Closet Inventory #2 (Fall 2015)
It's time to update my closet inventory since it has been almost a year since I posted my first inventory! Even though I mentioned last year that I felt I was getting better at nailing down my personal style, I feel that I've made even more progress in that area this year. I've also focused a lot more on fit than I have in previous years, letting go of many items I adore but that just don't fit the way I'd like them to. I've donated MANY items I wasn't wearing, and I've listed a bunch of pre-loved things on my Poshmark. Going into fall and winter, I'm more confident about where my wardrobe is at and have just a few items on my list to round it out.
Without further ado, here is my current inventory:
TOPS: 89
Sleeveless: 8
Tees (all sleeve lengths): 19
Blouses: 9
Collared button-up shirts: 12
Cardigans: 13
Sweaters: 22
Sweatshirts: 6
BOTTOMS: 37
Shorts: 8
Skirts: 12
Pants: 7
Jeans: 10
DRESSES: 22
OUTERWEAR: 7
Vests: 1
Blazers: 1
Jackets: 3
Coats: 2
SHOES: 34
Sandals: 7
Sneakers: 4
Flats: 10
Heels: 2
Boots: 11
Compared to last year, the overall number of items is actually one less than last year (189 this year vs. 190 last year). (I was actually expecting it to be more, ha!) Things do get a little wacky though, since I did not count my snow boots, down coat, other jackets and coats that are purely utilitarian, workout clothes, pjs, leggings, old t-shirts, sentimental clothes, and things that are currently listed for sale on Poshmark or in the donate pile. I think outerwear decreased so much (7 down from 13 last year) because I didn't put my utilitarian outerwear in my Stylebook app and I've been getting rid of my least worn items. I find it really interesting that my number of dresses decreased (22 down from 30). I noticed that I have purchased eight of those dresses between last September and now, so that means that I got rid of 16 dresses that were in my last inventory. That seems like a lot! My tops increased the most because I realized how versatile sleeveless tops are, and I have a serious weakness for sweaters.
In addition, this doesn't include my jewelry and accessories, which is sitting at around 40 total. Of that, I have nine scarves (that are currently in my Stylebook app), 14 pairs of earrings (some of my older or more basic pairs aren't included), 16 necklaces, a handful of belts, and a couple of hats. I also have a few bags that I use regularly. have a relatively modest jewelry and accessory collection compared to the rest of my wardrobe.
As far as organization goes, not much has changed. If anything, my closet probably looks even more unorganized than it was a year ago. I started separating my clean clothes from my worn-but-not-dirty clothes, so to the left side of my closet rod is my clean stuff (organized first by type and then by color) and my worn-but-not-dirty stuff is on the right side (organized the same way). If I'm not really sure what to wear that day, I try to pick something that is worn-but-not-dirty so I can get another wear in and then wash it.
Under my hanging clothes, I store most of my ankle boots. I keep them on shelves so the cats won't be interested in chewing on them (none of them ever have, but I don't want to risk it!). Above my hanging clothes are a couple of storage bins for my wool sweaters: one for my clean sweaters and one for my worn-but-not-yet-dirty sweaters. I also have an area to store non-hanging clothes that are worn-but-not-yet-dirty (is there a better word for that? We should invent something...). On Chris's side of the closet, I have a corner for other sweaters and long-sleeved tees, and below that is a shelf for my leather flats. My shorts, pants, and jeans are stored in drawers along with basically everything else. A lot of my other shoes and outerwear are kept in the closet by the front door. My sandals are kept in a plastic bin during the off-season.
My necklace collection was getting too out of control for the standing organizer I have, so I decided to purchase a couple of cork boards to hang over our dresser (one is used to display mementos like concert tickets). I love having my necklaces all up and (somewhat) organized. I've had my earring organizer for years; it remains my best Urban Outfitters purchase ever (of the like, three purchases I've ever made there). I can store all of my earrings on it easily and it makes it easy to pick out the ones I want to wear every morning.
I've been using Stylebook to keep track of my outfits for over a year now, and here's what my top eight most and least worn items were. Not surprisingly, I have three jackets/coats in my most worn. My trench coat has seriously proven to be a wardrobe workhorse. I wear it basically all spring and fall, and it's my top choice when I go on trips and need a light and/or potentially water-resistant layer. My most worn also features a couple of pairs of boots (the black ankle boots are a go-to), a pair of jeans, my black crossbody bag (another go-to, especially for concerts), and my Kate Spade necklace that goes with everything.
Now for my least worn items... Notice that it doesn't include the items that I put in the app but haven't yet worn. There are quite a few of those, and I hope to remedy that within the next few months (either by wearing the items or getting rid of them). This list is made up of entirely items that I've only worn one time in the past year. Some of these I am surprised by (the cobalt sweater and blue tank top?!), but most of them I am not that surprised by because they are not items I immediately reach for in the morning. Some of these items will also need to be re-evaluated in the coming months.
I absolutely love that Stylebook keeps track of cost per wear. It's probably my favorite part of the app because then I don't have to do the math myself. :) The items with the best cost per wear are obviously the items with the lowest starting cost. I hope eventually to see some more expensive purchases mixed in there with the less expensive purchases. It's slowly but surely happening. My Salt Water sandals came in just below the grey tank top at 86 cents per wear, which I am really happy about! The jeans shown in the "most worn" list above are a bit lower on the list at $1.22 per wear, and my trench coat is already at $1.25 per wear after owning it for just over a year.
I cringe when I look at the items with the worst value. Every item shown in the photo above has only been worn one time, so you can see how much I paid for them (though there are three gifts in that list). I hate seeing such high costs-per-wear, but again, like with the least worn items, these are some of my more "unique" pieces that just don't get worn as much as my more basic items. However, I will also need to consult this list when deciding what to cull from my wardrobe in the next few months.
Note: These lists also include items that I may have gotten rid of. You cannot delete items if they are included in looks, and I don't want to delete any of my looks, so even if some items are no longer in my closet, they are still in my app. My fingers are crossed for an update which includes a new category that when selected, will remove the items from these lists.