Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Carisa Hendrix of carisahendrix.com.
There are lots of hanging organizers and other tools created to help you clean your closet, but I found that good music and a good mood were the most useful.
Tip: Don’t know were to start? Try taking out all the frayed, ripped or otherwise worn out items and toss them first, or if they hold sentimental value, put them in storage. Items with their original tags or rarely worn are next up for scrutiny, if you’ve never worn it you probably never will. By this point you should be on a roll, just keep up the momentum and you’ll be done in no time.
Staples – Get set up with the fashion basics
Fashion staples are the items you build you wardrobe around. Although these items will be slightly different for everyone (for example, I work from home so I don’t need much in the way of office clothes) there are a few pieces most experts recommend.
From my research combing over fashion magazine, style guides and the advice of well dressed friends, the following are the most recommended fashion staples.
- Cashmere / knit sweater
- White button-up
- Black / white camisole
- Fitted T-shirt
- A-line skirt
- Black knee high day-to-night skirt
- Fitting jeans
- Versatile black dress pants
- Black leggings – not to be worn as pants but under dresses and skirts
- Sophisticated belt
- Wide belt
- Pashmina
- Versatile fitted blazer
- LBD – little back dress
- Sun dress
- Boots
- Flats
- Heels
Keep in mind that these items should fit your body shape, be comfortable and well built. They will get the most wear so don’t skimp on quality.
Tip: Try to identifying what activities you will be doing in your clothes. This will make it much easier to identify which staples fit best for you. Whether it’s business lunches or art galas, your lifestyle should impact your clothing choices.
Chose a few feature pieces – Setting your style
The staples only make up the base of your wardrobe. You’ll still need to choose some feature pieces to add the personality and flair that makes fashion fun.
Choosing more versatile, flattering pieces will serve you better for this project. I combed through my wardrobe and found a few items that reflected my personality and fit really well and make a mental note of these before starting on the next step.
Play dress up – Creating different look
I recommend you employ the help of an honest fashion wise friend who will tell you which things don’t fit right or should return to their proper era. If you decide to do this step on your own try to be honest with yourself; either way you will need a full length mirror and a good sense of humor.
Put on an outfit as if you are on your way out the door then ask yourself “is this the look I’m after?” Consider the colors, do they match? Consider the pattern, are there to many? Try swapping out items, adding accessories and, most importantly, have fun with it.
Here are some hard and fast rules I used to get started:
- White and black go with everything, except to much of themselves, for example, black sweater, black leggings, black shoes, back belt is too much black, but make the leggings and belt another color and it’s classy.
- Patterned items are best worn with solid ones and vis versa, for example, try wearing a patterned skirt with a solid colored shirt, preferably a color present in the pattern.
- Tight items are best worn with lose ones and vis versa, for example, what looks better? A tight tee and leggings? or a tight tee and an a-line skirt?
- Trying to match colors that are a bit off is no good, for example, a bright red and a slightly more washed our red or a slightly yellowish green and a slightly bluish green. Fashion should look deliberate, either the colors are exactly the same or they are different and complimentary.
- Avoid visible panty line by wearing boy short underwear or a thong under tighter bottoms.
- Silver or Gold, avoid mixing. There are ways to mix silver and gold jewelry in one look, but it required a far better eye than I have so I decided to stick to silver for the 33 challenge. How should you decide? In a nut shell, gold works better with warm colors, silver with cold or brighter colors.
Working out these different combinations now will help you get a good idea of the types of “looks” you can build out of your wardrobe which will save you the 30 minutes of trying different things everyday that makes most of us decide not bother at all. You’ll know what works and you’ll be able to spot any holes in you wardrobe for the next step.
Fill in the Gaps
After all these steps you might notice there are a few missing things, for example, when I finished the final outfits and had decided to keep my favorite patterned pants in circulation, I thought it would be nice to have an orange shirt to wear with it to bring out the orange in the pattern.
Make of list of the remaining items you need and remember to stay focused. It’s easy to get distracted and end up seduced into buying a dress and 2 shirts that won’t fit into your 33 items and will go unworn for the next 3 months.
In the three months it took me to get ready for this challenge I went through each of these steps a few times. Now when I look into my single drawer of expertly folded clothes I feel proud and excited, more organized and even a little more successful.
My 333 List
- Shirt – Spaghetti Strap Top, Black
- Shirt – Spaghetti Strap Top, Orange
- Shirt – Tank Top, White
- Shirt – Long Sleeve Knit Top, Horizontal Striped Black and Grey
- Shirt – Solid Red Fitted T-shirt
- Shirt – Patterned Yellow Fitted T-shirt
- Shirt – Patterned Black & White T-shirt
- Shirt – White Buttoned Down Top
- Pants – Fitted Dark Jeans
- Pants – Black Dress Pants
- Pants – Black & Orange Flare Bottom
- Pants – Black and Blue Flare Bottom
- Skirt – Long, Black
- Skirt – Short, Red Striped
- Skirt – Medium length A-line, Grey
- Dress – Pink and White Sun
- Dress – Little, Black
- Shoes – Blown Moccasin Stye Winter Boots
- Shoes – Walking Shoes, Grey
- Shoes – Heeled Boots
- Long Brown Coat
- Gray Wrap Sweater
- Sun Glasses
- Belt – Wide, Black
- Hip Sack – Blue
- Bag – Messenger Style, Orange
- Shall – White Lace
- Shrug – Ballet Style, Black
- Gloves
- Knit Hat
- Jewelry – Ear Rings Dangling & Feathered
- Jewelry – Red Circle Necklace
- Jewelry – Amber Pendant Necklace
Read more about Carisa at her website: carisahendrix.com
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If simplicity is changing your life, imagine what it could do for your business.
This is such a good idea, but i keep putting it off.
It’s been really fun and good for me, I say GO FOR IT NOW
Interesting list, and I do agree about just doing it pretty fast without over thinking it.
However I completely disagree about thongs which must have been dreamed up by a man. I mean why don’t THEY wear them if they are so comfortable?
Oh hell yeah, I go the boy short route for avoiding VPL under tight pants and skirts. But you know there are folks that swear by the “barely there” feeling of a thong. I think it depends on bum shape.
I’m a big fan of thongs. They’re more comfortable for me; I’ve got a rounded bottom (thanks, years of ballet and dance classes). Boy shorts always ride up, creating an even more visible panty line, and there’s a huge, honkin’ wad o’ fabric making its presence known ‘twixt my cheeks.
Argh. I love how boy shorts look–super cute!–but cannot wear them.
I just found your project and it has helped me solve a problem of mine! It´s not that I really own too much clothes (although I have well beyond 33 items!), it´s that I spend most of my week in work clothes (I have a dirty kind of job) or jammies/loungewear and only about three afternoons in “real” clothes. Now, I´m European and I was raised to wash my clothes only when they were dirty for real and never to hang clothes back in the closet unless they were clean, but wearing the same outfit for a month is really boring. As a result, I have piles of half clean clothes lying around and none of them matching.
My solution, inspired by you, has been to buy a smallish clothes rack on wheels that fit nicely in our guestroom, pick ut 33 matching items from my closet, and I intend to wear that and only that for the next two or three months, then wash it all and “shop my closet” for the next couple of months. I will give me order, I will wear everything more, and it will take less time to get dressed with less options.
I really support all the ideas being spread throught this project, I´m a die-hard charity store shopper, when I shop (I tend to find pieces that are classic and last forever) and I´m very worried about what consumer culture is doing to society and individuals being pushed into lifelong debt. Thumbs up from me!
Congrats Viktoria, that’s a great idea
I think there are a lot of people with your same issue. Hope they get inspired by your solution.
Hey Just ran into your site.
What would you recommend for men who are looking to start this project? (Noticed your template list was for females)
Help! I have too many clothes! I want to pair down my wardrobe and make it more cohesive (if possible)… but I am having some trouble figuring out how to transition my outfits between environments. What should my wardrobe list look like?
Me:
27 years old. Preschool teacher by day (we spend 1/2 the day outside observing bugs, and the other 1/2 making gooey projects inside), and a grad student by night. I am also a working musician (jazz/blues/folk/rock). I am somewhat of a tomboy, but still love wearing flirty and classic dresses when possible. I often go directly from work to class and then to a gig or a dressed up night out with my fiance (a minimalist and a professor). How do I transition from finger-painting to an art gallery, without having a million clothes?
My style: sophisticated, but never stuffy, with a dash of bohemian artistic flare.
My wardrobe colors:
1) navy & blues, olive & greens, burgundy & royal purple
2) browns (but never khaki), white
3) with pops of apple red, citrus orange, mustard yellow
Any advise would be appreciated… my closet is out of control, and my minimalist fiance and I will be married and sharing a home in 6 months!
Thanks!
Sounds like the button-up may be your best friend. You can wear it to work with jeans, dress pants or a nice skirt. If you wear something a little fun underneath you can unbutton it or take off your button-up to change into your evening look.
Sweater dresses with legging is also a nice fashionable look that can fit your many life styles.
With your sticky, messy day job you’ll want to stay away from dry-clean only and stick to fabrics that can stand up to stain remover.
When I used to teach and had a date or dinner afterwards, I would wear something nice and well fitted at work and then jazz it up with some accessories stored away in my bag away from the grabby hands of children. A pashmina scarf, couple of bracelets or a cute hat will transform your look.
Button-ups and accessories… brilliant! Thanks!
Your colors are exactly what I wear as well.
Navy and browns make great ‘base’ colors, which you can brighten up with the reds, yellows and greens.
I’ve got some (3) dresses in my 333-wardrobe. They are comfy (woolen or Jersey), so I wear them at home or on long walks as well, but look nice enough to wear in Jazz bars or theaters.
I got another 2 pairs of jeans and 4 skirts (3 skirts are “base” colors, one is bright red). I’m combining those with rather simple (but partly bright) t-shirts and knit tops.
I also have some cardigans/sweaters, as I can combine those both with dresses and with t-shirt and jeans/skirts.
I cut back on jewelry and wear only earrings – but two different pairs, depending on mood and occassion.
I also got 3 pairs of shoes: rain boots, nice boots and comfy sneakers.
Actually, I think, you should first choose, what you really need. That might be: sturdy shoes, a rain jacket, a hat and a scarf. Try to choose a hat and a scarf that serve their purpose to hold you warm but maybe look cute – or bohemian – enough to wear to your Jazz bars as well.
Then you choose, what you really want. Not only to look at, but actually to wear (so I packed away my necklaces which I like, but which I rarely bother to put on). That might be: a favorite piece of jewelry, a favorite shirt or a new dress that you want to touch every day.
You should have about maybe 10-15 things by now. The rest consists of things that you will of course need – e.g. I didn’t need any skirts or pants yet, but that you don’t feel oh so very attached to that they fell in one of the first two categories. Try to choose items in this category to make your favorite pieces most versatile. If your favorite shirt is bright red, you might not want pink skirts to go with it, but rather a pair of jeans and a beige sweater (or whatever YOU like to combine with it). This is also the category where you can cut back rather easily. If there is anything which you can combine with only one item within your 33, it should probably be left out. There should be at least 2 or 3 combinations to anything – AND you should be able to wear most items at all temperatures that you expect in this time of the year. One of the best things I chose so far was my navy fleece jacket – I can wear it as an outer jacket in dry weather (and get some diversity), but I can also wear it underneath my other jacket, if it is getting colder. It does look nice enough to wear out in town as well.
So many good ideas! Good call on the prioritizing approach. Thanks!
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