Essential Wardrobe:

After spending time reading about living simply and paring down belongings to a manageable amount, and reading professional blogs and websites about business style and the necessary pieces to have in a wardrobe…I am tearing apart my closet, drawers, storage bins, etc.

These are the basic events I need clothing for:

· office – full time, 5 days a week

· home – casual for weekends and week nights

· gardening and outside work clothes

· dinner party or night out, weddings, etc.

· sleep

What I already know is missing:

· a couple of good suits that can be used as separates

· practical (& impractical?) heels

Several hours into this I realize that I have too many clothes, and yet wear only a few things! This is also more difficult than I thought it would be. When you decide to keep just a few things – you really look at each thing individually.

There are some questions I am asking:

· is it torn, stained, ripped or old?

· Do I love it?

· Do I love how it looks on me?

· Do I need it? Really?

Revelations:

· I am not a shoe person – but I sure love boots! Short, tall, work, garden, snow, etc. Right now I would say they are ALL necessary and have a function.

· I have several pairs of sandals and don’t like them – except this really cool silver pair from Jeremy & Sandra’s wedding…those I will keep. And a great pair of leather flats. I will need to get something for summer hiking…

· I have so many coats and have to think about whether or not I need them. Also – I need a long dress coat.

· I should check my closet and drawers before I order online…I almost ordered something today that I did not need.

· Living simply is not as easy as it sounds…but I did fill two trash bags with clothes that could be donated. A few things are beyond usable and will be thrown away.

Personally, I plan to continue to pare down my belongings this year. The things around me take up so much time to store, clean, FIND…

At times, all of it seems a burden. Right now, I know where every piece of my clothing is and it’s a great feeling! There are more than enough options for outfits for my job, enough casual combinations for time out of work, and some clothes designated for gardening and project work. The reality of the evenings is that I get home and get directly into pj’s if we don’t have plans to go out. So really, I don’t need a huge amount of extra clothing for evenings home when I have 7 sets of clothing I use for pj’s that are appropriate if someone stops by in the evening.

The most important decision is to buy only American made clothing and try to buy local. I’m not even sure if that is possible at this point, but if I cannot find what I need, I suppose that sewing lessons will be next! It is becoming unacceptable to me that my clothing should be made and shipped to me from across an ocean when we used to make clothes here, in Worcester.

1/5/12

I bought a black blazer and a pair of short boots with a cute heel. I didn’t look to see where they were made…this is just the completing of a wardrobe. I need nothing else this year, so I have a year to find out who makes clothing locally. This is going to be a fun and challenging decision to follow through on!