worndrobe wins 1: downsizing to 33 items
worndrobe wins 1: downsizing to 33 items
a new series with a play on the word, wardrobe, using "worn" to emphasize the purpose of owning clothes—for it to be worn.
If you cringed at the title of this post, so did I. But it’s my Substack, containing my own cringey compilation of posts that might get privated the day someone from high school discovers my identity so… anyway!
Why “worndrobe”?
I spent 2 minutes contemplating a fun alliterative name for this series because alliteration just gets me, with the goal of showcasing the idea that my wardrobe contains items that I get very good use and wear out of. It’s not even about owning a wardrobe filled with expensive, slow fashion items or purchasing entirely secondhand (because truthfully, 80% of the items in my closet were bought brand new). At this point, the goal is to wear them. Hence, the play on the word “wardrobe” and changing it to worndrobe.
Moving on from the cringe, you’ll be seeing new posts from this series pop up whenever something substantial has changed, whether it be reaching a certain goal, discovering a new style for myself, ways I’m shifting my wardrobe to reflect a new era of life…
I also realize that if I find myself struggling, I could also change the title to “worndrobe woes”, so it’s just flexible! And fun! I love it, and hopefully so do you!
I track all my clothing items using Notion, because it is, in my opinion, the smartest and most efficient way to visualize what I currently own. I focus primarily on clothing items, excluding accessories (purses, belts, hats), shoes, jewelry, tech (Apple Watch), swimwear, and pajamas. Therefore, I will not be showcasing non-clothing items here simply because it doesn’t count as part of my 33-item wardrobe goal that will be discussed further in the second section of this newsletter.
I’ve listed out all my clothing items by category below. The parenthesis will first contain how much I spent on the item, or if it was gifted (which essentially means I spent $0 on it). The number after the comma indicates whether the item was purchased new (straight from the brand or department store), secondhand (purchased from a thrift store or had a previous owner), or traded (received this item in exchange for one of mine).
TOPS
Everlane Supima Micro Crew in Navy ($40, New)
Everlane Supima Micro Crew in Black ($40, New)
Vaughan Hepburn Silk Shirt (Gifted, New)
Uniqlo Heattech Turtleneck in Black ($19.90, New)
Uniqlo Heattech Turtleneck in White ($19.90, New)
Harvard T-Shirt ($15, New)
Maiwa Tank (Gifted, Secondhand)
SWEATERS
Express Knit Sweater (Gifted, New)
Sézane Léontine Jumper ($125, New)
Champion Reverse Weave Hoodie (Gifted, New)
Popflex Mockneck (Gifted, New)
Harvard Champion Hooded Sweatshirt ($64.98, New)
The Harvard Shop Pro-Weave Crewneck ($50, New)
Harvard x Patagonia Quarter Zip (Gifted, New)
babaà cardigan no18 ($259.831, Traded)
OUTERWEAR
Sézane Betty Cardigan ($170, New)
Sézane Auguste Jacket ($235, New)
Patagonia Puffer (Gifted, New)
Aritzia Cloud Puff (Gifted, New)
Free People Downtown Cardigan ($33, New)
Uniqlo Full-Zip Hoodie ($20, New)
Mr. Beans’ Old Work Jacket (Gifted, New)
AmeriCorps Windbreaker (Gifted, Secondhand)
LONG PANTS
Not Perfect Linen Puglia Pants ($115, New)
Everlane Dream Pant ($88, New)
Uniqlo Joggers ($29.90, New)
Lululemon Wunder Trains ($98, New)
SHORTS
Harvard Track Shorts (Gifted, New)
Lululemon Innter Glow Short in Black ($58, New)
Lululemon Run Off Route High Rise Short in Black ($58, New)
DRESSES
Christy Dawn Nicks Dress ($253.30, New)
Christy Dawn Margaux Dress ($222, New)
The Heirloom Midi Dress ($161.672, Traded)
Here are some stats:
3 Secondhand | 9 Gifted but New | 21 New
7 Tops | 8 Sweaters | 8 Outerwear | 4 Long Pants | 3 Shorts | 3 Dresses
12 Slow Fashion | 21 Fast Fashion
I created the post below on February 5, 2024. I described how I wanted to cull my wardrobe down to 33 items. Why 33? Truthfully, it was inspired by Courtney Carver’s “Project 333”, but also, it felt like a solid number to stick to. There was truthfully no rhyme or reason beyond that. Plus, I enjoy giving myself a challenge especially when it comes to intentional consumption and achieving a more minimal something, in this case, that “something” being my wardrobe.
Let’s go through step-by-step, whether I addressed each section of the post and if I did, how I did it.
Visualize my dream wardrobe and align it with what I currently own: I kind of did this? I think there was a point where I really loved and appreciated the cottage-core aesthetic. I still do, but I’m not actively trying to get there. I also am not trying to add any more items to my wardrobe. After making the aforementioned post above, the only two items I’ve added to my wardrobe were the trades from LuckySweater (the cardigan and dress).
Learn more about color theory and high quality fabrics. I did not learn about color theory, but I did learn more about high quality fabrics! I know that there is strong discourse around the need to own natural fabrics, such as cotton or linen, and to stay away from synthetics, such as acrylic or polyester. Considering the two items I added to my wardrobe, I partially stuck to this rule. The babaà is made of 100% Spanish cotton and the dress is made of viscose.
DECLUTTER PILE
High maintenance items: I was considering selling my Sézane pieces (I know, I know, I know I literally purchased them earlier this year), but I felt like the Léontine didn’t look that great on me, and I was too scared to wash the Betty (made of merino wool and hand-washing is recommended) and the Auguste (also recommended to hand wash). However, after a few months of wearing them, I’ve decided to keep and get more uses out of them. After all, that is the most sustainable and cost-effective way to make use of them considering it’s impossible for me to resell the items at the same price I purchased them for.
Clothes that give “undergrad” instead of “cozy corporate”. So… some changes here. I definitely am not going for the cozy corporate vibe anymore. Truthfully, I’m just going for comfortable. Even if it doesn’t look “good” on me, I just want to feel and look comfortable, since whenever I feel like the air is getting sucked out of me due to a tight waistband, it is very obvious that I’m suffering. But in terms of decluttering items that give “undergrad” energy, all of them are g o n e. I was able to sell my cropped Lululemon tops, my Aritzia crop top, two of my Skims bodysuits, and two high waisted shorts which were my go-to bottoms for clubbing and bar hopping.
Duplicates of the same item. As mentioned in #2, I sold my Lululemon tops, which I owned 3 of (grey, white, and black). Earlier this year, I purchased two Everlane tops of the same style—yes, I know! How scandalous! But I am only justifying it by wearing the absolute heck out of it and interchanging between shirts throughout the week so I don’t have to launder it every single week.
Resellable clothes I feel meh about. I listed a bunch of “meh” clothes and they’re still waiting for their buyer! It could be considered misleading as these listed items aren’t a part of the 33 items above. However, they are located in a designated part of my wardrobe that I rarely touch, so yes, they are taking up space. I’m hoping I could sell them by September. If it hasn’t sold by then, I will be 1) asking friends or my parents if they want them, and with the leftovers, 2) post them on my local No Buy page. Most likely, my mom will agree to take it all since she hoards all my old clothes.
Ah, future goals since I’ve reached my numeric goal of owning 33 items in my wardrobe. Here are a few of mine at this moment—these are loosely held goals without any “due date” in mind:
1. Rebalance wardrobe categories.
I own 8 sweaters and 8 pieces of outwear. That’s… pretty excessive, considering I live in sunny Southern California, and truthfully have no need for this amount. I will be documenting my cost per use throughout the year and re-evaluate the items that could be sold and replaced, or traded with!
Here are some items that could potentially be on the chopping block this year:
Express Knit Sweater: My mom purchased this in 2020 brand new during an Express sale, and she gave it for me to wear since she was sick of me wearing the same sweater over and over again one weekend this year. It’s a plain black cotton knit, nothing wrong with it, but I’d like to return it to her now that the weather is getting hotter. I’m thinking of this piece as a temporary borrow during the wintertime. Who knows—she might convince me to borrow it again next winter!
Harvard Track Shorts: I wear these pretty often, but I feel like my Lululemon shorts stand the test of time because they cut looks much better on my body, and they are more sweat wicking than these track shorts. I remember purchasing these shorts at the Coop right before graduation, and while they served their purpose for the time being, if I find someone who will take these off my hands, I will gladly give/sell it to them!
Christy Dawn Margaux Dress: This is a dress I’ve been iffy with for a bit. It’s cute… and I’ve worn it to work. However, I wish it were midi-length, because it feels a tad too inappropriate to work. I would like a versatile work dress and hope to either trade this or sell it to purchase a work/social versatile dress.
Uniqlo Full-Zip Hoodie & Joggers: I made this purchase around October 2020 when I moved to Boston in preparation for the Boston winter. It was excellent. The joggers especially helped me survive through single digit degree weather. This is a big I’m not sure because if I were to go back to the cold seasons again, I would love to bring these. A con is that they’re not waterproof and they are not breathable! I’ve found myself sweating buckets while wearing them, but also while it’s 10 degrees Farenheit outside. It’s such a peculiar experience. That’s a downside about certain Uniqlo products—lack of breathability! The hoodie and joggers are the same color though, so it is a cute fit when worn out. This set feels like a “just in case”.
Uniqlo Heattech Turtleneck in White: I already own one in the black colorway, and fitted shirts look better in darker colors, at least on my body. The only thing is that Uniqlo pieces are difficult to sell since they’re already so cheap to begin with, so if I were to really declutter this, it would be on the No Buy page.
2. Own two comfortable outdoor pants.
The only comfortable pair of pants I own right now are the Not Perfect Linen Puglia Pant. They might be my “dream” pant, if we were to use that label. Ironically, I own the Everlane Dream Pant, and while I loved wearing it at first, the Puglia quickly took over. The Everlane pair is nice, but because it’s a heavier material, it’s better for more formal occasions. As a researcher, I don’t have a need to look formal for my PI. At least not at this moment in my career.
I have my eyes on secondhand Puglias, but it’s pretty difficult to find in my size and the colorway I want! I'm just going to assess the secondhand market from time to time, and purchase whenever I see one that fits my criteria. I do not want to be buying new anymore (more for sustainability than financial reasons), which is why I’m waiting it out.
3. All “new” items that enter my wardrobe must be secondhand.
And yes, this includes items that get gifted to me! I understand that I can’t predict when someone will gift an item to me, but I know that Mr. Beans and my parents have been the only people since undergrad (2015) who have gifted me clothing. Therefore, I will be telling them to not purchase clothes for me (I know they have stigma against secondhand clothing in viewing it as dirty so even if I requested secondhand pieces, they would refuse).
The only exceptions I’ll make for this rule are: 1) items that could potentially be unsanitary despite laundry washing, such as underwear or swimwear (one pieces or bottoms) and 2) shoes because comfortable ones may be difficult to find.
4. One-in-one-out policy is necessitated to maintain inventory quality.
It is natural to want clothing items, especially ones by slow fashion brands that align with my values. However, if I want to add something new into my wardrobe, I must sell, gift, or donate something in my closet to maintain the number of items in my closet. A great way I’ve been doing this is by trading on LuckySweater (an app I’ve talked profusely about since I discovered it in May). The only thing is that there needs to be interest in trading with one of my items. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to trade 2 Christy Dawn dresses so far, but I also acknowledge that LuckySweater is a unique app in that it only accepts a certain list of brands, and that I can’t just trade any random clothing item, especially if it’s from a brand outside of the list.
5. Giving an item away for free (e.g., gifting, donating) is only allowed once the documented CPU (cost per use) of the item is $5 or lower.
This is actually a tricky rule because I think most items in my closet have pretty low CPU. However, I just started actively tracking my wears on February 20, 2024, so a lot of the CPU values aren’t accurate. Rather than assuming that most of the items in my wardrobe have less than $5 in CPU, I’m starting over as an attempt to get more wear out of my clothing items.
Note that this only involves giving an item away for free! If I wanted to sell or trade it, this rule does not apply. I don’t have a rule in terms of the resell amount minimum; however, I try to aim to reap at least 50% of how much I originally paid for. Perhaps I’ll revisit this rule if I encounter reselling an item for very cheap.
I’ve had this draft saved for a few weeks now, and after coming back to Substack after 2 weeks of taking a break from it, it just feels so comforting and familiar! Ah. Writing, especially “blog” style, is so much fun.
I can’t promise posting on a schedule, but I would love to try to post at least twice a month—once for the monthly list, and another one with a fun topic (like this post!) from my saved drafts. Not even kidding, but I have 25 drafts on here that are waiting to be written up, finalized, and published.
Thank you so much for reading, and most importantly, if you stayed a subscriber after my last announcement. Cheers to 700 subscribers!
—Beans
Where to find me: Instagram | Goodreads | Letterboxd | Notion Templates | Wealthfront
Despite paying around $5 for shipping, I calculated the dollar amount for this item by taking the amount of money I paid for the item I traded this with and added it to the shipping cost. This allows me to fairly calculate cost per use for these trades.
See Footnote 1.