Depends on what it is. Anything thats not a dress shirt and has not been worn for say at least a few years gets sent to the clothes dropbox. But only when I get around to it. T shirts and old socks become cleaning rags.

With nice shoes I do try to find a reason to wear them. Usually Fridays or the weekend on my errands. In late December its possible the weather will cool here in Southeast Texas. But there are no guarantees. If we get lucky with some cool weather then I will put on some nice clothes and go buy a few things at the supermarket. Maybe even walk through the mall to look at all the polyester I would never buy. It’s something to do and a reason to dress up.

 

I have been going thru my closets trying to figure this out. In the Midwest, we need such a variety of clothing because of the weather. Cotton crew sweaters are certainly less useful than wool. Yet, how many wool sweaters do I want to keep? I have decided on two and one cardigan. How many cotton? One linen crew is for certain. Three cotton crews are rarely worn but could become useful as the weather is changing now. Outerwear is another story. It is harder to figure out what to keep and what is really necessary.

 

I have too many of everything. Golf shirts? Maybe 30. Golf shorts? 15-ish. T-shirts, long and short sleeved, maybe 30. Button downs? 25. Casual (non-jeans) pants? 15. Jeans, 6. Sweaters, 15. Suits, 6, single jackets, 6. The things on top of the drawer, or in front in the closet get the majority of the wear. I need to pare it down, but I really LIKE most of what I have, and I hate to get rid of a good item. I've always said you're allowed to have as many things as you have room for. Based on some of what I've seen/heard on this forum, I'm not the only one....

 

I agree, especially regarding suits. Six suits is a fine number to have, even if you don't wear one every day. Six different denim jackets would be one thing. However, given all the different materials, weaves and styles to choose from, six still strikes me as a functional amount.

 

I have a closet full of stuff I have barely worn in many years and I have 1 sport jacket and I think 2 dress jackets I was trying on just before with my glasses on I kinda resemble a president of a company but I think one of them might still fit after all these years.

 

I have a reasonably good wardrobe, but it is pretty much made up of things that get worn as regularly as the weather and my packed social life allow. I do have a few things that get worn quite rarely, but if the occasion pops up, I am glad to have them. I do note some things that I could wear, but for whatever reason, they aren't getting picked lately, but I am confident they will get their chance. Well, perhaps i ought to say I am as confident they will see their day as I am of the climate. If the rare item comes along that just does not get worn, it is likely to go to the Fig Leaf at University Methodist to start a new life. I recently donated a lovely pair of tan medallion cap toes. I just had to acknowledge that I did not like dressy shoes in tan and I would pretty much always pick loafers over oxfords.

 

I've been working remotely since 3/11/2020. I never had to dress in any particular way at the office; common sense guided the dress code. In the first months of working from home I wore flannel shirts and jeans every day (what I typically wear on weekends in cooler months). In summer I wore (and still wear) shorts and t-shirts, and a long-sleeve shirt and a straw hat for sun protection when I go outside. (I had a warm-weather wardrobe for the office, but if I'm at home there's no point.)

That fall I realized that I had a large amount of clothing that was going unworn, and I resolved to dress as though I was going to the office. In this way I get use from my long-sleeve shirts, sweaters, corduroys and heaver-weight chinos, etc. (One difference: I don't wear shoes in the house.) Anytime I have weekend plans, a doctor appointment, or other events, I use the opportunity to put a bit more effort into what I'm wearing.

I still have clothing that doesn't get worn or gets less use than it should, but that would be true even if I was still going to a workplace daily, and I do periodic culling and donation. At the moment I have roughly two dozen pairs of sneakers and other casual shoes that need to go away; many of these are things I probably should have thought twice about buying. I am trying to add fewer new items, but things still tempt me, as always.

 

Things still tempt me also. It might be the color that I would like to try or a picture that I have seen of someone wearing a sweatshirt or both at the same time. I have six sweatshirts because of this.

 

I confess to a weakness for a few select items I long admired but never acquired: An end on end blue button down, a navy tape stripe button down, challis bowties in olive and in maize, a navy duffel, a grey seersucker suit. It is possible one or more of these will pop up at a decent price. I will noodle over whether to expand my wardrobe, and invariably I'll miss out. Sometimes I take years to make what is, at heart, an impulse purchase. The recent marathon ruminations over Harrington jackets made me search for a navy blue, size 42, made in USA London Fog jacket in that style. I found one, and the price, as I recall, was ok, about $30. So I still wonder, thinking to myself that I have one already, in butter yellow. My father's Scottish voice echoes in my head. "Thank you. No." Ironically, thinking back over clearing out his closet and dresser many years ago, he handed out that advice pretty freely but did not really follow it himself. Still, it shapes me to this day.

 

I would love a gray seersucker suit. I have eyed J. Press's offering for at least three summers, but I wouldn't get any use out of it.

 

I remember that I had two London Fog jackets in yellow over the years. In the Midwest, that color is not popular at all but in SoCal, I fit right in.

 

Retired for years, I rotate things just to wear them. Shoes, yes I walk in brogues some time. I'll slip dressy shirts under a jacket to go shopping. Can't wait to pull out 3 wool casual jackets for my walks. luv that look.

 

I now only donate clothes and shoes if I am absolutely sure I will never wear them again. I donated a sport coat last year and regretted it months later. Fortunately, I found the same brand, style, color, and size on eBay for a great price.

I try to wear at least occasionally what I own not because I feel I should because it's in my closet, but because I truly like the item and enjoy wearing it. My problem is I have too much of the same, for example, duplicates or same style (or similar) and size but different color. I highly doubt any of my clothes and shoes will ever be too worn out for me to wear again!

 

I collect things in my kitchen. There are copper pans, tinned molds, carbon steel pans, white Pillivuyt and Apilco, carbon steel knives, wooden spoons, and many other items in my not very large kitchen. Ages ago and out of necessity I adopted a modified one year rule. If it does not get used at least once a year, it needs to find a new owner. This works pretty well as one year covers all of the holidays (occasions for which I might make something special), seasonal fruits and vegetables, etc. There are a very few exceptions, like the tinned fish poacher (It is not a regular thing to poach a young salmon or make quenelles Nantua), the terrine and the tinned mold for pate, and the immersion blender (I almost always opt to "do it by hand, the way I was taught," but it was nice to have the IB to make thirty second mayonnaise when I went to spread the toasted sourdough for a BLT and discovered I was out of mayonnaise).

Some similar rule may need to be created for certain foods. The corner of an open shelf that holds olive oils and vinegars sits above a vinegar crock and shows red wine, white wine, Banyuls, everyday balsamic, fancy balsamic, rice wine, Sherry, apple cider, and malt vinegars along with verjus. Yes, I know I am out of Champagne vinegar. I am still looking for one I really love. Fortunately, everyday olive oil and one or two nicer ones meets this crazy need. A similar challenge may exist in the niche for salts. Fortunately, my penchant for salts seems to be contracting rather than growing. I know sel de Guerande is revered as a finishing salt, and Himalayan pink salt seems pretty popular, but I just don't get the hype for either. Give me Halen Mon or Maldon for finishing and very fine sel de Bex for popcorn. Anyway, to the matter at hand...

My wardrobe does not fill my closet, although my ties nearly fill my tie rack. If I ever reach the stage of needing more storage capacity for clothes, I'll probably adopt the modified one year rule I use in the kitchen. For ties, I hope something akin to my salt and vinegar collecting tendencies will naturally lead to reining in my adding of ties before the last few pegs are filled, leading to some sort of crisis.