Wardrobe Madness - Or an idea so off the wall, it just might work

It's well known that I read a great many fashion magazines and am also the great bargain hunter. The results of this are a great many articles of clothing that are bought for a dime on a whim with the hopes and dreams that it will look fabulous.

Other things that inspire shopping for way out or wonderful looks is reruns of Sex and the City and overnight adult figure skating competitions.

There are natural cycles during this mass consumption when the gears start grinding in reverse. These cycles happen during my period, those awful moments when I look at my jam-packed closet and whine that I don't have anything to wear. Also, when winter turns to spring and my lily-white legs are set free from their pants-ed chrysalis and crave the swirl of a skirt.

It is these times when my OCD tendencies come to the forefront and are released on my unsuspecting wardrobe. I reread the "packing light" articles from Vogue and the Be More with Less blog by Courtney Carver. I play tough love and start tossing stuff I haven't worn or used in the last 6 months. I also read Marissa's New Dress a Day blog to see if there's a quick fix to salvage something destined for my Goodwill pile.

Often, I'm left with a closet full of pieces that I still love, but because I purged my closet of an old pair of capris or ditched a stained tee, I no longer have an outfit.

The idea I have is such a time-waster that it may be too stupid to implement. But it may be so crazy, it just might work. It's my wardrobe matrix.

I plan on putting together an excel document that line-lists everything in my closet. Next to the listing, I plan on categorizing, listing my season and cross-referencing items that will go with that item to make an outfit.

What do I plan to accomplish with the list? In a way, use an accounting method to justify an item's continued existence in my closet. If an article of clothing is neither versatile nor a favorite, why would I keep it? It's kind of like reading pop song lyrics, you think you know what you're singing until you see it spelled out in front of you.

I expect this experiment to be highly entertaining, and perhaps sobering. I already know I own a lot less pairs of jeans than the typical person, but probably more skirts. And I already know one skirt is teetering on my list with a C grade. Tune in later to see if it passes muster!