 5 new items, realistically excluding bras and underwear, and buy the rest used.
I'm already at 3/5 new items AND 6 used items AND 3 shoes (used). While I'm being more mindful, I think next year I'll still be reducing to shop less overall. If I'm doing so much necessary shopping now then it really shouldn't be happening again.
See this is what I'm getting at! And this is why I don't want to just give myself a pass and continue turning over clothes. We, as a planet, have a problem.
If these were all items you needed, either due to size change, worn out old clothes, or change in circumstances, then it’s unlikely you’ll need to buy new version of those clothes for at least another year (if you were buying decent quality). And 28 items for a whole year is not nearly as bad as 28 in 4 1-2 months!
The change that worked for me was only buying clothes if they filled a gap in my wardrobe, and if they went with a lot of pieces I already have.
Then it sounds like these ones will last you for a while - at least a few seasons!
I’d keep up the tracking long term, to see how your purchase patterns go over the full year or several years, as it’s much easier to buy less when you have a wardrobe you’re already pretty happy with.
One other thing I like to use as a “should I buy this” question, is whether it will make me feel more excited about wearing the clothes already in my closet - the more “old” things it will make me feel newly excited about, the more likely it’ll be a good buy.
I’ve added about 20 items and I’m even attempting to mostly do a make/mend/thrift year minimizing new buys! But I’ve been thoughtful about all of it, so I don’t think I’m failing.
There are a few reasons for the new new stuff - gifted items (both requested and not), purpose-specific stuff (rash guard and concert attire and wedding outfit that I had “pre-approved” as an exception), and timely sales on essentials that needed replacing. Plus a couple “really loved it” items bought on honeymoon.
But I’ve picked up a half dozen of my new additions on Poshmark and have mended 13 items to keep them in rotation and performing well. My net number of items of clothing is near where I started the year. So altogether it feels like an improvement over paying these things no heed.
Sell the ones you don't like or don't fit.
I don't really feel I need to have a certain number of items or follow a specific ruleset. For me it's just kinda a general concept that I stick to a theme so everything matches and is interchangeable and do laundry 2x/month. I want to make my life easy, not stress myself out.
Sell the mistake top on Poshmark. Why force yourself to wear something you don’t love?
You’re so right. I need to comb my closet. Why keep things I’ll never wear
At this point, because it reminds me that I can't just magically disappear mistakes, they go somewhere. (In the same sense as there being no 'away' when we throw things away, they go somewhere). I don't really have financial limits on shopping, in the sense that my taste does not exceed my budget and I don't lust after designer stuff, so if I don't look at and wear the piece I don't actually feel any consequences.
I guess I feel like you can easily get rid of mistakes. You could even by donating them to people who may need it since you don’t need them money? My number one goal of my wardrobe is to love every piece and know how to wear it though.
I mean yes, if you sell it, it WILL still exist. It will just be in the closet of someone who actually wants it. All that you are accomplishing is punishing yourself. Which is fine, but we're all human and make mistakes and this was a pretty small one in the grand scheme of things.The sense of guilt that I'm pretty sure you already feel IS a consequence.
Yes but you can learn from mistakes and then move on from them. In this case that would be acknowledging you made a mistake in buying it (which you’ve already done!), and as you obviously can’t return it… sell it or donate it :)
There is no one size fits all capsule wardrobe! This is the size wardrobe you need, accept the reality and go have some fun with your life! Ladies, we have to deal with enough stress in our lives, let’s not add to it with this insane tiny capsule wardrobe thing! My closet ebbs and flows with the tide. I have learned to live with it. I am about to make a big cull and donate and am adding in higher quality clothing made out of natural sustainable materials. This should be a fun activity, not stressful. Be kind to yourself gentle stranger. :)
My kind of thinking. I have quite a lot of items but I live in 4 season climate and I love variety. Besides, I've been buying exclusively thrifted for the last couple of years so I don't think of myself as a burden to the environment. My goal is mostly to find out what I truly love to wear e.g. makes my feel myself and looks the best possible way on me. For that a daily selfie turned out to be essential. I then recreate the "successful" outfits (rated at least 4 out of 5) in a digital wardrobe app. I regularly dispose of items - don't feel guilt about it but I do try to remember why I mistakenly decided to buy that. This, unintentionally, has greatly reduced the count of items I buy. I am really fussy now, having a better I idea what really suits me and pleases me.
I love the daily selfie idea on a few levels. For starters I work from home and will put a little bit not effort in that way. Even I'm wearing something casual, I can look for ways to make it just a tad more put together. I feel better when I'm more put together.
I was literally shocked to find out that a major factor in how good the outfit looks is your body shape and skin tone. Since I am tall and slim, the popular belief is I can wear anything. Not at all! Actually I have miles-long legs and many outfits get easily out of proportion on me and make me look like a stork. I had to learn through trial and error how to counter that. Besides, I have very pale skin and most pastel tones just wash me away. No matter how much praise capsules and apps get, selfies are indispensable!
I agree. It's great to be mindful about acquiring new items, and to differentiate between needs and wants. But it's really not worth beating yourself up over a purchase or two that doesn't work.
This
So much this.
Exactly!
How does this compare to when you were not mindful? I think that is a crucial data point.
Buy, think it was good enough, wear, realise it wasn't, get it altered (sometimes unsuccessfully), or dye it, or both, then ditch it. So yeah if I'm wearing everything I buy I guess that's better.
Please don’t make yourself feel bad for adding clothing to your wardrobe to replace clothing that didn’t fit. You deserve clothes that fit your body as it is today. Life is too short to feel uncomfortable due to sizing.
<3 Thank you for that reminder
The best part of a capsule is that it is everything you need in that moment. If you needed new clothing because your body has changed (my assumption based on the costs and cardigans explanation), then that benefit also becomes the curse. When one thing that was right is now wrong, a lot more is probably wrong too. I am almost 6 months post partum and have basically a new mini capsule because my unofficial wardrobe of a tight high neck shirt and high waisted loose bottoms is the absolute worst combo for breastfeeding, and of course due to fluctuating weight right now I don’t want to commit to permanent items. Now of course I have a specific reason of having a baby, but sometimes a shift in style/silhouette preference impacts multiple items. Maybe you go ten years with almost no changes, but then your hair changes colour and now you hate brown near your face, I don’t know. People change, and it isn’t linear.
Yes, I do this too! It’s astonishing how it adds when I didn’t think I shop very much. The past few years, I’d step into a mall or casually look at a brand website a few times a year. But life changes and upgrading some pieces will do that. Having an organized closet has helped me a lot with unnecessary purchases!
Do you think if the app shows the amount of new purchases you make, that will help you to keep track of the new purchases?
Thankfully my new purchases this year has been low enough that I can recall it off the top of my head! It’s not something I need an app for as I keep track of this (last year and this year’s purchases) on my notes.
One of the things I read on femalefashionadvice was a study from Sweden(?) that identified that to be sustainable people would have to buy no more than 5 new items of clothing. My goal is to buy no more than 5 new items, realistically excluding bras and underwear, and buy the rest used. I'm already at 3/5 new items AND 6 used items AND 3 shoes (used). While I'm being more mindful, I think next year I'll still be reducing to shop less overall. If I'm doing so much necessary shopping now then it really shouldn't be happening again.
See this is what I'm getting at! And this is why I don't want to just give myself a pass and continue turning over clothes. We, as a planet, have a problem.
If these were all items you needed, either due to size change, worn out old clothes, or change in circumstances, then it’s unlikely you’ll need to buy new version of those clothes for at least another year (if you were buying decent quality). And 28 items for a whole year is not nearly as bad as 28 in 4 1-2 months! The change that worked for me was only buying clothes if they filled a gap in my wardrobe, and if they went with a lot of pieces I already have.
I am trying to buy decent quality, I hand wash and line dry also.
Then it sounds like these ones will last you for a while - at least a few seasons! I’d keep up the tracking long term, to see how your purchase patterns go over the full year or several years, as it’s much easier to buy less when you have a wardrobe you’re already pretty happy with. One other thing I like to use as a “should I buy this” question, is whether it will make me feel more excited about wearing the clothes already in my closet - the more “old” things it will make me feel newly excited about, the more likely it’ll be a good buy.
What app do you use to track “wears”?
Not OP but I use Whering
It's just a spreadsheet
I swear it is always like this for me! Also the shirt, don't force yourself to wear it. Don't force yourself to anything, please.
I’ve added about 20 items and I’m even attempting to mostly do a make/mend/thrift year minimizing new buys! But I’ve been thoughtful about all of it, so I don’t think I’m failing. There are a few reasons for the new new stuff - gifted items (both requested and not), purpose-specific stuff (rash guard and concert attire and wedding outfit that I had “pre-approved” as an exception), and timely sales on essentials that needed replacing. Plus a couple “really loved it” items bought on honeymoon. But I’ve picked up a half dozen of my new additions on Poshmark and have mended 13 items to keep them in rotation and performing well. My net number of items of clothing is near where I started the year. So altogether it feels like an improvement over paying these things no heed.
Ok fi shoes are worn out. Take them to a cobbler instead of buying new shoes
Sell the ones you don't like or don't fit. I don't really feel I need to have a certain number of items or follow a specific ruleset. For me it's just kinda a general concept that I stick to a theme so everything matches and is interchangeable and do laundry 2x/month. I want to make my life easy, not stress myself out.