thoughts on simplifying. or, why my closet needs some tlc

Lately I've been struggling with my closet. If someone compliments my outfit these days, I don't respond with a simple "thank you." I always have some sort of response to the effect of "oh, thanks, I had nothing to wear." Which is so not true. I have a lot of clothes. The real issue is, lots of it I bought just because I felt like I needed a specific item, or it was a great price, or I just wanted something new. Lots of it I just like ok, and don't love.

Rachel, who is hanging out in my posts this month as one of my sweet sponsors and whose blog you really need to go read for a few hours, has been building a capsule wardrobe, and has been inspiring and challenging me with her thoughts on it. I've known for a while I need to address the excess and reassess my style, but she's kind of solidified the idea.
The basic premise behind a capsule wardrobe is that you work with a smaller amount of clothing that can all be mixed and matched in several ways to suit your lifestyle, and consists only of pieces you truly love yourself in.

Really like most of this one except for a few pieces that don't fit my lifestyle. {img source}

My closet is overflowing. It has been my whole life. My mom naturally built a capsule wardrobe for herself, and reassess it based on her current needs every season, only adding what she needs and will actually work. I did not inherit her natural ability to cull the excess and create a wardrobe that will all coordinate. I wish I did.
Much of my closet currently consists of things I bought in college, or pieces I've picked up here and there because I didn't have much in the way of professional clothing. My college pieces really don't suit where I am in life or who I am now. After I turned 21 I went through a season of major personal growth and changed A LOT, and got rid of lots of my old clothes, but still had quite a bit that suited being 21 and single. I went from 22 and single to 23 and married in a very short period of time--less than a year--and suddenly, here I am, with a combination of clothes that only go with a few pieces despite having a very full closet, and clothes that really don't fit who I am now.

This one I adore. Florals, stripes, and polka dots? And all suits my work environment and social life. {img source}

So, over the next month or so, I'm going to be simplifying. I'm on a journey to a less materialistic me, and a closet with only what I need and love. I'll probably extend this to other parts of the house, too, but for now, I'm starting with my wardrobe. 
And after I do a major purge, I'm going to figure out how to work with some other bloggers so we can all have a closet swap. There will be a fee to participate for shipping items wanted, but the clothes will be true swaps. I may have something you need and will love, and you may have something perfect for me. Want in? Email me at sew.my.soul.kl@gmail.com.
Are you interested in the capsule wardrobe idea? Have you already done it?