Taking My Wardrobe from Teacher to SAHM

I don’t know if all teachers have huge wardrobes, but I didn’t realize that I did until after I quit teaching. With two pregnancies and many different types of events and concerts to dress for, my wardrobe became extremely diverse and large.

I can’t even say that all the pieces went together. Some of them worked in many capacities, while others were a stand-alone piece that only worked for one outfit. Those might not have been the best purchases, but you gotta go with some variety.

Wardrobe Malfunctions

Let’s face it, I think I had a problem with impulsively buying clothes for teaching because I thought I needed them. I bought more maternity clothes because I was going to get so big while teaching ( I didn’t!). Or I bought that one piece that I had been dying to, like a jean jacket or a dress that sported school colors.

So here I am, now SAHM and a WAHM, living off of tanks, tees, and short, with the occasional legging. I have no need of all of these clothes, except for a few fancy outings like weddings, and weekly Mass.

Besides, all those clothing choices were stressful to choose from when I did need something of that nature to wear.

I am downsizing. A lot, and here’s how I did it.

Wardrobe Downsizing Criteria

Before I start, I used some specific criteria to help me decide which pieces to get rid of. If you are like me, you tend to associate certain pieces of clothing with some sort of nostalgia or good times. Or there are those pieces that you have loved for so long and you know it’s time to part with them. Sounds ridiculous, but it’s a real thing for me!

Here are my criteria for what goes:

• Pieces that don’t fit or don’t fit right
• Pieces that are too short or too boxy
• Pieces that are older than 5 years ( I think I kept a few, but only the ones that hadn’t been worn a bunch, and were classic pieces)
• Pieces that don’t go with anything
• Pieces that didn’t look good on me (wrong color, mostly)

Here’s what I didn’t go through:

• My jeans (those are always useful, even as a SAHM)
• My dresses (just because, church!)
• My shoes (I did them a couple of months ago, and I think I’m down to my basics, about 30 pairs?)

So let’s see how this downsizing thing works.

From 59 Pieces of Clothing to 37 Pieces of Clothing

Summer Shirts

I started with my short sleeve and sleeveless shirts since summer is finally leaving anyway here in the Midwest. So if I missed any shirts at all, I wouldn’t miss them as much until next summer.

I had so many different colors and styles and patterns it was so hard to choose. I ended up keeping the ones that were classic and that fit me the best.

(sorry the lighting is weird on these, I tried some pics with flash and others without, so some of the colors are hard to see)

Next, I did my casual short sleeve shirts:

Had some great basics, but really didn’t need that many floating around in my drawers. The hunter green one and the purple one didn’t fit quite right, anyway. Most of them are Walmart specials. The black and white shirts are from Maurices, and the dark gray from Old Navy.

Here’s what I ultimately kept: the basics that can go with virtually anything. One step closer to a capsule wardrobe, perhaps?

Winter Shirts

I love winter tops. I love the sweaters and the layers and the rich colors you get to wear around Christmas. This choice of getting rid of some of these pieces was probably the hardest.

(I still might go dig them out if they are still around when winter rolls around) If I really love the pieces that much, and they are that versatile, maybe I shouldn’t let go of them after all. But a decision nonetheless.

A lot of pretty neutral colors with pink/purple base colors, some maroon shirts, and a bright teal dress blouse. Which do I choose???

I kept some color and went with the pieces that either flattered me the most or fit me the best.

Maternity Tops

I went on to my maternity shirts. It seemed like I had bought so many in the wake of “needing them” while teaching. Some of them were and are great, but others didn’t fit right or just had too much going on.

I had some blue ones, some black/gray ones, and some pink and red ones.

I kept the blue graphic tee, the gray striped (it has a tulip top for breastfeeding and some adorable gold dots on the shirt that you can’t see in the picture), and the gray and pink floral blouse for good variety. They were the pieces that could fit a changing shape and my style more than the others as well.

The second set of maternity/nursing shirts:

I kept them all because of the great functionality and style of all of the pieces.

Cardigans + Layering Pieces

I didn’t realize just how many cardigans I had. Okay, maybe I did, but I could barely fit them all in the picture when I laid them out. And I know I even got rid of a few a few years ago, too. They are my teacher weakness, for sure!

From left to right, this is what I had: maroon open cardigan (maternity, but also worked as regular), light green 3/4 sleeves button up cardigan, navy open cardigan (same as the maroon), orange (similar to the green), black open cardigan with sleeve and back navy and tan Aztec details, lavender cardigan (like the orange), black basic long-sleeve cardigan, and a mint open buttonless cardigan.

Phew, that was a lot…..until I downsized! Boom! I am so proud of myself for this one!

I kept the maroon, navy, lavender, mint, and black. Just enough color, just enough basic for all seasons.

Next came the short-sleeved ones: I kept the floral kimono styled one. The other was an ill fit, and definitely not my color.

My layering pieces consisted of the following:

I kept all of these great layering pieces except for the boxy and too short light jean jacket. It was a great Gap piece, but not meant for my closet.

Pants + Skirts

The number of slacks and pants I had acquired for teaching was crazy, too. There can never be too many options, or so I thought. Turns out too many options is confusing!

I kept these basic and necessary pieces: I used flash on this photo, not the best idea…:(

The skirts were easy since I only had three: one maxi (maternity, but also works when not pregnant), one pencil, and one circle. So I kept them all!

Maternity Bottoms

For some reason, I had bought a bunch of maternity bottoms in the last two years. I didn’t really wear them, though, except in school. Most of them fit funny and were difficult to keep over my belly, honestly.

However, since I never know what is coming with my current and upcoming pregnancies, I might as well keep as many basics as I can!

I kept the middle three pieces since the colors and fit were the best and the most basic in terms of wearability.

Related articles:

Pregnancy: How it Affects My Marriage

How to Create a Prayerful Morning Routine

Advice I Received as a First-Time Mom (that I still use)

I Hope My Husband Gets What He Deserves

New Wardrobe Complete!

Okay, I did just buy a few new pieces to replace what I got rid of. I haven’t learned my lesson yet.

But I am getting better at keeping a smaller closet; hopefully, a larger amount left in my pocketbook, and a less stressful dressing mentality.

Downsizing your wardrobe is great for anyone to try. I plan on donating my unused items to a thrift store or recycling center or hold a garage sale someday for what I got rid of.

It was fun, really hard, but so worth it!

I at least learned that getting rid of certain pieces of clothing is not a dealbreaker in life, and sometimes you gotta give them up and move on!

Have you ever downsized your wardrobe? How did it go? What kind of pieces did you keep? 

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