Summer Wardrobe Assessment
You may recall that I spent the season away from home, so I packed up my summer clothes! Here’s the post about my seasonal plan, and here’s how I organized my closet-away-from-home. Now that we’re coming to the end of the season (how did that happen), I’m assessing how I did.
Here’s the list from the aforementioned post:
Basics I wear all the time: I definitely wore my favorite basic crops a lot. Light jackets, not so much, but I didn’t have too many.
Natural fabrics: Definitely my most-worn pieces were the ones in natural fabrics.
Easy dresses: I wore dresses a lot, but a lot of my dresses didn’t get worn. Know what I mean?
Sandals and sneakers: I was constantly in sandals or sneaks, though I definitely brought down way more sneakers than I really needed.
Summer accessories (hats and scarves): Three of my hats were in use almost all the time (my raffia bucket hat, yellow bucket hat, and neon cap), though I had others that were never worn. I didn’t wear many scarves, but because I didn’t pack that many, I’m not bothered about it.
To be honest, I didn’t wear a lot of my summer clothes! Even some that were favorites last summer. Now, a lot of the clothes I brought I wear in at least one other season as well. But I will definitely be going through these pieces and downsizing this section of my closet.
I already have a small pile of clothes that I plan on divesting from my wardrobe. They either didn’t fit well, were uncomfortable for hot weather, or weren’t quite what I wanted out of them anymore. I love to identify these pieces in the moment so they don’t sneak back in, to be forgotten about.
I also packed too much that wasn’t very summery! In defense of that, however, I have to say that it was very chilly in the beginning of summer so I did need some jeans and sweaters (and it’s getting surprisingly chilly again!). But overall, I packed too many pieces that are really better for spring and fall.
So, how did I do? Pretty okay! I prefer being over-prepared to under-prepared and having plenty of options. It’s going to be fun to go through these clothes immediately following the season, so my preferences are fresh in my head. I’ll be able to say with confidence, “I’m not going to wear this again - farewell!”
Once I’m settled back home, I’m going to go through my summer clothes and ask myself these questions.
Is it wearable?
Pieces get wear and tear. Some is fixable, and some may not be worth it to you to fix.
If warrants repair, put it to the side so that you can add this to your task list.
Did I wear this?
A decent barometer!
Not the end-all-be-all of clothing assessment.
If so, did I enjoy wearing it?
If the answer to this question is no, away it goes!
If the answer to this question is yes, keep it!
If not, was it because I didn’t have an occasion?
Though I dress up for anything and everything, I do have clothes that feel appropriate for only certain kinds of activities, which don’t always come in up a season.
Example: I didn’t attend any weddings this season, so didn’t wear my more wedding-appropriate looks. which don’t always come up in a season.
Forgivable pass for me.
Or because I kept picking something else instead?
If it’s always a contender but never gets selected, that’s an indicator as well.
It’s good to have options, but too many are overwhelming.
Would I wear it if I had the opportunity?
Even if something didn’t come up this summer, it could happen in the future so I want to be prepared.
This is why I don’t use time as a sole measurement of closet worthiness.
Is it suitable for hot weather?
I was surprised at how much of my summer clothing was not good in hot weather!
This means either find another home, or keep it with another season.
I hope this assessment was interesting and informative! I love to see this kind of thing. If you need help sorting through your closet or perhaps setting up seasonal wardrobes, I’d love to help!