Anyone else trying to thin the herd regarding clothes?

[blacklabel]

After losing 90lbs I've had to completely repurchase an almost entirely new wardrobe. I've been much more selective in what I buy, will actually wear versus just buying items because I like them.

[tmckay2]

Too many outfits?

We're deducting points from your man card.

No, it's more over the years people have gifted things, work clothes don't really work as every day clothes, every day clothes can't really be used outdoors to hike or camp or shoot due to not being very sturdy. It seems like I've gone most my life having clothes for particular purposes and trying to buy stuff cheap (thus cheaply made usually) and end up burning through clothes and not having much universality to it.

[tmckay2]

Yes! I just reassessed my closet and put a bunch of stuff I hadn't won in a year in the donate bag, and I also went through items needing to be mended or have buttons re-sewn, etc.

I could truly pare down even more. I tend to shop at the thrift stores because I may find high-quality stuff, but much of what I have is lightweight, cheaply-made crap. :/

There are a couple of trends right now: The "Capsule" wardrobe, which pares your wardrobe down to 37 items, and the KonMari method, which has you consider each piece of clothing to see if you REALLY need it.

The Capsule method means each piece must work with each other, so neutral colors, styles, etc. are best. This doesn't take into account specific uses for clothes, such as hunting/fishing, construction, seasonal clothes and so on, but the basic principles could still apply.

The KonMari method takes much more time, but forces you to assess each item in your wardrobe to see if it "brings joy" and proves as useful as you'd hoped. If it doesn't, it goes to be donated.

The capsule is more what I have been doing. Earth tones and blacks, grays and whites that can be paired with nearly anything so you can wear the same pieces two days in a row but different combination

[tmckay2]

I did this last year, and liked it. I never had to wonder what to wear, but I did wear things out quicker. It's nice and I intend to try to maintain this habit. I did try to buy a few items that were more expensive than what I usually wear. For me, I have tiny feet, so I actually bought nice shoes that are my own size. I wore only one pair of shoes for three years except for a few special occasions. I really like having clothes that are a little nicer and actually fit me. Uh..I guess I started with the shoes before last year.

Yeah I really want to try buying well made clothes (not necessarily just expensive but better made) and cut down on the number of stuff. Shoes is another one I've always gone cheap on and just need to buy some decent ones that will hopefully last.

[Fentonite]

Yeah I really want to try buying well made clothes (not necessarily just expensive but better made) and cut down on the number of stuff. Shoes is another one I've always gone cheap on and just need to buy some decent ones that will hopefully last.

Agreed - I don't go cheap on footwear . The soles on my winter boots cracked open during the last big snow, leaving my foot cold and wet. I was pissed at first, then I realized I'd owned them for 21 years, and really put some hard miles on them. Now I can't find any that I expect to last as long, regardless of price.

ETA: crap. After posting this, it donned on me that I may not have 21 years left on this side of the soil. Maybe I should buy some cheap boots!

[Irving]

Whites and Nicks will make you boots that last a long time.

[bobbyfairbanks]

Socks are probable my most OCD clothing item. Darn Tough and no other I road all summer last year with only 3 pairs and they are still in great shape. Plus they are guaranteed!

[zteknik]

Lol! This is one department I do not have to worry about. Being a dealer mechanic I have uniforms supplied which is most of my wardrobe asides from a few pairs of jeans and some of my old army uniforms.
Now my daughter on the other hand has a closet full that she doesn't even know exists...

[hatidua]

Whites and Nicks will make you boots that last a long time.

-as will Limmer.

[Not_A_Llama]

I work in a financial professional environment, but still like to walk long distances with guns in different weather. This shit can get out of hand, fast.

Key for me is as TheGrey wrote about:
Capsule: Non-fashionable essentials, largely compatible, with seasonal variation.
KonMari: You probably have too much shit. Does an item bring you joy? If it's kind of a "blah" piece, get rid of it. Don't buy shit you don't love.

Let's add in Bruce Lee: "It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential."

I like to sit down and think about it as if my house burnt down and I had to redo things. You can also do it as a forced evacuation in your head.

How many t-shirts does a man need? How many dress shirts? How many jeans, BDU pants, undergarments, etc.

I define that I need and should reasonably have five t-shirts, seven dress shirts, four pairs of dress pants, two pairs of jeans, etc... Anything more is unnecessary.

Pretend like you're outfitting for an expedition. Purchase and cull accordingly.