I Have Too Many Wardrobes: Paring Down Your Clothing

The inevitable result of being a fashion aficionado is that I have found myself with far too many articles of clothing to manage. That said, I’ve recently undertaken the surprisingly difficult pursuit of paring down my wardrobes.


Break It Down Into Categories

There is a reason that I said “wardrobes,” plural. I have three or four different wardrobes that can be grouped most easily into distinct groups/shape subsets. For me, those groups are:

• Lolita, boystyle, and EGA
• Mori girl, romantigoth, and hippie wear
• “Work drag”
• Jeans, T-shirts, and other general use clothing

That is not to say that these groups don’t overlap. I wear some of each category to work, for example. But, generally, my clothing has a “best fit” area in terms of shape, look, or fabric content.

Breaking my clothing down into categories is probably the best way I can keep track of what I have enough or too much of. For me, one or two pairs of jeans is enough because they aren’t central to my wardrobe. I need plenty of work drag, though, and that’s where I…

Look for Overlap

This is my biggest tip for keeping wardrobes small: look for ways that one style can overlap with another. I have blouses that I have used with Lolita, mori girl, EGA, and have worn to work. My more subdued Lolita skirts (while dressy) do work well for office wear. The mori girl tops that I prefer look well with jeans. Most pieces overlap and, when they don’t, they are usually for special use and I don’t need many.

Having overlap in what works for my wardrobe allows each piece to do double (or triple) duty. It allows me to take advantage of multiple styles while still fitting everything in my closet.

Be Honest

Sometimes, as much as we love them, pieces just don’t work for us. I had to get rid of a few dresses recently because I didn’t wear them enough to warrant them taking up space in my wardrobe. I didn’t want to leave them behind, of course, but I simply don’t have the space.

This is the hardest for most people – it’s definitely the hardest for me – because sometimes you absolutely love something in your wardrobe but it simply doesn’t get used for whatever reason. Maybe it doesn’t fit perfectly. Maybe you don’t have anything to go with it. Maybe it’s just too fancy. Whatever the reason, take a deep breath and put it in box of things going out.