Six Items or Less - I Did It, So You Don't Have To

Put your closet on a diet!

When it comes to food, you probably know what your bad habits are.  Mine is Coke.  The sugary corn-syruped one.  But what about your clothes?  What bad habits do you have?  Did you even know you had clothing habits?

Before I challenged myself to attempt the Six Items or Less clothing experiment last fall, I think I would have said the following about clothes: "It's hard to find clothes that are comfortable."  And, "My 9W feet are why I don't wear cute shoes."

What I learned was I actually had bad habits.  For example, buying clothes in a hurry that didn't really fit!

Eight months into my journey, I no longer make excuses.  I have learned what works for me and make an effort at the beginning of each month to create a set of comfortable, versatile options.  Down to the toes.

What bad clothing habits do you have?  

Discover what a clothing diet could reveal for you!

I am not suggesting you attempt the Six Items or Less challenge - because I already did that for you!  Your goal (as with a food diet) is to eliminate the bad habits and create new ones.  You can start by reducing (not eliminating!) the percentage of clothing items you have at your fingertips on a daily basis.  Focus on just keeping the good stuff!

Phase 1:
As with any diet - PREPARATION IS KEY!
1.  Locate a "staging" area large enough to temporarily accommodate ALL of your clothes.  Yes, ALL of them.
2.  Sort clothes by type.  Yes, ALL of them.  T-shirts, Cute Tops, Blouses, Long-sleeve shirts, jeans, pants, shorts, dresses, leggings, long skirts, mini-skirts, costumes, prom dresses, sweaters, cardigans,...   
3.  Take a break.  From ALL of it.

Phase 2:

Prepare the environment by removing distractions.  
1.  Select a few items from various categories that fit RIGHT NOW and might be useful in the next 30 days.
2.  Put everything else away.  In your regular closet and drawers. 
It's just 30 days!  No big deal.  You can have them back :) 
3.  Bonus points - Donate some things.  Or give them to your sister.  Or whatever.

Phase 3:

Get your CLOTHING DIET PLAN IN ORDER!
1.  Try on what you did not put away.  Scrutinize the fit.  Eliminate a few more.
2.  With what remains, try all kinds of combinations together.  Eliminate a few more.
3.  Set aside an area of the closet to access these items for the month. 
Get sweaty items, pajamas, and underwear don't count.  Use what you need.  :) 

Did you pare it down to 10? 15?  Put one more away!
Good Luck and Bon Appetit!

Maintenance...
You shouldn't need to pull ALL your clothes out again. :)

It just helps the first time to see what you have.