About a month ago I wrote a post about my new clothing regime: Full Laundry, Fresh Style, the basic idea of which was that I would do no more laundry until I had worn all of my clothes!

I am now five weeks into this scheme and so I thought I’d give you a little update.

Firstly, before you are too shocked by the fact that I have five weeks of clothes (and counting…) in my wardrobe and start judging me for my Imelda Marcos-like tendencies, let me point out that as I started at the end of summer I have been using both summer and autumn clothes during this time. There are definitely things that, once laundered, will not go back in the wardrobe but rather be tucked away again until next summer. Similarly there are a few things that are coming into the wardrobe now that’s it’s getting cooler which were away in a drawer since the start of spring. Also, there are obviously lots of items, particularly trousers and skirts, which have been worn more than once.

That being said – I do have a lot of clothes. What’s more, I don’t absolutely love them all.

And so my mind begins to turn to what I am learning from this process and what I might do differently at the end of it. Given that an estimated £140 million worth of used clothes goes to landfill in the UK every year (some of which has travelled via charity shops and hasn’t been sold), I don’t want to return to my default setting of sending things out the door in a donation bag and think that this lets me off the hook. However I do feel the need to simplify, at least a little. I think a clothes swap may be in order.

There have been a few wonderful benefits along the way.

1. My default pair of jeans were in need of retiring to the ‘gardening clothes’ category and I wondered if I could make it through the challenge without going to buy another pair. Lo and behold, deep in the darkest recesses of my wardrobe was another pair of jeans that had, at one point or another, fallen out of favour but which were in perfectly good nick. They are the new default jeans.
2. I really haven’t felt too bereft of visiting in my beloved charity shops. Because I’ve had more variety in the clothes I am wearing every day I therefore haven’t felt the need to add a little something new by shopping.
3. I’m entering the skirt phase. I have quite a few skirts which I like but don’t wear often. Now that the summer trousers have all been worn and the jeans are in the wash, bring on the skirts!
4. Hardly any laundry.

I think I can probably get another 2-3 weeks out of this plan if I can make things match and tie together ok. I’ll keep you posted!