the wardrobe, an overhaul.

I'm hoping I'm not the only person prone to this: hanging onto clothes that I don't like/don't fit. I'm not actually bad about it because I hate clutter like I hate the Baltimore Ravens, but I still do it. Maybe it's a skirt that I loved years ago but doesn't really fit anymore. Maybe it's something that I want to love, something that looks adorable on the hanger, but that doesn't suit me. Then there are those articles of clothing that only look good on you once in a blue moon but that you normally don't find flattering.

Any of this ringing a bell?

Anyone else regularly want to jump out of a window when you realize that you've tried on almost everything in your closet and you have nothing to wear that doesn't make you want to cry?

It can't just be me. It can't.

I am done with it.

As of yesterday, I'm going through it all. Every article of clothing I own. If it doesn't fit, it's gone. Sayonara, trouser jeans that are 34 inches too long. Ciao, tee shirt that makes me feel like the broad side of a barn. Arrivederci, skirt that wouldn't stretch across my two-baby-having hips on my best day. Adieu, suits that I haven't worn in five years. You get the idea.

I'm through. By the end of this day, everything in my closet and on my shelves and in my drawers will fit, and it will all be something that I can wear any day, anytime*. Do you have any idea how liberating this feels? To know that (barring monthly bloating, ugh) I can walk into my closet anytime and get dressed? Without trauma. Without wanting to run screaming into the hills? It's kind of glorious.

I started yesterday. I will say, this has been coming for awhile. There are plenty of examples of bloggers existing with 33 articles of clothing**. 33 articles of clothing isn't actually that extreme for me, but the 33 is supposed to include shoes and accessories, and that just aintgonnahappen. Because here's the thing. Take jeans and a white tee shirt. I can throw that on with sandals and head to preschool drop off, or I can put it on with a cute scarf, dangly earrings, and wedges and head to dinner with Mr. Ouiser. Honestly, most of my wardrobe is like that. Casual but dress-up-able. And that's practical for me because I am a stay at home mama. I need everything I own to be washable, and I need things to be versatile.

Anyway, I will see how close I can get to the magic number, and I'll report back to you to hold myself accountable. I also pledge to be pretty hardcore about what I bring into my wardrobe from this point forward. For years now I have held fast to the belief that I would rather have fewer pieces that are better than more pieces that are cheaper, and I will continue that. I will also be honest with myself. I may love the slouchy boho look on a model, but a girl like me, a girl with her fair share of curves cannot pull that look off. I need pieces that fit, lest I look like a whale. A bloated whale nonetheless.

So here's to paring down the wardrobe. Wish me luck.

*I reserve the right to keep my two favorite cocktail dresses, my most versatile LBD, and at least one outfit suitable for funerals. These will not count toward my total.

**Gym clothes don't count, but you're not supposed to wear your gym clothes for anything other than their intended purpose. Meaning, you're not supposed to wear your yoga pants instead of jeans unless you're willing to count them in your total. Does that make any sense at all?***

***Yum, I hope you are one of those people who find impersonation the sincerest form of flattery because I can no longer live without adding these notes to my posts.