Ten-item wardrobe scepticism

I know several of you who read here share my interest in keeping possessions few and experimenting with reducing the number of clothes you own to a workable minimum.

At present, I have:
4 pairs of trousers 
1 skirt 
2 linen shirts
6 long-sleeved tops
1 sweater
4 cardigans
1 warm knitted waistcoat (US 'vest')
3 jackets 
1 fleece gilet 
1 raincoat
1 winter coatigan
2 pr tights, 2 pr socks, underwear, 4 sets PJs, dressing gown
Various accessories (2 bags, 2 hats, 2 scarves, 2 pr gloves, snood)
4 pr earrings


I make that 25 garments without adding in the socks, tights, underwear, PJs and accessories. Oh, and I also have 6 pairs of shoes. 

I find that fairly minimal. Scanning the list, one might wonder "Why does she need 3 jackets?" Well, because they are different weights and different degrees of smartness. One is so light and thin (t-shirt material) it's hardly a jacket at all, but does provide a useful modesty layer or just add warmth to a top on one of those days that's not cold exactly, but not very warm either — 'wind chill factor'. One is my everyday jacket, and the third one is for formal occasions (eg public speaking or going to a wedding etc)

I don't need a raincoat at all when it isn't raining, but if I don't have one then when it rains I just have to stay at home. My gilet I wear day in day out through the winter months — it does as a coat but isn't ludicrous worn indoors, which is helpful because we don't put our heating on much.

There are some things I could lose, at a pinch and if I had to. I suppose I don't actually need a skirt (or the tights I keep to wear with it), but there just are some occasions when I'd feel inappropriately dressed in trousers. My skirt is wool (knitted); so if one of those occasions when I felt obliged to wear a skirt cropped up in summer, I would buy a lightweight one — but such events are rare enough that I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
And I don't really think I need that very lightweight jacket — on the other hand it is extremely useful and folds up as small as a t-shirt, so I keep it for now.

So, all in all I think my clothing kit is fairly basic; but I am always keen to hear from people who get by successfully with fewer items of clothing. I think if I were starting over, I might have fewer things than I do — for instance, I could manage with 2 cardigans instead of 4, and I don't really need a sweater at all because I could wear a buttoned up cardigan instead. However, the sweater and 3 of the cardigans are cashmere (the 4th cardigan is alpaca), so it could cost a lot of money to replace them. I bought them either in half-price sales or remarkably cheap on eBay, and there's no guarantee I'd find replacements for those prices in the right colour, fit and style. As having 4 extends the wear (only having 2 would mean they wear out quicker), I think hanging on to them is prudent not just an excuse to own more and more things. 

Anyway, in reading articles about people with minimalist and capsule wardrobes, I often come across posts on what is called 'The 10-Item Wardrobe'.

When I first saw this, I hurried along eagerly to find out about it, but found myself baffled by what I read.

Because the so-called 10-Item Wardrobe might be made up of:
1 pr trousers
2 pr jeans
2 dresses
1 skirt
4 blouses

Fair enough not to include underwear and night clothes in the list, and I even think it's reasonable not to add in accessories (hats, scarves, gloves, bags etc), jewellery and shoes.

But I thought, 'Jeepers, isn't she cold? No knitwear?'

Then, reading on, I discovered all was not what I'd thought at first. Because yes, she does have knitwear. Sweaters are not counted in the ten items. They, along with t-shirts, coats and jackets, special occasion wear, accessories, nightwear, sportswear, underwear, and jewellery — don't count! They're 'extras'.

What? No they aren't! A person's wardrobe is the clothes they have. How can you possibly say your jeans are part of your wardrobe but your sweaters aren't? That's just silly.

Not only that, but the people who write about the so-called 10-Item Wardrobe also invariably say that, hey, nobody's counting, it doesn't matter if you have 15 items or even 25 — whatever works for you.

With the result that you could have:
5 pairs jeans
3 skirts
6 blouses
4 dresses
16 T-shirts
30 pr shoes
12 sweaters
9 cardigans
8 jackets
4 coats
32 bags
6 hats
A whole drawer of nightwear
Another whole drawer of underwear and one for tights and socks
More jewellery than you could shake a stick at
— and still say you had a 10-Item Wardrobe.

But even then that's not all: out-of-season clothes are all in store. So the person could not only have everything on that list above, but two more sets of clothes of equal magnitude for the other seasons of the year! And that would still count as a 10-Item Wardrobe.

Delusional or what?