Organizing: Clothing

We have purged and downsized our clothing three times since we have been on the road.  The first two purges were cleaning out stuff we were not wearing, and today was due to clothing no longer fitting—it was too big!  Yea!  Our new retirement lifestyle allows us to cook fresh vegetables, eat fresh fruit (how did I eat canned pineapple?), and exercise everyday.  It feels great to finally lose weight and do it in a way that can be easily maintained.  Along with the purging is the realization that fewer items are needed to have a nice wardrobe.  And you need to buy quality for it to last (you tend wear the same item more frequently).  We find purchasing from outdoor clothing retailers like REI, Orvis, and Sports Authority results in some more rugged wear.

Not speaking for Mike (As long as it fits, he is happy; but I at least make sure his shirt works with the pants…), I am realizing my previous wardrobe was dated.  I am not a fashionista, but I do like dressing nicely.  In my quest for age-appropriate, updated clothing, I stumbled across a website  http://www.polyvore.com/ that is a neat tool for planning clothing purchases and it is creative way (a collage/scrapbook tool) of thinking of more than one way to wear an article of clothing.  The picture to the left shows clothing I own (the shorts were a recent purchase) and the collage I created for our trip to the beach later this week.   I will let you explore the website to understand how this works, but it is pretty neat the way you can import from retailers’ websites.

I recognize this approach is not for everyone, but I find it is a fun little hobby.  Maybe as I create more collages, I can post another blog with them and the ways I plan to maximize my wardrobe on the road.