The Quest for the Perfect Wardrobe II

I'm still going through boxes of clothes, trying to narrow down my wardrobe into something more manageable. This is much more difficult than I anticipated for several reasons. First of all, anyone looking at my clothes packed away not so neatly in those boxes would think that they belonged to a lunatic. A hundred conflicting crashing prints, patterns and fabrics with nothing tying them together. Piles of clothes with the tags still hanging on reminding me of how foolish I have been with my spending. Things that don't fit, never fit and never will fit. It was enough to give me a massive headache. I am committed to the concept of a "capsule" wardrobe but I feel now like I don't even have to basics to build from. I shoved my box into a corner and was ready to leave it out on the curb when I read this post today by fashionista-ta in the "French Wardrobe" thread on TFS:

• Segregate in one closet a capsule wardrobe for the coming season. Wear it and see how it works for you. If you find gaps, go "shopping" in your storage area to fill them.
• Include a couple items you haven't worn or haven't worn much, and give yourself an assignment to see if you can integrate them. If it's not possible, that may pave the path to the next step ...

Hallelujah! It makes sense. Instead of fretting over how to incorporate my flimsy summer clothes into my wardrobe, I'll just focus on Fall instead. It sounds like such a small thing but it has really helped me to focus. I know I already have dresses covered but I think investing in a good quality cashmere sweater or two, a coat and some nice slacks will head me off in the right direction.