Knowing what we have in our wardrobe, and liking what we have is key in order to make the most of our clothes and to avoid unnecessary shopping. Sticking to what we have and extending the life of our clothes is also the most sustainable thing we can do as doubling the average time we wear our clothes can halve the fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions.
My September maximised (non)-capsule wardrobe challenge gave me an opportunity to do a live wardrobe audit as I worked my way through my clothes, not being allowed to wear anything twice. It forced me to consider all my clothes and match items with clothes I might not have matched them with previously. And it helped me understand what I like and don’t like.
At the end of the challenge I then did a full-on wardrobe audit, going through everything to get a feel for what goes well together, what items excites me, what I should get rid of, and what I feel I’m missing. This was inspired by Johanna Nilsson‘s slow fashion challenge action for June where she suggests going through your clothes to really consider what you like and what works well with your life. She suggests asking questions like:
- What type of clothes do I like? Shirt or sweater? Trousers or skirts? Over-sized or slim? High-waist or low-waist?
- What colours and patterns do I like?
- Do I need specific clothing for my work?
- What do I need to consider in my daily life? Weather? Transport?
- Out of the clothes I own, what do I hardly ever wear? What is the reason for not wearing it?
- What do I feel most comfortable with? What makes me happy?
Going through my wardrobe I realised that I like quite a lot of things because my wardrobe is a bit of a mix. I wear jeans, smart trousers, tight skirts, floaty skirts, dresses, kimonos, fitted shirts, blouses, comfortable t-shirts and sparkly jumpers. But when going through everything I put things to the side that I’m not loving anymore or that are worn out (I’ve put them in different bags for now so that they can be recycled, sold or swapped at clothes swapping events). Amongst what I kept, I tried to also get a feel for what I like the most, which (not surprisingly) turned out to be blue-and-white stripes and other blue things. What I also realised when picking out favourites was that I like colours and patterns, but this is something I actually don’t have much of. So going forward, I should perhaps step away from my comfort zone of minimalist basics to some more extravagant items, as these are the ones I like the most. Especially as most of the favourites I picked out are in potentially more extravagant (exciting?) fabrics, showing that I do like a bit more of an exclusive feel, even though I prefer comfortable cotton and wool clothing at home.
The items above are what the audit showed I like the most, that excite me the most, and they’re what I will continue building my wardrobe on going forward. A fitted (but slightly large) blue-and-white striped shirt (by Boomerang, bought second hand), and an organic wool jumper, also striped, from Maska. A modal fitted t-shirt by Indiska bought this year, and a cotton fitted t-shirt by COS, bought probably about five or six years ago. A finely knitted over-sized jumper with glitter from Filippa K last year, and a black silk shirt from Sunad, about three years ago. A casual navy blazer from Urban Outfitters that I bought probably about five years ago that is one of the best things I’ve bought in terms of smart casual work wear. A floaty kimono with big flower pattern from Vila about four years ago. A dusty pink silk shirt by Filippa K, bought second hand, and a cream coloured blouse with no arms from & Other Stories that I’ve worn a million times over the last five years. Colourful semi-smart trousers and my golden skirt from Urban Outfitters that I wear all the time, all year ’round.
I identified a few pieces I feel are missing and that I would like to add to the wardrobe over time so I’m adding them to a list. The list will be a shopping guide and will stop me from buying things I don’t need, and I will aim to mainly buy second hand (or if you’re selling any, let me know!). The things I’ll be looking for are:
- Blouses in colours/patterns
- Navy suit trousers/chinos
- Checked suit trousers
- Non-slim jeans, high-waist, straight legs, washed-out denim
- Long-sleeved fitted jumpers (not boring, basic ones but with a slightly more luxurious feel)
- Knitted jumpers that are appropriate to wear over shirts at work as winter is approaching
- A floaty, patterned midi dress that I can wear at work, in winter (with layers underneath)
- Kimono or casual blazer