how many garments do you have in your wardrobe?

[Melissa in Australia]

I was reading this article on BBC https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230502-how-to-make-your-wardrobe-sustainable it stated that you shouldn't have more than 74 garments in your wardrobe. So I wondered how many to other people have?

 

I just counted. I have 101   that includes all my coats/Jackets, dresses, tops, shirts  and skirts and my wedding dress. I only counted things hanging in my wardrobe. I didn't include things in drawers.

 

[Katy]

I have ruthlessly decluttered but I have Hundreds. Not going to count. And not going to minimize any more. I live in an area with not only 4 seasons, but where it’s cold enough in the winters I need a minimum of 3 winter coats so I can cover everything from just below freezing to the 40F to windchills of -60F (which is rare but happens often enough that I sometimes need to leave the house).

And I have a history of autoimmune issues so my weight can fluctuate a lot. I have everything from S to XXL. It would not be sustainable to get rid of things and need to re-purchase if I needed to go back on steroids and suddenly gained a lot of weight again. The sizes I’m not currently in are in storage bags & bins rather than hanging. And I typically keep off season clothes in storage too, but I keep down filled parkas and anything else that would be damaged by being folded or crushed hanging too. 

I have a large walk in closet so I probably have room for much more than I own. I do know what suits me (in cuts, colors, and fabrics). I always look to buy second hand first. More than half of my clothes and bags are second hand, even the ones from high end brands. I have search alerts set up with eBay & Thread Up so things I need in my current size are emailed to me when they come in. 

Also unless I’m exercising I prefer dresses to separates. 

[Lynn in al]

I think that's about right for me.

[Soror]

I had decluttered down to 30 pieces in my closet-- I know it was that much because I had a 30 pack of hangers and only had that much. I'm up from that now. I need to go through it again. I would guess 50 pieces now but dh is sleeping so I can't count.

But that is only part of the story as we have 4 seasons here and shorts are in my dresser. Also in my dresser are workout/hiking clothes (workout tanks and workout/hiking shorts/pants), under garments, and clothes I wear around the house. 

Edited May 7, 2023 by Soror

[Pawz4me]

I have 59 hanging items (including items in the hamper that will hang once washed).

That seems like way too many to me. There are four items I haven't worn in the last year that should be donated. Seven items are rarely worn but are kept for funerals and weddings.

That's all of my clothes except for six sweaters and four pairs of old yoga pants and four tee shirts that I wear as pajamas.

Edited May 7, 2023 by Pawz4me

[alysee]

I probably have 60? I have significantly less but I'm a homeschool mom to young kids. I have 4 seasons which makes the amount higher because I need layers. I live in jeans or leggings. I have only 5 pairs of footwear. I have two purses. I don't care what is in fashion so that helps keep the amount down. 

[Eos]

I have lots but couldn't count as many are tucked into storage boxes. I only buy used clothes to wear and I have a collection of vintage clothes that I both wear and store.  My collection is delight-driven, not an investment.  I also keep many boxes of dress-ups, also used and vintage.  I made the choice to only buy used when I was a teenager and reading about sweatshop labor, I've never really thought about the climate impacts.  I mend and patch when needed.

I think I've bought two pairs of new hiking boots over my life.

[historically accurate]

I live where there are 4 seasons. I also work in 2 different libraries, one of which requires dress pants 4x per week.

 

I have 45 items hanging - 5 dress pants for work, 1 skirt, and 1 sundress. I have about 15 tees hanging and 25 work shirts/jackets. Of my work shirts, 4 were given to me by work - summer reading program shirts are a thing.

In my drawers, I have a swimsuit & 2 coverups (I just replaced one and apparently forgot to get rid of the old one), 3 workout pants, 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of leggings, 2 pair of shorts, 4 nightshirts, 1 pajama top & bottom, and underwear. I have 1 jacket in the mudroom. I own about 7 pairs of shoes (I may be forgetting a pair) - about 4 pairs of work shoes (2 black, 1 brown, and 1 navy), 2 boots, and a pair of tennis shoes.

In storage, I probably have about 10-15 winter shirts, maybe 5 jackets, and 2 winter coats (a light one and a heavy one).

I've lost a lot of weight over the past year, so most items are from Goodwill within the past year. One of my winter coats is new; my mom bought it for me.

I don't know what's in the wash, but we're pretty caught up on laundry, so not much.

 

[Wheres Toto]

Counting just hanging items?  Not that many, less than 50 definitely.   A winter coat, a fleece coat, a denim jacket, a couple tech jackets, a hoodie jacket, about 15 tshirts/long sleeve tshirts I wear for work, I think only 1 pair of dress pants, and 5 dresses/skirts.   I share a small closet with dd so not a lot of space.   I hang my work shirts so they don't get too wrinkly.

But, I have 23 drawers of clothes.   Two long dressers (stacked because small space) with each drawer a different thing.  I have more casual tshirts (long and short sleeve), tanks and camisole tops, pajamas, shorts, bathing suits, leggings, jeans, hoodies are stacked folded on a shelf.  I'm sure if I count drawer stuff (not underwear and socks), I have well over 100 articles of apparel.  

[MEmama]

57 minutes ago, Eos said:

My collection is delight-driven

I love this! 

[Arcadia]

Most of my garments are outerwear if we are not counting shoes. I haven’t counted yet. Offhand I have about 5 T-shirts, 2 jeans, 5 leggings, 3 dresses. My husband tends to run a load of laundry every three days or I would need to have more jeans and T-shirts.  When I was staying in college dorm, I had more than 30 T-shirts because the washer/washing machine is huge and a month of laundry could easily fit in even if you include a twin bedsheet. 

We buy new clothes on a replacement basis. So I have a few new t-shirts for summer to replace very worn out ones. My kids have less than 30 clothing items; shirts, t-shirts, jeans, outerwear. Their wardrobes are an IKEA children wardrobe so they have to be selective on amount of clothes they have.

[SKL]

144 per a quick count.  These include suits, business casual / church clothes (tops and pants), and party clothes, and I don't switch them out seasonally.

I never wear the vast majority of them, but I don't want to purge them because I "might wear them someday."  About half used to be worn when I went to work in an office and was slimmer.  The other half, I guess I should find a new home for them, but will I regret it the next day?  😛

I did purge a fair amount recently.  I'm not really a hoarder, but I've had this closet for almost 30 years and it isn't hard to accumulate an average of 5 items per year.

I didn't include the jeans/slacks (3), t-shirts (~20), sweatshirts (~4), and shorts (3) that I wear almost 100% of the time, because those don't hang in my closet.

[TheReader]

Oh, I should count! I've been on a path lately of adding sustainable, not fast fashion garments and donating/purging the stuff I don't wear, don't like, etc. so I know it's significantly less than it was, but probably not yet down to 74 items....

I have "clean the closet" on my list for today....I'll count and update later. 

[kbutton]

We're a mix in my house. 4 seasons here as well, plus odd things like hunting clothes. 

My DH probably has the most clothing, but that's because he keeps things forever and a day, and he has a separate work wardrobe (scrub tops, white tees, and cargo pants). He has more uniforms than he technically needs, but it helps us do less laundry--we can use the time, water, and energy more efficiently. He'll wear them until they are not wearable, and then someone can wear them to paint, etc. 

I have a moderate amount of clothes, but about half are old ones for layering, yard work, painting, sleeping, etc., so my publicly wearable wardrobe is small. I wear them until they are basically destroyed. A few are ones I aspire to wear again if I lose weight (sometimes it happens), and I tend to keep things I really like vs. a whole wardrobe; IIRC, it fits in one box at the moment. I don't particularly care for shopping, and I am not sure I've bought anything but underclothes in 2 or 3 years, though I've been gifted a few items (mostly replacement items). 

Older DS also has a dual wardrobe for work, and he buys clothing that mostly withstands a pounding for work as his job is physical and very dirty. He goes through pants/shorts during non-work hours very quickly--they always get holes faster than is expected. Sometimes he patches them, but then they aren't great for going out in public. He's slowly finding sources for more durable jeans for everyday wear, but he recently tripped and put holes in a really nice pair in spite of that (Murphy likes to enforce the law).

Younger DS is still growing and hard to fit, so his wardrobe is minimal. He has school uniform shirts, so some duplication. He still gets hand-me-downs of some clothing items from his brother for now, and his wardrobe has always been 90% used clothes. His pants are usually new at this stage, but that's because he's hard to fit.

Thrift stores here are hit and miss with good stuff. The more fashion forward ones have more up-to-date clothes, but they are generally more flimsy if they are higher fashion.

[kbutton]

Oh, I should say add that I a large box of project clothes--stuff that's not likely to be worn again (collar is frayed, etc.) but would make something nice looking to sew. 

Much of my sewing/crafting stash is thrifted or bought from a local charity that gets some of it's support from selling donated fabric. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Hanging items?  Eight. I have a funeral outfit (which can be made less funereal for times like the banquet I went to last night) and my wedding outfit. And some outerwear. Nine if you count my bathrobe. 

[MrsMommy]

I can't count that high! 🙂 Clothes and fashion are my thing...I view my wardrobe as something I've intentionally curated over time. I'm not buying cheap, fast fashion that's going to clutter up a landfill in a few months, so I don't feel bad about it.

[Lady Florida.]

I'm not going to count. The answer is - too many. It's always too many even after I cull, which I try to do regularly.

[SKL]

We're not even going to discuss my kids' closets.

OK maybe we are....

The younger doesn't generally wear clothes that hang; we have a shelving unit with hoodies on one side and bottoms on the other.  Her hanging clothes are mostly for those rare dress-up occasions, though she does have a few flannel shirts and riding jackets in there.  (We recently purged boxes of outgrown clothes from middle school, leaving a lot of empty space, yay!)

The elder likes clothes.  She buys her own for the most part.  She has so many clothes that it's hard to jam the clean laundry in there.  But if you ask her, she always "needs clothes"!  Her bedroom is smaller, so she doesn't have shelves for things like jeans and hoodies, so those do take up a lot of her closet space.

It's almost summer.  Dare I hope that we're finally going to purge all the outgrown clothes, books, etc., and optimize the kids' bedroom space?

[WildflowerMom]

I went to a capsule wardrobe this year and its made a huge difference in my stress level.  I haven’t counted though.  I should do that this week.   
great thread, @Melissa in Australia!  

[TheReader]

Okay, I counted what's in my closet.  I have 160 hanging items -- that includes dressy-dresses, hoodies/jackets, nice skirts, college sweatshirts/t-shirts from my kids' colleges, pants, workout clothes, etc. Also, it is TX, where we have all seasons, sometimes all in one day (and often all in one week - in Dec it's not unheard of to have 20s one day and 70s the next.....).  

I'm still purging, and that doesn't count shorts or pajamas. Some things I can't purge until I get the replacement - so, for ex, there are 2-3 pair of pants that will go away when I get the wool blend pants I want to replace them with. I will spend some time this summer going through the dressy-dresses and skirts and trying on, seeing which ones I can purge. things like that. 

The things I've been purging, I've donated to the local Goodwill &/or the local thrift shop that supports the women's shelter, and those normally do not end up in landfills, hopefully.  

[DawnM]

Oh goodness, not 74 I don't think.    Maybe 40 to 50.

[Hilltopmom]

Too much. Plus a back up wardrobe in 2 different sizes that I tend to go back and forth from. (That struggle is real- it’s why plastic tubs or under bed storage were invented, right)

Edited May 7, 2023 by Hilltopmom

[prairiewindmomma]

I have 51. 
 

ETA: I have mixed feelings about BBC’s thoughts about the virtues of 100% wool over mixed wool content. I would love to wear 100% wool but it wears holes so easily. My items that are about 80% wool with 20% nylon wrap around the wool fiber are so, so, so much more durable. 
 

Likewise, finding a truly waterproof natural fibers/non-pfoa jacket is super hard. I don’t know what I will do when my synthetic plastic raincoat dies, but clothing is an area where I try to do 90%. 80-90% of my wardrobe is sustainable, and I have the odd bit that isn’t.

Edited May 7, 2023 by prairiewindmomma

[Clarita]

My answer for mine is too much to count. I'm not about to declutter/purge my way to the right amount because that seems like a waste. Instead I try to buy less now and try to buy things that I will really use. For clothing that should be capable of being worn a lot like jeans and jackets I try to source from places that place some priority over ethical practices. 

I can't wear wool or goose down so most of my jackets and outerwear are going to be synthetic. 

[rebcoola]

I'm curious now but very little hanging items I would guess 25.

[Melissa in Australia]

My reason for having so much is because I have sewn so many clothes in the last 18 months. 

I cannot fit another thing into my wardrobe. 

[wintermom]

I think a better question than simply a total number of items is, "How many new clothes have you bought in the last year, and do you wear them?" The article seems to focus on trying to avoid filling landfills with clothing tossed out. 

I probably have more than 74 items, but I live in a climate with 4 seasons which require very different clothes. I also do a lot of physical activities, and if I want to avoid washing clothes every single day, I need multple items. I buy very few new clothes, rather I buy good quality with classic designs, and I wear them until they die. Then I replace. 

[Melissa in Australia]

I don't really understand all the comments on 4 seasons. Britain has 4  seasons, which is where the article is coming from. 

 

 

[Arcadia]

42 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I don't really understand all the comments on 4 seasons. Britain has 4  seasons, which is where the article is coming from. 

The report which the article quoted says the 74 garments is for 2 seasons 

https://hotorcool.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Hot_or_Cool_1_5_fashion_report_.pdf

 

[Melissa in Australia]

Oh, I see

I only counted things actually hanging in my wardrobe. 

Can I say I am in a 8 season place and stick with my 101 garments? 😉

[Arcadia]

1 minute ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Oh, I see

I only counted things actually hanging in my wardrobe. 

Can I say I am in a 8 season place and stick with my 101 garments? 😉

I am confused on the “active use” part of the study. My “active use” pairs of shoes per season is like three only.  Same goes for my outerwear. I swap out warmer outerwear to thinner outerwear when the weather turns warmer in spring.

[SKL]

Yeah I was outside barefoot today ... it snowed here less than a week ago .... 

I generally dress in layers rather than have different seasonal wardrobes.

However, I do have to have a whole separate wardrobe for professional activities - including seasonal coats/jackets.  It is what it is.

(But I really don't buy clothes much.  I've been wearing the same suits for at least 20 years.  So I'm not doing the carbon thing with them.)

[Melissa in Australia]

I definately have seasonal clothes, but they are all in the same wardrobe. 

Late autumn here, yesterday didn't get over 9 oC and today 11oC pouring g rain and blowing a gale. I am wearing completely different clothes than I do in summer

[Katy]

3 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I don't really understand all the comments on 4 seasons. Britain has 4  seasons, which is where the article is coming from. 

 

 

I guess I think of it in terms of how cold it actually gets.  I see your joke about 8 seasons, but I'd argue it's not much of a joke.  Apparently the UK has 4 climate zones, all of which are milder than much of the USA: https://lazyflora.com/blogs/news/what-are-uk-hardiness-zones-and-why-would-you-care-1

I grew up in North Central Florida, where it's usually warm and rarely gets below 20F or above 102F.  But I've lived most of my adult life in the Midwest, where the weather is so extreme you really do arguably have 3 kinds of winter. Barely freezing with a misting rain is miserable, but -30F temperatures (with windchills of -60F) means needing to put 3-4 layers on before your long down parka just to fetch the mail or take the dog to pee is a different level of winter.  One that requires a LOT more clothes than one anticipates until you need to buy 5-7 sets of long underwear so you have enough for daily use. Not to mention different weights and fabrics depending on the day. And in the summer it's not remarkable to get to 103F.  And that's just the Upper Midwest.  Areas of North & South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska have much more extreme temperature variations.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Perhaps I misunderstood the assignment?  I hang very few of my clothes - only my few dresses, a couple of cardigans and jackets.  I don't hang shirts, pants, underwear, pullovers etc.  Those go in drawers. 

[Melissa in Australia]

38 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Perhaps I misunderstood the assignment?  I hang very few of my clothes - only my few dresses, a couple of cardigans and jackets.  I don't hang shirts, pants, underwear, pullovers etc.  Those go in drawers. 

I am with you. though I do hang shirts/ blouses 

I only counted things hanging in the wardrobe

Edited May 8, 2023 by Melissa in Australia

[Pawz4me]

I think the count is relatively useless because people store their clothes so differently. I hang almost all of my stuff, others prefer to fold most things. I also don't totally buy into the four seasons argument. Sure I understand the need for a variety of types clothing, but if you live in a very hot climate you often need more because you have to change multiple times a day because you get so sweaty and nasty. Rather than being able to re-wear a pair of jeans or a hoodie for several days you probably need a couple of pairs of shorts and tees/tanks to get through one day. I've noted that my volume of laundry is about the same year round. Our winter clothing is bulkier, but we can wear it more times between washings, and in the summer we have lighter weight items but more of them.

[Melissa in Australia]

I actually started this thread because I thought it would be interesting to hear about how many  clothes others had in their wardrobe. it is interesting reading all the responses and different interpretations on it

[Kassia]

My closet is absolutely stuffed to the point where I'm overwhelmed.  We have four seasons, my weight fluctuates so I have several sizes of things, and I used to work out before I got injured so I had workout clothes for every season and size too.  Every time the season changes it's stressful for me because I have no idea what will fit.  

When I was a runner and it was bitter cold outside, we'd call those runs "laundry basket runs" because I'd wear so many layers that I'd fill the basket with my running clothes when I was done!  Our summer laundry is definitely lighter than our winter laundry.  

 

Edited May 8, 2023 by Kassia

[YaelAldrich]

I'm not at my home but my wardrobe is not full in the least.  I have maybe 10 dresses.  Three or four of which are wedding, event type stuff.  I need to try them on and get rid of half of them as I'm not sure they fit but I keep them there as they were dry cleaned.  If i count the sweaters, that's about 10 more.  Once again I should get rid of about 2/3 of them since I don't wish to wear tight fitting turtlenecks because I don't like the way they my make my lower face look anymore (thanks aging jowls! ). I have 10ish skirts. I wear about 7 of them regularly  (if I were in my home state). I think if I get rid of everything that I won't wear anymore gets gone,  I might panic and shop just because and I don't want to waste the time and money. 

All the shirts, cardigans, and dressier shirts (15)  I have are in my dresser.  I tend to wear a weekday uniform:  3/4 sleeve polo and a skirt,  cotton hat. I can't be bothered with fashionable stuff all the time;  my daughter does that for me! Her wardrobe is stuffed. 

Here's what I took to Australia for what was supposed to be 2 months: 4 polo shirts, 4 skirts (to cover dressier and casual occasions), 4 regular bras, 2 sports bras,  two workout shirts, 5 leggings for workouts and everyday wear,  2 sweaters for Shabbos and/or chillier weather, one hoodie,  one vest that I live in (combo to keep warm and it's my purse too), and 4 hats/caps (since I cover my hair full time) .

[KungFuPanda]

I’m all for scaling back, and my clothes fit in a small closet so I’m not going to count. It’s enough that I purged enough to eliminate seasonal rotation. However, I think that if you scale back too much you’re obligating yourself to shop more often as things wear out. I’d rather have 200 items and skip shopping for a few more years than own 70 and have to go to the store because my one black t-shirt got stained. 

[Selkie]

I have 52 items hanging in my closet. That includes all my shirts, coats, jackets, dresses, sweatshirts, and sweaters. Then I have about ten pairs of pants that are kept folded on my closet shelf. I don't keep any clothes in drawers. 

[TechWife]

I’m not sure how much I have at this point. I have closet cleaning/organizing on my summer to-do list for when it’s rainy or too hot to go outside. I do need to scale back my professional wear some. Since the pandemic, some of my periodic meetings have remained virtual & it’s great not to have to drive for 20 min each day for a one hour meeting. It also means I don’t need as many dress pants and skirts. I also have several blouses that I haven’t worn in a couple of years that I need to weed out. I’ve been “back to work” at my volunteer job since August 2021 and they haven’t budged from their hangers. I also don’t need to layer as much in the winter anymore, so several of my long sleeve shirts can probably be culled. 

[HomeAgain]

I'll have to count later today.

I keep a pretty small wardrobe for 4 seasons.  I work with kids, and since I have trouble with faces I assume some of them might as well, so I keep my wardrobe familiar and steady.

[elegantlion]

I have over 120 items hanging in my closet. I know that because I just bought 2 packs of matching hangers. I hang most of my clothes though, probably 30 of those are historical garb though. I also live where there are 4 seasons, not super cold but brief spells can get to -20 F. in the winter and lots of days over 100+ F. in the summer. I pack my off season clothes in banker's boxes. I'm limited to 7 of them - they're not big and I have one sweater that takes up almost half the box. 

I have probably two boxes of business casual clothes that I don't want to get rid of but don't wear right now since I'm still working at home. That may change later this year. I also had to buy a few items (thrift stores) this year because we're doing craft and building projects for a ren fest and I need some clothes that I don't care if they get paint on them or get ripped up. I also have a collection of graphic tshirts which I store in a drawer. I tried to fold them Kondo style and that lasted about a week (lol). 

Another challenge is that I have a hard to fit body and a small budget. A lot of times I can't tell if an item will really work for me until I wear it a couple of times. There are a few brands that I like and try to find them at thrift stores. Old Navy used to be my standby for new items but their styles and quality aren't quite what they were. I'm also moving toward more natural fabrics. 

I'd like to pare down what I have but probably won't make any drastic cuts until next year when I'm back working outside of the home. 

[QueenCat]

Not a clue... Things that hang: Probably 50ish tops, 4 casual dresses, 6-8 dressier dresses, a few skirts, 14-15 pants, including jeans. In addition to what hangs, I have two dressers full of stuff and one half of a dresser. I don't like things stuffed to the gill in the drawers and I like things highly organized. In other words, I have one drawer with just socks, in a sock organizer. And another small drawer with my fuzzy, at-home winter socks. 

Edited May 8, 2023 by QueenCat

[Condessa]

59 items total, 11 that hang in my closet.

That includes things I don’t actually wear currently like maternity shirts and my wedding dress.
 

 I really need more clothes.

Edited May 8, 2023 by Condessa

[prairiewindmomma]

If I add shoes and things in drawers that are not undergarments or socks, I am probably still <74. My workout clothes are in the wash so I am not exactly sure.
 

I only have two things that aren’t in active use: a formal dress and shawl. Otherwise everything I own is worn regularly at some point during the year. Some of my clothing items get 52 wears a year, and will last 2-3 years at that rate. Others get fewer wears per year but will remain longer in my wardrobe. I use wool clothing as four season wear—I can wear the same dress in 104F as well as in 0F because wool has unique insulating properties. I just layer in the winter. 
 

I pack like YaelAldrich. I do have a few things I have to replace each year. That is appealing to me. It keeps my wardrobe feeling fresh. I just order online and have it shipped—shopping isn’t much of a hassle except for shoes and undergarments because I am hard to fit. I do probably spend more per item than the average person does—buying wool clothing + leather shoes that can accommodate orthotics is expensive. But, I’d much rather have one $80 wool tee than 4 $20 shirts from Target. It will wear better in every sense—fit, drape, and in how long it will last.
 

I am working my way into owning many fewer items. I usually wait until 2-3 tops wear out before I replace it with something else. I will probably end up somewhere around 3-4 dresses, 3-4 bottoms, 3 sweaters, and 6-8 tops, plus hiking wear, workout wear, and outerwear. 
 

 

 

[Meriwether]

I have about 20-30 items that I wear, including shirts, pants, skirts, coats, and shoes. I have about that many things in other sizes that I may or may not ever wear again.