Ever get that feeling that you're surrounded by junk? Yep, thought so...

I knew I had to do something to my closet with I recognized that there were things that I would make a conscious effort to AVOID wearing if I could help it. Every time, the minute I thought caught myself in that thought I would think, 'Wait, I don't even like this...why am I keeping it?'

Then I would come up with some random justification like, 'I just need the right thing to wear with it' or 'I'll keep it for that rainy day where every other blessed thing in my closet is in the laundry bin.'

Still, both of those failed to satisfy my puzzled state of mind. I thought for sure that I would be forever stuck in this place where there was always SOMETHING I'd be holding onto be that out of guilt, sentimentality, or blind hope. Then I discovered - drum roll please - Kon Mari!

Kon Mari is a Japanese method of organization created by Marie Kondo, who - believe it or not - is Japanese (Who'd of thought?)

Her method is pretty simple; if the item does not "spark joy" then it needs to be tossed. Doesn't matter if it's your old high school sweatshirt or your grandmother's hand-knit sweater. No ifs or buts; if it doesn't actually make you happy, it doesn't belong.

She instructs that you MUST start with clothing working your way through a certain order of categories to maintain order once you have obtained it.

So I began the cleanse...

She literally says to throw everything in a pile in the middle of the room

Honestly, where did all this stuff come from??

After I had done that, I handle every item and took the time to notice whether or not it "sparked joy."

If it didn't, I tossed it into the donation pile, but NOT before thanking it for it's service.

Just look at all that stuff!

Yeah, I literally said, "Thank you" to a bunch of inanimate objects...it was weird.

It may feel stressful at first, but trust me, it feels so GOOD when everything you own is something that makes you happy!

Look at the difference!

Unfortunately, I don't have the BEFORE, but this seriously feels SO. MUCH. BETTER!

BEFORE bookshelf/desk cleanse

AFTER bookshelf/desk cleanse

That's the beautiful thing about capsule wardrobes, EVERYTHING gets worn, used, and loved.

If you have a true and honest capsule wardrobe, your entire closet should almost fit inside a medium to large suitcase. With that said, this means your closet will only be about 37 to 45 pieces. Yes, this includes shirts, jackets, coats, skirts, pants, jeans, and shoes.

If you want to be REALLY thrifty, it could also include your belts, hats, purses, and other accessories too. Why hold on to a ton of bags that you never use? Again, it just ends up a useless pile taking up space!

When the season starts changing, this is when you know it's time to change up the wardrobe and put some out of season things away. If the leaves on the trees are changing colors, sorry hon, but that means it's time for those pretty chiffon tanks and blouses to hibernate for the next little while.

Relax, you don't need to throw them out, just tuck them away in a storage bin or box for now.

You still want to keep it capsule-size, so don't go crazy on the shopping. For as many items as you put away, replace them with a season-appropriate piece. Or maybe you've been wearing that same argyle sweater for too many years and it's time for an update all together. That's fine too, but don't. Go. Overboard.

Funny thing with us humans, we feel the more choices we have, the more freedom we have. That's not always true. Personally, I find the more clothes in my closet, the longer my morning staring-at-the-closet-with-no-idea-what-to-wear session is. Keeping it simple means keeping it short.

You really have more options than you'd think! Three jackets, two jeans, four pairs of shoes, five shirts and blouses, three skirts, three pants, two coats, and three purses means you've got 6,480 different combinations! And that's only 25 articles of clothing!

Still holding that armful of clothes? Well? You going to let it just take up space or what?

Ta!

Jess

Believe it or not, my wardrobe consists of only about 42 pieces of clothing; be it a pair of shoes, shirt, blouse, skirt, pair of pants or a jacket. I'm one of those "weird" college students (if not the only one) that has room to spare in his or her dresser drawers and extra hanging space in the closet.

Do I hate shopping? That's a dumb question, of course not! Do I neglect updating my clothes to fit the appropriate season? Maybe. I just have never felt the need to have this excess of clothes that I don't know what to do with, or own a bulging closet of items, half of which I NEVER wear. Where's the wisdom in that?

How do I do this, you may ask? Simple. I stock my closet with the classic staples that go with anything (literally anything) and only buy a accent or statement piece if I absolutely LOVE it.

Admit it. We've all been there. You went shopping, bought an item you were more or less certain about, brought it home only to find to your ultimate disappointment you never actually wear it. Or worse, you consciously AVOID wearing it, even when it ends up being the last clean think in your closet for the week. Why? Because that item just didn't really say "you" when you took more than an impulse moment to think about, did it? Hmmm...shame.

So then, what are those staples?

Of course we're going to start with something we already know:

The nude shoe

Next up:

Black dress pants (personal favorite, more comfortable than jeans...there. I said it.)

white button down blouse - this can be both casual and dressy. Depending on how you wear it.

denim jacket - easy way to put an outfit together and dress it down a bit.

black blazer - an easy way to dress UP your ensemble.

tan khakis - when you're looking for that contrast between light and dark.

black dress shoes - classic shoe everyone needs in their closet

black skirt - need to give the dress pants a little slack? Trade it up!

white t-shirt - Just an honest basic that should always be there, whether for layering or contrast.

black t-shirt - Same thing. Great for layering or contrast.

jeans - Yes! Even I have jeans in my closet! Nothing beats a nice fitting pair of jeans on Casual Friday.

black dress - This should be an obvious one. Stand out at the party in this little black classic.

If these babies are in your closet you'll have an outfit for any occasion and something to match any piece you put on, because it all goes together!

Ta!

-Jess