Find out what you actually wear

Short answer: Take a photo of your outfit every morning for a month. After thirty days you can see which pieces keep coming back and which never appear. It is the most honest account of your clothes you can get, and it costs only a few seconds a day.

Why photos work

Memory tells you that you wear a lot of what you own. The photos show what actually happened, and the two lists rarely look alike. Most people find they wear the same few things again and again, while the rest hangs untouched. The photos are evidence that is hard to argue with.

How to do it

Take a photo every morning once you are dressed, and save them in an album. You do not have to show them to anyone, and they do not have to look good. A quick mirror shot is enough. After thirty days you look at all the photos together and count how often each piece appears.

What to do with the result

Hang the pieces that kept coming back at the front and the rest at the back. After a month you can see what still hangs untouched. That does not necessarily mean it should go, but it is something you are not wearing right now. See Bamboo Basics for pieces that can become a fixed part of everyday life.

The simpler method

Turn all the hangers the wrong way and see which ones get turned back. Once you have worn a piece, you hang it with the hanger the right way. After a month or two it is clear which pieces were never touched. The method needs no photos and takes under a minute. See bamboo dresses and bamboo sweatshirt for men.

How long to measure

A month shows everyday life. A year also shows the seasons. If you want the whole picture, repeat the measuring in another season, because you do not wear the same things in winter and summer. If you only have time for one month, pick the one that resembles the time of year when you wear the most clothes.

Should you photograph the whole outfit

Yes. Single pieces say less than the combination. Trousers that are always worn with the same jumper show that the jumper is a fixed part of the outfit, but say nothing about how many other jumpers are in play. With a photo of the whole outfit you get both the combination and the frequency.

What the numbers tell you

A piece that appears ten times in thirty days is something you can rely on. A piece that never appears tells you that it either does not fit, does not feel right or does not belong to the days you have had. The numbers are not a verdict, but a description of what you actually do.

What to do with what never appears

Move it out of the wardrobe and see whether you miss it. Put it in a box or on another shelf and give it a couple of months. If you do not miss it, the answer is given. If you do, it can return to its place, and you know it has a function you could not see at first glance.

How to use it next time

When you want to buy something new, look at the pieces that keep coming back and find out what they have in common. Is it the fit, the length or the colour? Then you know what to look for, and you avoid filling the wardrobe with things similar to what you never wear.