What is the perfect wardrobe size?
It’s time to do the maths to determine how many pieces your closet should have
. 28. 37. 48. No, this isn’t the start of a GCSE Maths question but just a few of the figures that have been mooted as the “perfect” number of items to have in your wardrobe. It’s furious speculation that makes sense. After all, wouldn’t it be a comforting thought if there really was a definitive answer to that conundrum — a magic amount meaning you were neither bored silly nor utterly overwhelmed when looking for something to wear each morning?
It might seem like an equation that even Pythagoras, Newton and Einstein couldn’t solve by bashing their heads together, but plenty have had a go.
Donna Karan caused a sensation in 1985 with her Seven Easy Pieces idea, which included a bodysuit, tights, a skirt, relaxed trousers, a tailored jacket, a cashmere sweater and a white shirt. “So many women find assembling the right clothes bewildering today,” she said at the time. “They’ve discovered fast ways to put food on the table, but they do not know how to get their wardrobes together easily.”
Perhaps the most notable modern advocate for limiting your wardrobe to a particular number is American style blogger Caroline Rector, who embarked on an experiment to limit herself to just 37 items in 2014. She wasn’t strict about what those 37 items should be exactly — acknowledging that everyone’s casual versus smart demands are different — but she arrived at the figure by allowing herself 9 pairs of shoes, 9 bottoms, 15 tops and 4 dresses or coats, depending on the season. She encouraged her readers to dress in three month cycles, adding and purging as required for a two week period at the end of each cycle to accommodate for weather changes.
Today, 31-year-old Rector — who has just completed a 10x10 challenge whereby you try to wear only 10 items for 10 days — is still a go-to source of minimalist wardrobe inspiration, but she has relaxed the rules a little. “37 pieces was what worked for me in the beginning, but it’s not necessarily right for everyone or an ideal to strive for,” she says. “Currently, I think I have somewhere around 50 pieces, but I actually don’t keep a numeric count anymore — instead I go with what feels right. That’s actually one of the biggest changes I’ve made to my capsule wardrobe. I let go of some of the structure but I carry the heart of it with me: smaller closet, intentional purchases, less shopping and more joy.”
Ah, joy. Rector maintains that the reason she sticks to her philosophy is because it makes her happier — the very thing that we often feel shopping is supposed to do for us. Yet given recent research has found that most of us don’t wear 60 per cent of the clothes in our wardrobes (£2,400 is the average value of our unworn pieces), perhaps we could all learn a lesson in making sure the purchases we do make will earn their place in our collections, no matter how big or small.
Soon, there will be a slew of ideas about what to buy for autumn on
“Never shop by trends, only what suits you and your lifestyle; be honest, not aspirational,” advises Anna Berkeley, a stylist and buyer renowned for her ability to help clients pinpoint exactly what’s working and what’s not in their wardrobe. She believes 48 pieces is the most effective tally to work to by the way, as it allows a total mix of old and new per season.
One strategy both fashion insiders and advocates for the minimalist wardrobe alike agree on is to only settle for pieces you are either madly in love with or simply can’t get out of your head after considering them for some time.
“Initially go on a buying ban, then accept that some gems are going to somehow wheedle their way into you heart, head and wardrobe,” says fashion editor, Katherine Ormerod. “Ultimately I think it’s a waiting game — if you can’t stop thinking about something after 8 weeks, it’s meant to be yours. I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years and it’s always because I’ve felt under pressure to impulse buy.” Anuschka Rees, author of The Curated Closet, agrees: “A good rule to follow is to never buy anything