Have you heard of the 10 item wardrobe? Let’s chat about what it is and how it compares to the KonMari Method.
As someone that works as an organizer full time, I love reading about all things related to organizing and decluttering. The 10-item wardrobe concept is from Chapter 4 of the book Lessons from Madame Chic written by Jennifer Scott. She has a Youtube channel called The Daily Connoiseur and she has done a Ted Talk on this topic. As these are two very different books that covers a wide range of topics, so for the purpose of this comparison, I’ll be comparing the clothing category from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo with 10 Item wardrobe from Lessons from Madame Chic by Jennifer Scott.
What is the 10 item wardrobe?
The basic rules of the 10-item wardrobe is that it consist of 10 core items each season. It does not include outerwear, occasion wear, accessories, shoes and under shirts (t-shirts, tank tops, camisoles etc) things you would wear under sweaters and shirts. You would review your selection each season and change out your wardrobe.
This is a capsule wardrobe in the sense that youk keep a selection of your wardrobe accessible and have other items in storage. When I work with clients using the KonMari Method, I typically suggest we eliminate the need to store off-season clothes. I personally feel like it’s too much work to switch out my wardrobe each season but I also live in a climate where we have severe weather changes. In some cases, some of my clients do have seasonal wardrobe for various reasons but it’s really a case by case situation.
What is the purpose of having a 10 item wardrobe?
In the book, Jennifer Scott wrote:
“The point of the ten-item wardrobe is to free yourself from a jam-packed closet full of ill-fitting, underused, or poor-quality clothing. Your ultimate goal is to create a wardrobe that you love, in which every piece of clothing speaks to who you are, and to create a space for your clothes to breathe - by eliminating clutter.”
I love and completely agree with this statement and it is what I aim for when I go through the clothing categories with my clients as well.
How much clothing do you keep?
A 10 items wardrobe is not saying you should only have 10 items in your wardrobe. The number is referring to your core items. That being said, even though you will keep some clothing in storage, it’s not a license to just keep everything. The book does discourage people keeping too many “just in case” items and the author said she got rid of 70% of her own clothing in the decluttering process. As a KonMari Consultant and someone that has gone through a big closet declutter myself, I am relieved to see this. Having more items won’t give you more options. Having less actually will help you hone in on your own personal style. When it comes to clothing, less is more.When it comes down to how much clothes you should keep, both method doesn’t have a specific number.
How do decide what to keep?
In Lessons from Madame Chic, the author said she threw all her clothes on her bed and examine each garment one by one.
Comparing to the KonMari Method, this is exactly what we do as well. Put all your clothes on your bed and joy check them one by one by holding each item in your hand. In this way, the two methods are very similar. You should never go through your clothes while they’re hanging in your closet. It will make a huge difference when you remove the items from their original storage space when you’re joy checking each item.
In the book, There are 4 wardrobe assessment questions you can ask to help you decide if you’re keeping something:
Do I still like this?
Do I ever wear this?
Does it still fit and flatter me?
Does this article of clothing still reflect who I am?
These are great questions to ask and pretty similar to what I would ask my clients. In the KonMari Method, there aren’t any rules other than keeping only the items that sparks joy for you and the items that supports you to live your ideal life. So the main question we ask is does this item spark joy?
As Marie Kondo says:
“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.”
In conclusion
While these two methods are very different, the similarity is in the decluttering process, it’s not focused on how many items you keep but most importantly, you’re choosing to keep only the items that sparks joy, items that fits well and items you feel great in.
The difference is in the storage as I typically try to eliminate the need for off season storage with The KonMari Method and in the 10-item wardrobe, you’d keep only the core items accessible while the rest are in storage.
Personally, I have a pretty small wardrobe (about 35 pieces year round) so everything fits nicely in my closet. If I had more items and not enough storage space, a capsule wardrobe might be a good solution.
Can these two methods work well together?
If you have gone through your clothing category and still feel like you might have too many items, a capsule wardrobe might be a good way for you to try out having a smaller wardrobe without the commitment of letting the other items go. After trying it for a season, you might decide a small wardrobe is not for you or you might love it and feel ready to let go of the items in storage. You never know!
