Ah, if only clothes had quality and lasted like they used to! I'm not surprised we buy more than we did 40 years ago, because 40 years ago, a t-shirt would last longer than 1 year before wearing out/getting torn/stretching out.

I don't see how I can answer with anything other than "whatever is right for you" because how can anyone comment on someone else's lifestyle? We don't know anything about your life: about your body, your activities, your workplace, your local weather, your comfort level, etc. etc. About all I can say is that I agree with you about clothes that need to be dry cleaned.

I am very happy that a municipality close to here has a robust textile recycling program - they allow a couple of charities to sort through and pick anything they want and think it reusable, and then everything else is recycled. (At the same time, they forbid any textiles in the garbage stream.) I drive out of my way to take bags of leftover textiles to be recycled; after my sister and I cleaned out a family member's cottage so it could be sold, I had 12 large garbage bags of clothes/sheets/towels/blankets that I could take for recycling rather than just toss in the trash.

Ah, if only clothes had quality and lasted like they used to!

I don't know -- most of my things are pretty well made. I can only think of a few things that wore out in less than a year. I did rip a brand new sweatshirt the first first time I wore it, but that was my own fault.

I don't see how I can answer with anything other than "whatever is right for you" because how can anyone comment on someone else's lifestyle?

I hear you, but I was hoping for more detailed discussion.

Do you often find yourself with "nothing to wear"? That's a hint your wardrobe is not working for you and might be lacking key pieces. Otherwise, if you can go a week or more without needing to do laundry, you probably have more than enough clothes. And if you have the space to store all the clothes you love and use, however infrequently, keep them, especially if they're quality pieces. I like to have enough pyjamas for a whole week and 2-weeks worth of work outfits. Those capsule wardrobe posts all over Pinterest gave me a lot of inspiration to cull my clothes.

"if you can go a week or more without needing to do laundry,"

LOL -- it reminds me of when I was in school, and I made sure I had at least 3 weeks worth of underwear to get me through exam season, so I wouldn't have to do laundry. It's a habit I've kept (having lots of underwear).

I guess this have never been me. I have clothes that I've had for years. And I wear things a lot more than 7 times. Now, I don't worry too much about some cheap T-shirt, etc.

But, perhaps because A. I make some of my own clothes, and B. I have some background in historical costume, I tend to prefer (and make) clothes with better finish. Then, they do last longer.

OTOH, my children are rough on clothes. The youngest, in particular. (This is something of a blessing. At least she did get to wear some hand-me-downs. A younger sibling that she would not have gotten much). I have noticed that children's clothes, in particular, have gotten of poorer and poorer quality. I used to mend things more frequently. Now, the base fabric is often too cheap to hold a patch.

For basics, I tend toward better made brands. Lands' End (although they're cheaping out lately, too), Duluth Trading, Orvis. For the kids I tended to dress them in Gymboree, Hanna Anderssen, etc. when they were little. But for "work/barn" clothes, T-shirts from Tractor Supply are probably going to be the choice, just because they're going to die. And be repurposed as cleaning cloths.

If I weren't working 40+ hours/week I'd make more of our clothes, but time does not currently permit.

I know I have way too many clothes but I am just not ready to get rid of the high end dress clothes I have had for many years. Many of them won't be worn again but especially not until the post pandemic diet. My mother is very talented and she made me several jackets and dresses when I was in my late teens and early twenties. Most of them have been donated but I have one in particular which is very unique and I have worn a few times before the latest weight gain. The purchased items aren't so difficult to cull but the beautifully tailored jackets are going to stay at least until I have to move again. I struggle to decide whether these items are just clothes or count as family heirlooms. I just passed on a hand smocked toddler dress that I and my daughter both wore for portraits. Now, there is a great granddaughter to wear the dress. I know that isn't quite the same issue but at some point hand-me-downs can become a special item not just an article of clothing.

Most of my everyday work clothes look rather sad but I have a hard time spending too much on clothes I am going to destroy, splatter with paint or stain with oil or grease. I did buy a new pair of Carhartt work pants with double fronts this year and managed to wear them 6 to 8 times before the first major stain. I also bought some workout clothes when I joined a gym this winter but haven't worn them much since Covid turned my routines upside down.

If I like a piece of clothing, it gets worn often for the rest of the season. I end up wearing the same set of clothes often since they are just out of the laundry and haven't been put away yet so always on the top of the pile.

I have shirts, lots and lots of shirts, I seem to be addicted to the sales rack at JCPenney (soon to be closed here which leaves me with big box store clothes, Tractor Supply, and 2 higher end stores for woman (one MUCH higher end). I have noticed that there are shirts I will wear over and over again, in fact a couple years ago while trying to purge I put a couple of them in the donate bag which sat in the basement for a couple months and then voila, those were back in my drawers and I still wear them a lot.

I've also lost some weight, 40 pounds last year and bought a whole bunch of size 8 pants and shirts in small. Alas, 30 came back so those are all waiting for me to lose that again. (2 down 28 to go) in the meantime I have a plethora of pants in sizes up to 14, but I WILL be getting rid of the 14s, there are a tad too big, some still have the labels on them!

And now that we finally have an offer on our house, I really do have to purge. So does DH, bu more so me. Then again, I will have more closet space in the new house..... nope, nope, nope, be living in a small farmhouse till the new house is finished, not enough space there. So I really, really, need to throw things on the bed and sort into piles. Keep, ask my SIL does this make me look stupid, and sell/donate.

Heck I have long skirts I've never worn but I liked them when I bought them. Impulse control I have not.

Do you often find yourself with "nothing to wear"?

That's an excellent question -- just the type of question I hoped for to make me think.

As I think about it ... not often. I have plenty of work clothes and church clothes. I have hanging-around-the-house clothes. Jeans though -- I don't always have clean jeans. And I don't always have something casual-but-not-athletic-clothes for spring/fall/transitional weather.

And if you have the space to store all the clothes you love and use, however infrequently, keep them, especially if they're quality pieces.

My closet is on the small end of reasonable, but it's crowded. I'm thinking that if I get rid of some "rarely worns", I'd be able to better access what I have.

Those capsule wardrobe posts all over Pinterest gave me a lot of inspiration to cull my

I've seen those but haven't studied them. I will do so.

I guess this have never been me. I have clothes that I've had for years. And I wear things a lot more than 7 times.

Yeah, me too. We went swimming yesterday (first time of the season -- it's not been a banner summer thusfar), and I pulled out a swimsuit I hadn't worn in a while. I remembered buying it for a vacation to Marco Island; I'm pretty sure my youngest hadn't started kindergarten yet. She just graduated from college in May. Lands End swimsuits are expensive but worth it!

OTOH, my children are rough on clothes.

My children are grown, and I don't have any grandchildren yet, so -- at the moment -- my concern is about my own clothes.

As for hand-me-downs, here's an oddity: I'm one of five children, and I'm one of 21 cousins (among the cousins I'm the 4th grandchild and the oldest of 5 girls -- ours was a mostly male generation). But even as a child I was the smallest of the whole bunch -- so I wore hand-me-ups from the younger children!

When my own kids were younger, I bought lots of things at Sears. They used to have a guarantee that they'd replace a worn-out item with a same-sized item. This included shoes. Since I had all girls and mostly nieces, I was very careful to save receipts and shoe boxes. Sears was sorry to see me coming in the door!

I know I have way too many clothes but I am just not ready to get rid of the high end dress clothes I have had for many years. Many of them won't be worn again

That's kind of where I am, but I think I am ready to get rid of things I know I won't wear.

I just passed on a hand smocked toddler dress that I and my daughter both wore for portraits.

My mother saved a handful of things for me to pass on to my children, but when she took them out of the attic they were all badly stained. I know she didn't put them away in that condition, but the heat and years ruined them. I couldn't use a single thing.

I feel good about what I've done for my kids: when my own youngest was no longer "a baby", I picked a few special things -- their coming-home-from-the-hospital outfits, their first Christmas dresses, and a few things I'd 'specially enjoyed. I read on the internet that these things should be washed twice -- second time without soap -- and wrapped in white tissue. I packed up ONE BOX for each of my girls. It contains a few baby outfits, one maternity outfit, and a few other things I'd enjoyed -- a baby dish, a cloth baby carrier, and I don't remember what else. They don't know I have these stored on the top shelf of my closet (not in the heat of an attic), but on the day each tells me she's expecting, I'll pass on her box.

If I like a piece of clothing, it gets worn often for the rest of the season. I end up wearing the same set of clothes often since they are just out of the laundry and haven't been put away yet so always on the top of the pile.

Yes, I can relate to that -- and things I like get pushed to the back of the closet. I'm thinking that if I get rid of some "never worns", I'll be able to see /access what I do keep.

I've also lost some weight, 40 pounds last year

Wow! Good for you!

Thanks, All, for the discussion. You've given me things to think about.

One thing that I have concluded about so much of what is on the rack at the department stores is that the fabrics they are made from are not the kind of fabrics that many of us want to wear for our daily tasks and duties. There are many slick, cold, and heavy draping slinky items..

Even the jeans and t-shirts of today are not the same nice fabric and fit of yesteryear.

Or, there is detail to the construction that gets in the way of actually doing anything much while wearing it. One example are those long and draping sleeves that get in the way of doing anything practical with your hands.

I remember when jeans were comfortable and not cut and worn like an over stuffed tow sack.

Yesteryears clothes were much better constructed, had better fabrics and were better suited to more than just standing around while dressed.

Have you heard of the concept of having a "personal uniform"? It is an intriguing idea that I am including as an inspiration in seeking my own level of comfort and satisfaction with what is in my closet. Give it a google if you are not familiar with it. As you enter the retirement years, you might find this to be a workable model for paring down your items to just what suites you.

Your post has touched on a subject that is alive and on fire in my world right now. I have so much to say and to discuss on this topic that I have to restrain myself to not even get started.

Paring it down.....life is fuller with less to get in the way and we really need much less than we think we do.

Issues include, but at not limited to, the effects of over consumption, creation of massive landfills, pollution, misplaced priorities, ill spent resources, and having nothing to wear.

I sew, too. I have brought my sewing experiences down to some very nice and simple garments and I am looking for mostly natural fabrics, when I can find them. These few simple garments can be the base for my personal uniform.

Good luck and I hope you arrive at a good place with a pared down closet.

In this time of covid not many of us are shopping in a department store.

I predict that the second hand clothing market is going to explode because the venues and the supply routes for so much of this stuff have been strangled by the virus.

I always hoped that cheap and awful stuff would come to an end. But, this is not the way that I had hoped it would happen. My hope was that it would happen by virtue of an enlightened public and a return to some real quality. Silly me!!! How delusional!!

I know that a few celebrities and internet bloggers had already declared that they were through buying landfill clothing before the pandemic. That is going to be an easier pledge to make, and keep, now.

If I say anymore about this, it will set my head on fire.

"Even the jeans and t-shirts of today are not the same nice fabric and fit of yesteryear."

"I remember when jeans were comfortable and not cut and worn like an over stuffed tow sack."

Frankly, for most of my day-to-day clothing (not the required clothes I wear at work), I've taken to buying men's clothes and having them altered as necessary - cheaper, better quality, and I can more easily find 100% cotton. Admittedly, I have an odd shape and would need to get my pants altered anyway, even if didn't buy men's, so whether I alter men's or women's pants doesn't matter.

Toronto, it does seem that that mens clothes can still be had made of more natural fibers.

Mens clothes are so basic, in general.

I hate to buy clothes, so I tend to go for quality. When my little brother got married, I had a dress from a previous wedding, but I had gained a lot of weight. It was easier for me to lose 30 pounds than to shop for a new dress! This week I wore a dress to a funeral - a dress that I bought for my Dad's funeral in 2004.

Shoes are even worse - I have very wide feet, so it's hard to find good shoes that fit well. Consequently I spend quite a lot on shoes, so they last a long time (I wear a pair of hiking boots to work most days, and they are over 2 years old).

I am fortunate that I can wear jeans to work, so I do have a few pairs of jeans. In the summer it's t-shirts or camp shirts; in the winter its sweaters and sweatshirts. Sweatshirts are my go-to souvenir, so I have a bunch. I have way too many sweaters.

Periodically I'll go through all my clothes - usually a few weeks before our annual church rummage sale. Anything I haven't worn for a long time or doesn't fit, goes (except for a few dresses, which I rarely wear because I don't have many occasions to do so). I am less successful at getting my DH to purge old/never worn/worn out clothes.

I remember when jeans were comfortable and not cut and worn like an over stuffed tow sack.

Having searched the back corners of my closet, I have three pairs of jeans (one pair basic denim, one black skinny, one brown) that fit like a glove. At the same time, I just ditched several pair that were not comfortable.

Comfortable jeans are available, but they're not all that easy to find.

Have you heard of the concept of having a "personal uniform"?

Eh, I've read about that, but I can't quite get into that idea.

I have so much to say and to discuss on this topic that I have to restrain myself to not even get started.

No, don't restrain yourself -- get started! I'm into this topic right now.

Paring it down.....life is fuller with less to get in the way and we really need much less than we think we do.

Oh, my -- I already see it, and my closet is still very much a work in progress! I read stories about people saying, "I have so much more now that I have less" -- yes, I get it. Is it weird that a couple times I've gone into my closet just to look at my smaller wardrobe? And, as I said, I'm not done-done. I've already thought of a few things and said, "I really could've let that go."

Several thoughts -- I'm open to comments on these choices -- I don't feel solid on all of them:

- I found a whole box of dresses that now fit again. I'd forgotten that box. I got rid of a few of them, but now I have more dresses than I really "need", especially since we just found out that we're not going back to school in person next month. So I have too many dresses, but they're ALL things I really, really like.

- I found some weird weak points in my closet; for example, I discovered that I had three black dresses. (And I don't really wear black - not as a main color!) Still, I kept two of them. Both fit perfectly and look great on me. One is very simple, classic and perfect for funerals -- is that practical or morbid? I don't love it, but it is practical to keep it; I'm wishy-washy on this one. The other is a dressy-dress, which won't get much use, but it's classic, I have perfect accessories for it, and my husband is insane for it. I really kept it for him.

- I kept three dressy-dresses that I know won't get much use, but we intend to increase our cruise vacations after we retire, and we all have an occasional dress-up occasion. One dress is the aforementioned black dress that my husband loves, and the other two are lovely colors /lots of lace /very "me".

- I am a little upset over a pair of dark brown slacks and a red/brown blouse that I absolutely adore. Why am I upset over them? They match absolutely nothing but each other. This is not a practical choice, and this closet purging project is all about practicality. This is not an outfit I'd wear in retirement, so I've told myself I'll keep this outfit until I retire (a decision which is less practical now that I know we're not going back to school this fall).

- I gave away a bunch of things that I couldn't wear because I didn't own "the complete outfit". For example, I had two pair of brown tights -- but zero dresses with which I could wear brown tights. And I found a peach sweatshirt in a style that I love, but the color isn't good on me. This list goes on. This is what happens when you buy things off the clearance table just because they're cheap.

- On the other side of that coin, I kept some things I can't wear because I don't own "the complete outfit" ... BUT, with a smaller amount of clothes, I have been able to make a small list of things I need to buy to make those things "work". For example, I really want a pair of shorty black boots to go with my black skinny jeans, and I have a great pink tunic that I'd wear on weekends ... if I pick up a pair of tights to match.

- Around the house on weekends (in winter) I love to wear thin sweatshirts and comfortable tights. And I found that I have four thin sweatshirts in good repair that fit well -- not a bad number -- but two of them are black, and I, as I said, I don't wear black! Why did I buy these? What was I thinking? I'm keeping the non-preferred colors for now, but when I find colors that I like better, I'll give away the black sweatshirts.

- I have a white cardigan that I wear to work constantly in the spring (I have several dresses that work well with it), but it's on its way to worn out. I found another white cardigan I'd forgotten! Jackpot!

- After going through ALL the drawers and the back of the closet, I found that I own two swimsuits that actually fit (this is a weak spot in my wardrobe /not enough for our lifestyle) ... but even after giving away the two black cover ups and the ones with no pockets, I still have EIGHT cover-ups. I see myself wearing these more often in retirement, so I kept them all. Eight cover ups. Have I thrown practicality out the window?

- My workout clothes seem to be "just right". Ditto for nightgowns.

Issues include, but at not limited to, the effects of over consumption, creation of massive landfills, pollution, misplaced priorities, ill spent resources, and having nothing to wear.

Guilty of all.

Last year when we ripped out our leaky shower, we drove the tile and other garbage to the dump ourselves. It was an eye opener to see the waste-waste-waste-waste-waste from just our little corner of the world. Not long after I went to a teacher workshop that included touring the Recycling Plant and the Dump. Another eye opener.

I have genuinely changed some of my behavior since those two events -- and I'm preaching it to other people.

I sew, too.

I can sew, but I don't enjoy it. Mainly I just hem (all people my height have to be able to hem) and repair.

In this time of covid not many of us are shopping in a department store.

Yes, and I don't think that's bad for me right now. With no back-to-school for me, and with retirement coming up soon, I don't need to buy a lot. I am trying to get those couple things that I need to "complete" outfits, but I'm not actively adding to my wardrobe now.

I predict that the second hand clothing market is going to explode because the venues and the supply routes for so much of this stuff have been strangled by the virus.

Add to that, with time on their hands, a lot of people are cleaning out closets. I have noted that our neighborhood is putting out more stuff on garbage day.

I always hoped that cheap and awful stuff would come to an end.

Eh, we're inundated with advertising, and buy-buy-buy is a part of our culture. Have you ever watched Marie Kondo's show? I don't have anything like what some of those people have!

I know that a few celebrities and internet bloggers had already declared that they were through buying landfill clothing before the pandemic. That is going to be an easier pledge to make, and keep, now.

Yes, we had a conversation at lunch (pre-Covid) at work, and someone said that Jane Fonda had taken a pledge never to buy another piece of clothing for the rest of her life. We were all intrigued by the idea that she had "enough" to last the rest of her life. We also wondered whether that meant she intends never to buy things like socks, underwear and nightgowns again -- those things wear out -- or whether she just meant "real clothes".

Shoes are even worse - I have very wide feet, so it's hard to find good shoes that fit well.

Everyone has some type of shoe problem. Mine is that I wear THE MOST COMMON size, so they disappear immediately! I never wait for things to go on sale -- if I see shoes I like, I buy them right away. Otherwise, I don't have a chance.

I'm relatively happy with my shoes. About five years ago I developed a nasty case of Plantar Fascitis, and I had to get rid of a bunch of shoes that no longer worked for me. My two adult daughters were thrilled -- we all wear the same size. My loss was their gain.

I wear a pair of hiking boots to work most days, and they are over 2 years old

I've gotcha beat on that one: I have the best pair of hiking boots. I bought them at a yard sale for $2 more than a decade ago. I don't wear them to work, but we do hike fairly often.

I am less successful at getting my DH to purge old/never worn/worn out clothes.

Same. My husband, for example, has about 25 pairs of shorts. And several suits that no longer fit. But he won't part with a thing.

Thanks for the discussion, y'all.