A closet, to most of us, is a deep look into a person's most intimate history. To the front you'll find a presented image, what we want others to see in the here and now. Dance your fingers halfway back and you'll start to find the personalities that were tried on for size and deemed unfit. Delve deep to see beloved reminders of a past you're crafting to remember.
My closet is a reflection of my personality. Or personalities, in this case. Organized chaos reigned supreme. Geminis are notorious for multiple personalities and my closet leaves no doubt as to my zodiac sign. Want a preppy look? No problem. Bring on the J Crew. Tailored work wear? Welcome to the mini Theory store I appear to have created. Floaty, feminine frocks? Mais oui, mon ami! Twenties flapper, granola girl, rocker chic? Enter, my friends, and find that special place where there is always something to wear.
Until there's not. Anything to wear, that is. As long as I can remember, most mornings have found me standing naked in front of the closet, cup of joe in hand that my poor partner delivers in the hopes of assuaging the coming storm, sighing heavily and thinking I.HAVE.NOTHING.TO.WEAR. The idea of putting any single piece of clothing I own is revolting. I hate you, closet, with your mad mix of motifs that almost worked. I hate you, closet, with all your sale colors that never quite worked. I hate you, closet, with your safe preppy twenty something looks.
After spending a decade with a closet full of nothing to wear, we decided to have a child. Having nothing to wear takes on a new meaning after birthing a child. Mini-Me (my former size 2 self) moaned pitifully and would not leave the house if she wasn't wearing the perfect outfit. WorkingGirlMe just shopped. And shopped. And shopped. Pregnancy-Me just ate peanut butter and ice cream and bought stretchy pants and thought, "Screw it. I may only get to do this once." Sixty pounds later (yes, you read that right), Mommy-Me closed the doors to the closet and routinely wore yoga pants and my partner's favorite sweatshirts for a year while losing weight. All the more reason to breastfeed, ladies! You can eat whatever you want and they weight still flies off the derriere.
Fast forward to emerging ToddlerWorkingMomMe: I've lost all the weight, and then some, that I managed to collect between seven years of having fun and two years of crazy pregnancy weight gain. I'm 5'10", 131 pounds on a good day, and feeling pretty good about myself. Until I enter my closet, that is. What should be the happiest room in the house (yay! I can fit in it again) is the most depressing. Nothing, literally nothing, fits properly anymore. I've either stretched it out or refuse to pour myself into it. It's mostly dressy, young twenty something wear that I would rather poke an eye out than put on. Low slung jeans that you just cannot wear to a baby play date, unless someone needed a plumber, of course. A beautiful, totally useless collection of formal dresses hand there, looking lonely. I need an overhaul. For realz.
Now if you're thinking this is a bit dramatic, bear with me (and my hormones). After collecting clothes for almost two decades, perhaps it really is time for an overhaul. A start all over, planned purge of everything I own. Can I still fit into the pants I bought in Italy the summer of my 18th year? High five, yes I can! Does that mean I should wear them? The answer is a resounding no.
I am a know it all. An emotional person who nonetheless views the world in black and white. You're doing it right, or you're doing it wrong. Do it all the way, or don't do it at all. And I know I am doing my closet wrong. So it is time to research how to do my closet right. First I stumble upon the "capsule wardrobes" when Googling how to streamline your closet. Capsule wardrobes are small, self contained collections that coordinate and can be worn many different ways for different looks. You can have a capsule for each season, or one basic capsule that you add seasonal items to. I spend hours creating a Pinterest board with Capsule Wardrobe collections, but find most are geared towards SAHM (stay at home mom) or traveling business women. Neither is me, at the moment. The highlight of the Capsule Wardrobe research is finding Project 333. http://theproject333.com/ The goal is to live with less. By developing a 3 month (seasonal) wardrobe with 33 items per season, you always have something to wear and don't own too much. You then rotate 4 times per year and voila! A Type A organized closet. I get super excited and decide this is what I'm going to do. Until I realize that we really only have two seasons here in the coastal south, and do I really want to spend months planning a wardrobe like P333? No. Love the idea, but not quite right.
P333 leads me on my Google hunt to Into Mind. The author, Anuschka Rees, is an amazing 24 year old German girl who has crafted the ultimate site in defining, and living with, your personal style. http://into-mind.com/2013/01/06/10-step-wardrobe-revamp/ The mecca of designing a wearable closet for keeps. I'm hooked. Step by step directions, advice on developing uniforms and color palettes, and the author constantly stresses the need to purchase high-quality items that you truly love and more importantly, mesh with the rest of your collection.
Into Mind offers the turning point. I start thinking about my new, soon to be wardrobe as a collection, not just a closet. Step by step, I'm following into-mind's path to a cleaner, love filled closet. And it's working. I think.
I'm in the process of selling/donating/giving everything away and starting over. With a plan this time. I'm famous for closet clean outs. My friends get super excited when they hear me moan about being tired of my closet...they know a bag full of goodies is on its way. The most recent clean outs started with MiniMe's clothes disappearing last year when Zucca was 4 months old. I was convinced nothing would ever fit again and in a fit of hormones gave everything away. Oops. PregnancyMe ditched the stretchy, baby stained clothes faster than you can say Goodwill. MommyMe cannot stand the thought of restrictive or overtly sexy clothing. Which leaves Work-Me pretty much screwed as all the others have given away clothes or refuse to wear them.. I've been inching back into the professional world, and until now just haven't needed more than a handful of decent clothes. What I haven't consigned or donated doesn't fit right. Pants fall off and shirts make me look like a Playboy Mommy with heaving, milk-filled boobies (I knew they would get big...but not THAT big).
It's all about finding a balance between work and home. After being lucky enough to stay home and be a mostly full-time mother this past year, it's time for me to jump back into the workplace. And with that comes the need for a simpler, streamlined living style that allows me to go from work to home and back again on a moment's notice. Because as mothers we juggle a few more hats than most. And that's okay. Now I just need the clothes to match my new life.
I am rebuilding the basics of my closet. Into-Mind suggests starting with what you wear the most. So while it was tempting to order the chic work outfits, I forced myself to follow Into-Mind's suggestions. Ordered the James Jeans in Neo Beau (Vecchio) and T by Alexander Wang Muscle shirt in white. I've heard so much about both companies I couldn't resist. The items are shipped from Shopbop so I should have them tomorrow! Can't wait to try them on...