Closet Conundrum

It's been a while since I've had the energy or inspiration to write a blog.

Ax and I moved out of the bungalow and into a real-life grownup apartment a few weeks ago, and the move has left me feeling exhausted and a bit suffocated by the un-housable piles of stuff. There are photo albums and nostalgic trinkets, bits and pieces of jewellery, stuffed animals and art projects from as far back as I can remember, but most of this "stuff" consists of clothes with no place to live except the boxes that brought them here.

Having overindulged in my mum's cooking during our stay at the bungalow, a few extra kilos have somehow found their way to my thighs. Only a handful of my extensive wardrobe can be pulled on past my knees, and as for doing up my skinny jeans?...Not a chance! With the extra inches, getting dressed has become a time consuming exercise of persistence and compromise. Ax can verify that many a morning has quickly turned from lax to teary after trawling through my wardrobe in search of an outfit that provides both comfort and confidence.

Now that half my wardrobe is loosely piled in cardboard boxes in our bedless bedroom, assembling a wearable outfit elicits an intensity of anxiety that could be described as something akin to a mini panic attack. On several occasions I've given up and thrown on some hideous combination just to get out of the house, and consequently spent the day feeling frumpy, daggy or invisible. Part of the problem is that I am overwhelmed by the overabundance of choice. I like to vary my style to suit my mood and to avoid uniform dressing, but this has resulted in an incohesive wardrobe where mix and match is rarely successful.

So, I decided to clean out and streamline my wardrobe. This task is a work in progress rather than an overnight fix. I pulled about forty pieces of clothing from my collection (bags, shoes, pyjamas, dresses, jackets and t-shirts) to begin the process; Some loved but out of style, some too small, others rarely worn, and a handful that had never been worn. Many will be sold (hopefully) on eBay and a few will go to charity bins.

Next, I need to decide what my perfect wardrobe would consist of, but I don't know where to start!

Although I like the idea of a capsule wardrobe, in practise I think it's terribly restricting. Yes, it would be great for a holiday, but for real life I need more options. Once quiet day at work, I actually tried to sketch every necessary item for my capsule wardrobe in as much detail as could be achieved using one squared cm for each item...I ran out of room on the page. I am certain now that I could never be a minimalist.

There are several items that I could not forseeably live without.
1. Dark skinny jeans (not to be worn with item no.2)
2. Vintage wash denim jacket
3. Black leggings (not to be worn as pants)
4. Floral/patterned mini dress
5. American Apparel 'V' neck t-shirts in neutral colours (white, grey, olive)
That's basically it!

Now that I've worked out what my essential items are, I can finally begin to make sense of my wardrobe.

A magazine cutout that styled a denim jacket in several ways is providing me with inspiration this week and reducing my outfit anxiety. Many of the featured outfits incorporated pieces and styles I already own, so all I have to do is choose a look and pull the pieces from my collection.

These girls rock their denim jackets!

Chloe Sevigny

Rachel Bilson

Miranda Kerr