I like the idea of this in theory. I can never seem to practice it though. I have found items that I return time after time, and have chucked items I didn't like or didn't fit the way I wanted to. I am in the process of doing this with chinos. The problem I have is I always see something else I would really like to add to my wardrobe. My style has stayed with the same parameters for a long time now  but is always evolving even if its just one thing at a time. Between the LE Hyde Parks, BB, certain vintage and custom shirts that are perfect, I just don't need anymore buttondowns any time soon. I was perfectly happy with my shirt selection, but Get Smart linked the Jump the Gun website. I saw a shirt that looked perfect and the fit seemed perfect. Why this also  meant I had a pick up yet another Fred Perry M12, and a Breton sweater is beyond me. Maybe it speaks to my personality but its the same with music, cinema, whatever with me. I have tastes and they are developed at this point but I can't stop seeking out more and more that falls within my self imposed boundaries. I have all ready have started wearing the new stuff and have ideas of how it will fit in with my old favorites. I only get what I really like at this point yet here I am continuing to buy. I am just starting to accept the clothes is just one more on-going passion of mine but I appreciate your approach.

Last edited by ScarletStreet (2009-04-07 23:16:16)

Good stuff.

I'm down to a couple of dozen or so halfway decent items - only a single raincoat, for instance.  I have a clear out at least two or three times a year, with stuff getting Ebayed or sent to a charity shop.  Anything featuring dacron, polyester (yeah, I know they come from the same source) or any man-made fibre is at risk, as is anything not made in the US, not totally excluding the UK, Ireland, France and Italy.  Keydge slack jackets are safe, but not necessarily vintage US stuff.  Depends on eye, touch, smell.  Hartford and Troy Guild shirts are probably safest, followed by bleeding Madras.  Alan Paine stays, Ashworth goes.  Golden Fleece stays, Duck Head goes.  I'll never buy another pair of Clarks anything, unless old and made in England.  Anything Chinese is definitely out, mainly for political reasons.  Haggar?  Only the old stuff.

I like the theory, I struggle with the practice.

I also find it takes a while to decide if I really like something.

The other factor that determines how much stuff I keep around is weight, which goes up and down like a yo-yo, a 10-12 pound differential. I have fat clothes, medium clothes (most of the time) and skinny clothes (usually summer when I am most active).

I have begun to pare down my wardrobe and get rid of items that don't fit or which I do not wear with any regularity.  This process serves as a reminder that purchasing items for the sole reason that they are on sale is never a good idea.  My tastes have changed over the years and I find myself adding more Ivy clothing when I do purchase items.   I am trying to focus on adding quality items that I really want and will wear for many years.  I am at the point where I do not need to add items for necessity but for want.

Thanks for all the responses. They suggest that I've run a few things together in my initial post that can be distinguished.

If the reason for not wearing something is simply that you don't have very many occasions, but you really like the item and it fits you well and you look good in it, I would certainly keep it. I would keep as many of these as I have room for.  For me it also has nothing to do with simplicity as such--the idea that everything in the wardrobe goes with everything else--but I respect people who take this approach. This is more the idea of minimalism, I think, whereas my philosophy is something different.

The goal for me is to have an entire wardrobe of "go-to" pieces should various occasions arise.  An example for me would be shetland sweaters (again).  For a long time I bought all different sorts--shaggy dogs, mcgeorge, barbour, etc.etc.  As it turned out, some of them were too long for me, and I had to roll up the bottom ribbing just to make it fit. Some of them had really wide necks that I didn't like.  Some of them were really baggy.  I didn't wear any of these because of these reasons, since I had others that were perfect--perfect length, relatively trim fit, saddle shouldered, etc.  I have since gotten rid of most of the shetlands I didn't wear for various reasons.  But this hasn't meant I've gone minimalist either.  I now just have about 15 that I really like in almost every conceivable color rather than same number I had previously, more than half of which I didn't wear.  I love different colors of shetlands, wear them most days in the winter, and enjoy having variety in this regard. The paring down had to do with fit.