Dusky Threads

Sartorial experiments and existential crises.

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Sustainable fashion choices: $10 dollar dress from #suitcaserummage, ¥4000 vintage Levi's jacket from Harajuku Chicago, and vintage t-shirt ¥300 from Shimokitazawa Mode Off.

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Take Stock.

I am never at a loss for what I want to wear. I don’t have a large wardrobe. I have the one I ‘mostly’ want. 

I am an organisation addict. I trawl through pages and pages of organisation blogs looking for tips, hacks, inspiration, and sometimes, guidance. There is a special place in my heart for perfectly curated spaces. The neat folds of laundered linen or the perfectly aligned edges of a bookshelf or the complimentary clusters of glass jars. My wardrobe is no exception. I tried the 5-Piece French Wardrobe, the 30-Piece Wardrobe, the Minimalist Wardrobe, and the Konmari Method. If there is a wardrobe organisation movement, I have tried it. 

The number one question you ask yourself is what am I going to wear today?

It doesn’t matter if it’s for work, for an impromptu brunch, or a date. You are going to roll through all of the clothes you wear and think to yourself, ‘I have nothing to wear’. But that’s not entirely true is it? You have an entire wall, wardrobe, or cabinet full of clothes. Some of them you wear to death, some you think you should wear, and some you’ve completely forgotten about. I’m not here to tell you that you have too much clothes. Only you can decided what is too much for you. If you don’t like repeating clothes more than once a week, then your wardrobe might be a reflection of that. If you wear the same thing day in and day out, then why would you need anything more?

What I want you to do though is take stock of what you have. 

If you don’t care what you own and you don’t care what you’re going to wear tomorrow then you probably aren’t reading this. If you are then I am not surprised that you are internally angry that I am telling you what to do. 

And before you tell me that you have no time, everyone has time. You just choose what you do with it. You make your own priorities. I am not here to tell you what they should be. 

I choose to organise so I can spend my time admiring my organising. I, also, choose do the laundry at home. I know what clothes are coming out of the machine and going into my wardrobe. I, also, go through my clothes every fortnight to organise them and remove lonely hangers. I purge my clothes every season. But I am not wasteful either. Some of my clothes, I’ve had for twelve years now. The thing is, I know what I have on rotation and I know what I have in storage. This makes it easy to buy what I want when I want it instead of when I need it. 

Start with a cull

The bedrock of all great organisation is culling. These are for clothes that you are certain you will never wear, are stained or damaged beyond repair, and ill-fitting. Ill-fitting doesn't just mean oversized or undersized, it's the cut, the fabric, the stitching, it's something that makes the clothing uncomfortable to you. Remember that this is all about you.

If you're not sure about an item or you love an item, but you're not feeling it at the moment, keep it to one side, we will get back to these later.

Create Lists

I decided to divide my inventory into three lists: In Rotation, In Storage, and In Progress. I divided In Rotation and In Storage into the types of clothing: dresses, blouses, t-shirts, shorts, skirts, shoes, pants, jeans, and knits. You can divide yours however you want. It is after all your wardrobe and only you know what kind of clothing you own.

     In Rotation are the clothes in your wardrobe, your laundry basket, and hanging in your line. They are the clothes you will choose from everyday.

     In Storage are the clothes in storage. That's either seasonal or annual or long-term. I don't have a seasonal storage, I have an occasion-based one. I store items I don't want to wear out or I need for certain occasions.

     In Progress includes my wishlist and items that I want to get altered. As they are realised, you move them out of one list and into the other.

Count your clothes

This is the difficult part. I usually take everything out, sort them into type, count them, and return them into the wardrobe as they are counted. I usually start with pants because I love feeling the weight of my denims as I slide them back into place.

Make sure you add identifying descriptions so you aren’t writing down fifty button shirts. 

Here’s my inventory as an example.

Choose a finite number for each item of clothing

I assign arbitrary numbers to everything I own. I own exactly four hats: two straw, one felt, and one cap. I own exactly four pairs of jeans: wide-legged, high-waist skinny, low-waist skinny, and mid-rise boyfriend. I decided on these numbers based on what I wear and how often I wear them. I'm not going to own fifty pairs of denim if I am only going to wear two. 

Only have on rotation the items that you want to wear. 

Those items that you want to keep for sentimental reasons or because they were expensive but you're not feeling them can be stored. I have large vacuum bags sorted into types of clothing. It’s the bench for clothes. When your star players get tired, you just take them off rotation and replace them with a substitute.

 You might be thinking that you don't have space for any of this. I live in a one-bedroom apartment I share with my partner. I have one wardrobe and one shelf for my undies and my socks. I hang everything but my t-shirts. If I want to buy something, I have to remove something from my wardrobe or as a replacement for an old article of clothing. I have an arbitrary number of items because I don't have the space for multiple items. I started my inventory to curb my impulse spending, hours looking for clothes, and the stress of having to find something to wear to a ball or a wedding or someone's random event at a quirky space. This stops me from buying something I later despise. This is how I make things easier for myself, and I hope that this helps you too.

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Warm winter days

Oversized vintage woollen coat from ebay, high-neck button down from suitcase rummage, black midi skirt from my sister’s wardrobe.

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When Pants become life

Leandra Medine, the undefeated Queen of fashion girls, once wore the same outfit for three days straight. I once grimaced as I read that. I usually re-wear pants and outerwear after they've had a day's rest. They lounge on the back of chairs or hang from the back of doors. They take the time out for themselves so they can re-coup and re-energise. They deserve it. After all, they spend the entirety of their time making me look good.

               Then, a pair of pants came along so beautiful and so comfortable that I felt a terrible pain in the vicinity of my heart each time I had to take them off. As a self-confessed pants rebel, I couldn't fathom a time when they didn't encase my legs or embraced my waist. I regretted not buying two pairs. I regretted over-wearing it. I regretted not wearing it.

               They're Adidas and they're navy. They're high-waisted and they're tapered. But, the icing on my fluffy sweatpants-cake, are the multi-coloured ribbing on the ankles. I wear them with button downs, and I wear them on their own. The clean freak in me wants to wash them, but there is a part of me that dreads the inevitable stiffness that will creep into them.