In renovating my wardrobe, I need to keep track of:

• what I already have
• what I need
• what I’m not so happy with keeping, but have to, because I don’t have a replacement yet
• the clothes I have waiting for reconstruction
• what I want to make

It’s a lot to keep in my head. So I figured out a system, where I can see at a glance what I need to work on or look out for. I can take it op-shopping with me, or refer to it when I want to do some sewing, to keep focused.

Thinker Maker’s Wardrobe Tracker System

First, I decluttered my wardrobe. I kept little-loved things in there if I really needed them – we’ll deal with them later.

Down the left edge of a page I listed the garment types I need. Dress pants, tracksuit pants, long-sleeved tops, handbags, shoes – that sort of thing. I had a good think about how I spend my time. (For example, I don’t need dress pants or business shirts at all. I just don’t need them, and wouldn’t wear them if I had ‘em.)

I didn’t do this, but it’s a good idea to write beside each thing, the number of them you need. Work out how many you need based on how much time you spend wearing that type of clothing. For example, if you spend half you time working and half your time in casual dress, you’ll need 50% of your wardrobe to be work attire and 50% casual attire.

Next, I wrote down each item still in my wardrobe beside the corresponding garment type. I kept the descriptions to one or two words, just enough so I’d know what item I’m referring to. I circle each of these things so that I know circled means I own it.

I draw a little filled-in circle on those items I don’t love and would like to replace.

I write in the clothes I have that are ready for reconstruction, but don’t circle them, because I don’t “have” them yet.

If I know I need a particular garment type but don’t know what it’s going to be yet, I write in numbers to signify the number of pieces I need.

Once I get/make the garment, I’ll circle the number.

So, looking at my page here:

• I can see that the uncircled items are “unfinished”. I need to get or make these items.
• For me, the uncircled numbers are really open-ended as to what style I can make or buy. I look at those when I’m feeling creative.
• When I have enough of a garment type to get by, then I can work on replacing the filled-circle items – those unloved ones I kept because I didn’t have anything else to wear.

I think this system needs to be done again every so often. Sometimes what we thought we needed isn’t needed any more, and when things get bought or made they can be entered in more specifically.

I want to revise mine to lessen the number of items needed. (Weirdly enough, since we cut down to only having one laundry basket in the house, I do the washing more often and don’t need so many clothes.)

Redoing it regularly might seem like a pain, but I think it’s good in that writing this down makes us consider what we’re doing with our wardrobes so that we can be more mindful about it.

A couple of months ago I decided to renovate my wardrobe.

I discovered my colours, I explored my personal style (rather than the style of this ideal girl that was supposed to be me), and I resolved to banish unloved things from my wardrobe, stat. Make everything I needed from thrifted materials or buy them second-hand.

Well, it didn’t exactly work out like that.

Even though I did a mass purge, I still have things in my closet I don’t love. I’m not entirely enamoured with a few of the things I made for myself since then, or bought handmade. I’m still missing items that I planned to make for myself – and am tempted to just go out and buy them because I have enough on my plate.

Motivation

I forget that working out my style and making things for myself is actually immensely satisfying.

Every time I walk over to my closet, I’m excited for just this tiny moment about the possibilities, and then one of my internal monsters jumps in and says it’s too hard, I’ve got more important things to do, or I just want to “relax” (which often just means zoning out from my problems in front of the computer or TV. Whether that’s actually relaxing is another story).

What if I just let myself be motivated? What if the voice I listened to was the inspiring one, the one that makes me think that I could create something great – that’s mine – and be proud of it?

Patience

I think in general, rushing isn’t great. It causes stress, it makes us settle, it makes it difficult for us to be mindful.

It took me a lifetime of mixing and matching and chopping and changing to get the not-awesome wardrobe that I had. Getting closer to the awesome one is going to take a while, too.

Tracking progress

Like any other project, improving a wardrobe goes better if you figure out what the hell you’re trying to do and look at how to achieve it.

I created a little system for tracking the items I’ve got in my wardrobe, the items I need, the items I’m going to make, and the items I have waiting for reconstruction. I’ll share how it works in a post tomorrow.

Is your wardrobe heavily “under construction”, or just evolving every now and again? Do you manage it like a project or just do things as they come up?

I wrote a guest post for Scoutie Girl that’s up today, called The “Meh” Trap – or – Personal Style and Mindful Spending.

It’s about how knowing your personal style is a big help in being a mindful consumer (for us creative folk, at least). And some suggestions for how to get a bit more in tune with yours.

If you came over here via Scoutie Girl, hello and welcome! The ‘new here?‘ link above will get you started with knowing what this blog is all about. And you can subscribe via email or RSS.

If you’re not a Scoutie Girl reader, there are some great posts over there that I think you guys would like on the topic of mindful spending. (I particularly like disposable culture & our fear of committment.)