I work for a consulting firm. The "home office" in DC is very business-like, and I wear pants suits when I have to visit. But, our office is a smaller satellite. My usual "outfit" is a silk knit (Jones New York) t-shirt (in a variety of colors), slacks (black, brown, grey, navy, or khaki), and a long (below the hip length) sweater, usually Eileen Fisher (there is an outlet in our state) or a similar style. Everyone once in awhile I'll find a patterned top that looks nice. Shoes are usually low lace ups (I have an arthritic knee) in black or brown. Ecco and Munro have some nice models. I just wore a pair of Ecco oxfords for a week on vacation in Europe, very comfortable. The Cobb Hill brand (from New Balance) also has very comfortable flats (Mary Janes, ballet, fisherman, etc.).

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.

My mom was a pale redhead, almost never wore any black. Brown, beige, cream, and blue were here basic colors. She could get away with grey a little bit if it had the right undertones. She was fall/spring, I am summer/winter if you know that old color wheel stuff . . . Clothing has become very shoddy in so many ways, very rare to find anything of lasting value that is affordable. I think that's why vintage is becoming more known via the Internet. If you get bored with your look easily and you're going to frequently discard clothing, might as well give it to someone else to do the same . . . I kind of enjoy the challenge of creating new looks, both in personal dress and at my house in the decorating arena, re-arranging what I have or tweaking it . . .

I am on a 12 day trip in Italy now! (it’s close to midnight here and dh just hit the hay…but I’m not sleepy & surfing the wifi!🤣) Dh is very much a COO guy since he travels so much for work…but he knew not to even try to restrict me on my first Italian holiday. 😊 I put my outfits and cosmetics in my biggest suitcase (won’t even tell you how many bc it’s so ridiculous, lol,) and filled my carry-on with shoes 🤣. Just shoe bag after shoe bag of shoes, plus my chargers and a small bag with travel contact stuff, toothbrush, and deodorant just in case! (We are located close to a hub city so are fortunate to fly direct in most cases, I don’t have a huge fear of lost luggage, but better safe than sorry.) I did use one of those Lululemon crossbody bags as my purse/ personal item…and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s very roomy, with interior mesh pockets and a zippered exterior pocket. It fits my passport, phone, a flat credit card wallet thing (very useful), sunglasses (in a soft case, not the hard case), lipstick and reading glasses in the outside pocket. Best purchase for travel, ever. I also put air tags in everything! I guess I wasn’t super helpful about helping with your COO situation, but wanted you to feel better about overpacking! I just like my stuff, and options. I know I wouldn’t be happy without all the cute shoes, and I think we get a couple of free checked bags on American anyway bc of dh’s miles status…he just hates waiting at baggage. Anyway, getting sleepy now, lol. Have a fun trip! Ciao!