My wardrobe culling... The entire contents of my wardrobe 2 years on.

Last month we decided to climb into the roof space of our house to snoop around for the first time since buying our place. We found no forgotten treasures... or dead bodies... thank goodness.

I imagine that you are wondering how any of this is relevant to wardrobe culling?  Well, the manhole to the roof space is directly over our wardrobe.  The entire wardrobe had to be emptied so that we could move it across the floor to access the manhole.  It was much too heavy to move otherwise, and that's saying something.

While we were at it, we re-modeled the whole room, so I emptied all my other cupboards thinking I would organise everything once and for all.  I assembled everything in the lounge room in no particular order on my clothing racks and I took a picture. 

This is NOT what I saw though the lens:

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Rather this is what stood before me:

Disappointing huh? And this doesn't even include the stuff I bought recently, thanks to Country Road's oxymoronic spend and save event!

It's been just over two years since I first began culling my wardrobe and creating what I like to refer to as my 'ideal wardrobe'.  My mission was to create the perfect capsule wardrobe, for work and for play, with most items interchangeable between the two occasions. I had initially hoped that this would occur within 6 months... but I can safely say that 2 years on, I'm not quite there yet.  Who am I kidding?  I have failed.

I have read many other bloggers' blog entries who have culled their wardrobes, all about their culling successes.  I longingly look at their racks scarcely filled with a few select 'pieces' and their couple pairs of ankle booties lined up underneath... what seems to be the perfect capsule wardrobe.  I feel envious reading about excess spare coat hangers and empty space in their wardrobes. I suppose at least this envy for minimalism is not as revolting as being jealous of other people's physical possessions, right?

I guess it's back to the drawing board for me...

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The cull diary - My shoe collection revisted

A year ago now I blogged about culling my shoes HERE & HERE.  I thought I would revisit where I stand in the shoe department especially now after a few recent purchases (I will do a quarterly shopping wrap up post in the coming days).

So I had 72 pairs at the beginning of this year, and after my big shoes cull I whittled that number down to 45 pairs.

These days without counting my slippers and sneakers, I own a total of 37 pairs (a pair I store at work is not pictured below).  Not bad for a woman who once owned in excess of 120 pairs!

Here they are in all their glory - together with some commentary.

Chloe "Silverados", ACNE "Pistols' in contrast , Isabel Marant "Dickers" in anthracite and taupe

Apart from the Chloe booties (which I love love love, but just not with everything), the other three pairs are regularly worn.  I would even consider repurchasing each pair upon it wearing out.  Which fortunately is now possible given that some designers are now repeating their most popular items.  What a great "trend"!
 

Row 1: Witchery black wedges, Witchery brown wedges, Wittner bow heels, Witchery leopard loafers.  Row 2: Robert Clergerie platform sandals, Country Road tan heels, Country Road black heels, Country Road pointy heels

Having now re-read last year's post detailing my shoe collection, the Witchery brown wedges will be culled this weekend (I'll give them to my mum).  I think I may have worn them once this year and I recall them hurting my toes.  Also, the Witchery leopard loafers are cute, but they are not the first pair I grab to wear. Potentially I will cull these too.  We shall see.

Marni heels, Miu Miu heels, Marc Jacobs bow heels, Marc Jacobs studded heels, Marc Jacobs 60s pumps

The Marni and Miu Miu heels, although not regularly worn, get whipped out when the occasion calls for them... they look great and the they are comfortable.  I can't say the same for the MJ heels. Although I like the look of these three MJ pairs, they just don't get worn given their height and lack of platform. My 30+ year old feet just can't handle them anymore. Sad.

Row 1: D&G pumps, Guess pumps, Chloe "Jodie" pumps, Wittner pink heels, Witchery cream  heels.  Row 2: Marni at H&M sandals, Country Road leopard sandals, Witchery gold sandals, Urban Soul tassel sandals.  Row 3: Country Road ballet flats in blue, green and red, Witchery tan ballet flats.  Row 4: J.Crew "Cece" flats, Marc Jacobs "Maddie", Witchery embellished flats, Urban Soul flats

I love the Chloe pumps, but the other 4 pairs on the top shelf do not get any love.  I think I'll definitely cull the D&G pumps and I will look at replacing the Wittner and Witchery heels with a single pair in a light tone but with lower heels. It seems that 7 cm is the most I can handle these days without a platform.

All my ballet flats are regularly worn except the MJ Maddies.  They are a little bit too small for me, yet I just can't seem to let go.  Why is that?

Robert Robert heeled boots, Country Road over the knee flat boots.

I have worn the heeled boots only once or twice in the past year, but I am keeping them until I can find a suitable replacement.  The Country Road boots have been worn a lot and they are ok but just not perfect. I'll look to replace these too.

Since undertaking my big shoe cull earlier in the year and in the course of this last year I have determined the following when it comes to shoe shopping:

1. My feet can no longer handle high heels, so I will no longer buy them.
2. Nice mid-heels are hard to find.
3. It's worth splurging on well made shoes that will be worn regularly. Putting such shoes on and wearing them is a pleasure.  Buying cheaper shoes in a similar style becomes a nonoccurence.  You actually save money in the long term.
4. There is one caveat on the above statement: ballet flats.  I jump at the opportunity to buy ballet flats on sale. Although I can appreciate Lanvin, Chanel and Repetto flats, I cannot imagine paying the big bucks for them since I buy flats for walking in properly, as in to and from work.  Each and every pair I own apart from the J.Crew and MJ flats was purchased for less than $50.

My wardrobe today after months of culling

So tomorrow I go back to work after three weeks of holidays *sigh*.  At least now though dressing may be somewhat easier as I can see clearly what's inside my wardrobe (this makes me somewhat more happy about having to get up everyday).

All my jackets, blouses and tops (not including the casual cotton ones) are arranged on the top hanging rail.  The bottom rail is devoted to my skirts, both work and casual.  I even had room to move my short coats from the hallway closet onto the bottom rail.  I hope that by doing this I will not get into the habit of wearing the same coat or jacket day in and day out - I really think that sometimes outwear makes or breaks a great outfit.

The long hanging rails are devoted to my dresses and trousers (pictured above and below).  I have separated my casual dresses from my work dresses with my work pants and trousers.  My work dresses include those that are a little more "out there" and that are only suitable to be worn to the office on Fridays.

Also I am happy to report that a couple of pairs of pants which were getting too tight - now fit again!  My next big feat will be to do up my Isabel Marant cropped pants (which I never got to wear before I woke up one day a size bigger - damn weight, it really does creep up on you) and my beloved Nudie High Kais in blue rinse denim which I miss wearing.  No cheese for me until then.

In case you have not been reading my blog since the beginning - this is what my wardrobe looked like at the beginning of the whole process:

It was a disorganised mess - no wonder I had "nothing to wear".

The most important thing that this process has helped me to do, is to figure out the gaps in my wardrobe and to identify those things that I clearly love/loved that need replacing and upgrading.  More on that in the coming weeks as I plan my wish lists and US shopping list.

The Cull Diary - Chest of Drawers and Tallboy

I am starting to feel like the cull will never end...

On Saturday afternoon we had a BBQ to attend and on Sunday afternoon I had to go to a baby shower - both outings resulted in about three outfit changes each.  I am finding it extremely difficult to dress for very casual situations when the heat and humidity creeps up, plus I can't find anything in a hurry - ever.  Things really need their own place around here...

As I frantically searched for my white over-sized tee (which seemed ideal for the weather), out of sheer frustration I ended up dumping the ENTIRE contents of my tallboy and chest of draws on the bed in the spare bedroom (I found the top by the way).

This is what faced me on Monday morning:

BEFORE the cull, plus one of my kitties :)

On Monday afternoon and evening I roughly sorted the clothes into 4 piles:

Piles during the culling process

On Tuesday morning, afternoon and evening, in between doing other (more important) tasks around the house, I carefully sorted each pile and started the additional "rubbish pile" (which I have not photographed).

In the end this is the result of my cull:

The results of my cull

I'm surprised that my "keep pile" is quite large still, but I'm keeping in mind that this pile comprises all of my Summer and Winter knits, tops and tanks etc and that there are a many items in this pile that are well loved and on the cusp of needing replacement soon anyway.  Also on this pile is my entire collection of layering tops and seamless tanks and singlets, which I technically class to be underwear.

I also moved the majority of my white tanks (as they were looking very tired) to the "pyjama pile" and my two green hoodies (which I *hate* by the way, but have nothing else to wear for the moment) to the "active wear pile" (which I did not photograph). 

Here are the cull stats from this round of culling:

Items to be donated to charity - 22

Items to be sold - 24

Items thrown out - 4

Total items culled today - 50!

Cull tally since starting this blog: 160 items!!!  

(Including the two pairs of jeans I culled the other day.) 

The cull diary - the BIG shoe cull (Part 2 - the results)

It took the whole day, with a bike ride and cooking dinner in between to break things up a little, but I got there in the end and finished my shoe cull!

Here is a picture of the CULLED shoes:

The culled shoes - 27 pairs!

The reasons for culling each pair of shoes varies... too small, too big, too unstable, worn out or out of style - are the common reasons, but one pair of shoes I culled because I fell down the stairs in them. As a result I'm a little hesitant when I wear them now - I probably should just get rid of them.

Here is what my shoe collection looks like after the big shoe cull:

All my shoes - AFTER shot

Having undertaken this exercise I am considering not keeping my designer shoes in their original boxes.  I think that there is more potential that the shoes will be worn more often if they are out in the open.

Here are the close up shots of each of the bookcases:

Post-cull contents of bookcase No. 1 - shoe count: 8 pairs

Post-cull contents of bookcase No. 2 - shoe count: 17 pairs

Post cull contents of bookcase No. 3 - shoe count: 19 pairs

I have manged to whittle down my shoes from 71 pairs down to 44 pairs, noting that there is a pair on their way to me from Net-a-Porter that I purchased last night - which will take my shoe tally to 45 pairs.

ETA: plus my Country Road biker boots... which are on their last legs, which will take my shoe tally to 46 pairs.

The Twilight Zone

Potential future cull candidates - colour coded!

There are a number of pairs which survived this particular cull... but they are future cull candidates - either not worn often enough or needing replacement soon.

RED - too high (I'm eager to try Insolia Inserts to see whether they will make these shoes more wearable).

BLUE - whether these shoes stay or go depends on how often I wear them over the coming months.  The brown and grey boots were purchased for a good price at the end of last Winter - they remain untested! 

YELLOW - slightly too small. Most probably the brown wedges I will give to my Mum when I find a suitable replacement. My silver MJ Maddies I will keep because I like looking at them and they are my first ever designer shoe purchase.

GREEN - these shoes are well worn and most likely to be replaced in the coming year... hopefully if I am lucky I will find some nice pairs in the US!

Cull tally since starting this blog: 108 items!

The cull diary - the BIG shoe cull and I ask the question "just how many pairs of shoes does one woman need"? (Part 1)

Just how many pairs of shoes does one woman need?

According to some online resources, a woman could get by with as little as three pairs, but there are a vast array of sites which are more generous in their offerings listing the 5 or even 10 pairs of shoes every woman needs or must own.  The contents of some of these lists however is a little dubious, with one list taking up 2 out of the 5 precious spots with one pair of sneakers and one pair of hiking boots!  The two could be combined if you ask me...  Another site which lists 10 pairs every woman must own includes one pair of black flats and one pair of ballet flats - again I think the two can be combined, leaving a spot free for a different style for greater variety.

If it were up to me to to come up with the ultimate list of shoes each and every woman must own it would look like this (be prepared to die of boredom):

1. Sneakers
2. Ballet flats
3. Sandals
4. Ankle boots
5. Tall boots
6. Dress/work shoes
7. Evening shoes

Note that I have not specified heel types or colours, as I think that these specifications would depend on the woman's height and also on the contents of the woman's closet.  

So what's in my current collection I hear you ask?

This (not including my workout sneakers, flip flops and house slippers):

All my shoes - the BEFORE shot

Yes I know, I own a lot of shoes... but I wasn't born yesterday! This is a result of many years of shoe shopping and recycling (selling my shoes on eBay only to buy new shoes). Many of the shoes have not been worn in a long time and others are really on their last legs - hence a big shoe cull beckons.

Here are some close up shots of each one my IKEA Billy bookcases (in case you were wondering what I store my shoes in). Note that all my designer shoes are ordinarily stored in their original boxes and shoe bags and the long boots live in the hallway closet, but for the purpose of this exercise I have displayed them in the one spot out of their boxes.

Contents of IKEA Billy bookcase No. 1 - shoe count: 19 pairs

Contents of IKEA Billy bookcase No.2 - shoe count: 24 pairs

Contents of IKEA Billy bookcase No.3 - shoe count: 24 pairs

I have not photographed 3 pairs that have been residing in a green bag since we moved into our place (clearly the first cull candidates), which means that the grand total of shoes that I own before the cull is 70 pairs... a nice even number... hmmm.

Stay tuned for the results of my shoe cull and the AFTER shots.

ETA: make that 71 pairs... I found a pair hiding under the bed.
ETA: make that 72 pairs... I forgot about my Country Road biker boots which were hiding in my boyfriend's side of the closet.

Wardrobe organisation

Even though I have culled quite a bit of stuff (I'm not finished yet) and bought a few new things, I'm finding that I still have issues finding things to wear each day. Why? I think my under-utilised and disorganised wardrobe is the problem.  Considering how much storage space I have, it's disappointing indeed that my wardrobe is in such a state of disarray.

In the bedroom there is a big built-in which is 3 metres long and about 2.5 metres high with lots of hanging space, a 4 drawer chest of draws, a six drawer tall boy and 3 medium IKEA Billy bookcases (with doors) in which I keep all of my shoes. In the hallway there is the same sized built-in as in the bedroom, but apart from one short hanging rail for coats, it is all shelving - perfect for linen and household items (and handbags!) etc. Add to this my IKEA Pax in the spare room! 

I have set myself a goal to get through the majority of my culling (including selling) prior to Christmas, so that over my break (a blissful 3 weeks off work!) I can organise my wardrobe and the rest of the house (don't even get me started...).

  

I'm thinking about organising all my clothes by occasion.  This meaning, that all my work and everyday wear will be stored in the bedroom wardrobe and all the off-season and "going out" items of clothing will be moved into my IKEA Pax.  I have decided that shoving aside party dresses (that are worn only a few times a year) each morning is not conducive to getting dressed for work quickly, nor coming up with brilliant outfit ideas the night before.  I think I struggle because my eyes are overwhelmed with choice - and not all appropriate choices.  Furthermore I plan to hang everything back grouped by type - eg. pants, skirts, tops etc grouped together.

Ideally EVERY item of my clothing would be hung, however because I have to share the bedroom closet with my boyfriend, it can't be. And although it could all be hung in the IKEA Pax, I do not want to store everyday wear in the spare room.  I just know that if I do this, clothing will end up on the floor of the bedroom once worn - simply because I will be too lazy to go into another room to put it away (I know I'm hopeless).

Also I am going to "archive" the few pieces of clothing that I want to keep but that I no longer wear (be it too small or not fashionable anymore). By archiving clothing I mean to place in a space bag and then hide it out of sight. This is another trick to hopefully streamline the contents of my everyday wardrobe so that the only items before my eyes each day are the ones that can be worn.

Image source: watondesign.com