Wardrobe tetris - thinking aloud really
Apr. 15th, 2018 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nineveh_ukAs I move various garments between drawers, wardrobe and suitcases the question arises as it does a minimum of twice yearly with the major changes of the seasons: do I have too many clothes or insufficient storage space?
The answer, I think, is neither. I do have a lot of clothes. Other people get by with far fewer. On the other hand, I only possess clothes that I wear* and I tend to keep them a long time because I look after them and my weight/size doesn't vary a great deal within the reasonable lifetime of a garment. The real issue is that I have a lot of specialist clothes that I couldn't do without if I want to do the things that I do, and these take up a lot of space and have relatively limited overlap with other things. So I possess:
* A work wardrobe. Summer T-shirts and some more casual summer trousers get worn outside work, but that's about it. I do not need black polyester trousers in the rest of my life, and I don't really want my non-work clothes to acquire work associations.
* Seasonal non-work clothes. The UK has seasons, I feel the cold and though my house maintains a decent temperature by UK standards it does not maintain a steady one all year. I need summer and winter clothes both in and out. This also means complete changes of most underwear, because winter is thermal vests and woolly socks, and summer isn't.
* Really specialist clothes:
(1) Skiing. I own quite a lot of stuff for cross-country skiing, plus insulated trousers for downhill. All of this takes up quite a bit of space. The waterproof jackets do get other wear, some of the other stuff gets occasional hiking or gym use.
(2) Hot holiday clothes. My shorts do not get a lot of use in the Uk. Nor do those strappy sandals. I own two linen tops suitable for countries where some sort of elbow-plus sleeve is required in 35C, I am not going to get rid of them and have to buy new ones next time I travel to a desert.
(3) Summer holiday hiking gear. There is a point at which it is worth it.
* Stuff that I like to much to get rid of and that might come in one day for fancy dress. The Rupert of Hentzau jacket that was a mistake. The Laura Ashley skirt that wasn't and I got a lot of wear out of, but that these days awaits a Harry Potter themed party. The Gap sundress from 1998 that is really now too small, but I bought because it had a sort of Jane Austen air. Garments I made and was particularly proud of.
* Things to wear to weddings.
Oh yes, add shoes and coats.
So yes, quite a lot of clothes all told.
Must get back to it, it is currently all covering my bed.
*With the exception of the velvet skirt bought from the Jigsaw outlet shop that I intend to wear just as soon as I can find (1) a top to go with it, (2) an appropriate venue.
The answer, I think, is neither. I do have a lot of clothes. Other people get by with far fewer. On the other hand, I only possess clothes that I wear* and I tend to keep them a long time because I look after them and my weight/size doesn't vary a great deal within the reasonable lifetime of a garment. The real issue is that I have a lot of specialist clothes that I couldn't do without if I want to do the things that I do, and these take up a lot of space and have relatively limited overlap with other things. So I possess:
* A work wardrobe. Summer T-shirts and some more casual summer trousers get worn outside work, but that's about it. I do not need black polyester trousers in the rest of my life, and I don't really want my non-work clothes to acquire work associations.
* Seasonal non-work clothes. The UK has seasons, I feel the cold and though my house maintains a decent temperature by UK standards it does not maintain a steady one all year. I need summer and winter clothes both in and out. This also means complete changes of most underwear, because winter is thermal vests and woolly socks, and summer isn't.
* Really specialist clothes:
(1) Skiing. I own quite a lot of stuff for cross-country skiing, plus insulated trousers for downhill. All of this takes up quite a bit of space. The waterproof jackets do get other wear, some of the other stuff gets occasional hiking or gym use.
(2) Hot holiday clothes. My shorts do not get a lot of use in the Uk. Nor do those strappy sandals. I own two linen tops suitable for countries where some sort of elbow-plus sleeve is required in 35C, I am not going to get rid of them and have to buy new ones next time I travel to a desert.
(3) Summer holiday hiking gear. There is a point at which it is worth it.
* Stuff that I like to much to get rid of and that might come in one day for fancy dress. The Rupert of Hentzau jacket that was a mistake. The Laura Ashley skirt that wasn't and I got a lot of wear out of, but that these days awaits a Harry Potter themed party. The Gap sundress from 1998 that is really now too small, but I bought because it had a sort of Jane Austen air. Garments I made and was particularly proud of.
* Things to wear to weddings.
Oh yes, add shoes and coats.
So yes, quite a lot of clothes all told.
Must get back to it, it is currently all covering my bed.
*With the exception of the velvet skirt bought from the Jigsaw outlet shop that I intend to wear just as soon as I can find (1) a top to go with it, (2) an appropriate venue.