surviving to thriving, my clothes

I have been working on this post since Friday, there’s really nothing special about it that would make it take so long, but clothing was such a hard topic to tackle. I should be all set to finish out this week (tomorrow there will be a sponsored post, so just scroll down for the next post in the series, Jud’s room/ clothes will be right below the sponsored post).

For us, clothing was the largest purge during the KonMari process. This is a good glimpse of the mess  we had when we emptied our drawers and closets.

Oh wait, that actually may just be my things. Yikes.

I took each piece, one by one, and either kept or discarded. There were no maybe’s, if I didn’t absolutely love the item, it was discarded. The book recommends putting your clothing back in your drawers in a way that you can see it all, each item. Nothing gets lost underneath and every thing has a spot.

Here’s a look at my workout tops. I had originally planned to purge more, but I do wear these all of the time, so I kept everything I loved, since there were tons of the same tank (Lululemon Cool racerback). I would honestly take a drawer full of those and the Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve, and never want for another workout top. I’ve found my groove with those (along with the Wunder Unders (pant or crop) and Nike tempo shorts). That really has nothing to do with the post, so you get that for free. Although I could add, I realized I didn’t need the latest and greatest, I don’t find any joy in buying new workout gear, unless it’s one of those mentioned above) I like having options, so I decided to stick with what I love. Makes shopping so much easier. Additionally, I’ll acknowledge the fact that those are pricey options, but I wear them at least 5 times per week and the fit and quality are worth the difference, for me.

And here’s a look at my closet after the first purge. It’s still full, but this is probably one-fourth of the original mess. I seriously just want to go have a cup of coffee in here each morning. This is a drastic improvement to clothes everywhere and piles of shoes all around.

I few organizational tips before we move on to the next step, the capsule.

We switched to the black velvet hangers in the closet, they take up significantly less space than plastic or wooden hangers. The honeycomb drawer organizer is excellent for swimsuits, undergarments, socks and leggings. Clothing filers were perfect for deep drawers, teeshirts and pajamas. This truly ensures that everything ends up with a dedicated space.

Honeycomb Drawer Organizer / Clothing Filers  / Velvet Hangers

                                  

After the initial purge, I was still in a clothing rut. I think I had saved some things out of necessity. Perhaps, I thought I might need them down the road or for an event. It look living with my newly purged and organized closet for a few weeks before I decided to try and create a capsule wardrobe. I started off with staples, and moved on from there. I realized it was mainly the staples that I didn’t love, I fell in love with these long sleeve tee’s from J.Jill, so I traded about 7 long sleeve black and white solid tops for two that I love.

For the most part, I used things already in my closet. For a visual, I pulled some images for the collage below, but since all of the things weren’t current, I tried to find links to the closest thing (beneath the collage).

 

Pure Jill White Tee  / Pure Jill Black Tee/  Black+White Stripe Hi-Low Tee / Navy Piko / Boyfirend Cardigan / Colorblock Sweater / Slouchy Cardigan

Chambray Top / Flannel Shirt / Flannel Shirt Red/Navy /Slouchy Sweater / Quilted Vest / Herringbone Vest / Printed Vest

Black Swing Dress/ Burgundy Shift Dress / Striped Dress / Cargo Jacket / Down Coat / Leather Jacket

Black Skinnies / Skinny Jeans  /Black Leggings  / Boyfriend Jeans /  Navy Leggings

Frye Melissa Button / Black Booties / Brown Booties / Nude Reva’s

**many of the items are similar to the pictured item, I tried to link to the actual item I wear, some links are affiliate links**

A few things regarding building my capsule wardrobe:

If you don’t hear anything else I say, know this, you want find a better solid long sleeve tee than this one: Pure Jill White Tee .

If you want to shop at RiffRaff, use the code LIFEINTHEGREENHOUSE for 10% off.

Stitch Fix is my absolute go-to for staple items. They know my size and body type and what I love, I usually just send a note to the stylist with something like: Looking for fall staples, I would love flannel tops, open front cardigans in navy or wine, a great pair of boyfriend jeans that I can cuff and wear with booties, and I’m searching for the perfect herringbone vest.”  I also link to a Pinterest board where I save all of my favorites. I love the luxury of having the items delivered right to my door with a prepaid envelope to send back whatever I don’t want to keep.