closet therapy (step 2: assess)

Last week, if you recall, I purged my closet. Hah! "If you recall." Like I haven't mentioned it every other word on here since then or something? Right. So...yes. Please recall.

The next step in Kendi's tips toward a working closet is Assess. Which is listed in the title of this post, so if you're surprised at ALL by that, please just set your laptop aside, lean your head in your arms, and go to sleep. Yes, even if you're in the middle of listening to an engrossing Womens English Literature of the 16th Century lecture. (Actually, especially then.) Or cooking dinner. Or watching your soaps. (you know who you are...) Your mental synapses will thank you.

So, now that I have at least my mother's undivided attention (right, Mom? ... mom?... aw nuts.), here's what I did to assess my wardrobe:

(1) Take inventory of the clothes I have. Check. I've been doing this for the past month and a half, in doing this blog. And again whilst purging. I didn't, like, write down "I have 82 pairs of pants" or anything like that. But I have an acute awareness of what's in my closet. So, inventory: done and done.

(2) Make a list of needs that would make my closet work better. Check. I've been doing this for the past month and a half as well. (Although, please keep in mind that I'm using the word "need" verrrrrry loosely here. Everything is relative. Like, I know some people's needs are life-and-death--i.e., food, safety, clean water. My "needs" are kind of pretend, really. My priorities aren't totally skewed. We good? Good.) My needs list goes a little something like this: dark wash skinny jeans, floral/plaid ruffle shirt, mustard cardigan, gladiators, boys/boyfriend blazer.

p.s. One thing I do in determing "needs" is: if I have, on at least 3 separate occasions, wished I had a certain thing to wear, then it's time to take that item seriously. It's not just a passing whim if I keep pining for it, right? [Editor's note: 'Pining'? Really? Isn't there a better word I could use...how about 'yearning'?] [Assistant Editor's note: Nope. Much worse. Pining it is.] So. There's my rule-of-3s to determine just how needed something is. You're welc-y.

(3) Make a list of wants. My my my, this list could be trouble. And infinite. But I've narrowed it down to items similar to these: wedge sandals, denim pencil skirt, red flats, cargo jacket.

[Editor's note: I feel surprisingly vulnerable posting these lists for some reason, which is odd because it's not like a deep dark secret. Not like the time in kindergarten when I was too scared to ask my art teacher Mr. Hay to be excused to the bathroom, but I thought it would be totally fine to just go ahead and pee in class while I sat on the bar stool because my pants were yellow so of course the pee wouldn't show, plus we had recess right after art. No, that's a much better deep dark secret to keep. Remind me to not tell anyone about that. And don't judge too harshly on my needs/wants, okay friends?]

(4&5) Reassess and play dress-up in my closet. Actually, I haven't done this yet and probably won't. Not officially, anyway. Because I feel like I do that every day already, in some form or another. Hope you understand and don't fail me on my performance review.

Welp. Color me assessed. Next step is organize. I think I'll skip that one, though, partly because I already did that after step 1: purge but mostly because the step AFTER that is shopping. Bingo.

Happy Sunday!