A Case for Keeping Seldom-Worn Items

For this outfit I wanted to take this ruffled skirt in a different and less steampunk direction. As you can see I also wore my new Cydwoqs for the second day in a row, apparently in an attempt to rapidly drive down the price-per-wear. The gold finish of the shoes was just perfect for picking up the orange tones in the cropped cardigan, and the multitude of other colors in the cardigan made it possible to throw a teal tank top into the mix.

There's something about the proportions of this cardigan that make it tricky to wear, which is why I don't wear it very often. I've thought about altering in in some way, but I could never quite work out exactly what I would change. Eventually I decided to just let it be one of those seldom-worn items in my wardrobe that is nevertheless valuable to have on hand because of its ability to bring several different colors together. I don't like to have too many seldom-worn items in my closet, but the ones that I hang onto tend to have at least one of the following characteristics:

1. An unusual color mix. Just like with this cardigan, there are a few items I own that have such a unique blend of colors that I'll keep them around even though I don't wear them very often. When I do make use of one of my oddly-colored items, you can bet it'll be the one thing in the outfit on which everything else hinges. My long, zig-zag patterned top is another such item, and I also have some scarves that fall into this category.

2. A one-of-a-kind quality. There are a few things I own that are so distinctive that I don't need to wear them very often in order for them to have a big impact. Things like my patchwork boots or my vintage 60's dress come to mind. These are items that are fairly self-limiting because everyone remembers when you wear them, but if they're truly one-of-a-kind then they'll endure for years to come.

3. Filling a very specific niche. There are a couple of times when I thought, "I need something that's (specific color) and (specific length) and (specific other property). And man, that's a tall order when you've only got your own closet to browse through, isn't it? Any item I own that has ever fit the bill in that situation gets a free pass to stay around as long as it likes, even if it might only be those specific situations in which I wear it. A notable example is my brown tunic, which turned out to be exactly what I was looking for when I knew I wanted something brown, minidress-length, and drop-waist.

Do you have any other criteria for keeping those seldom-worn items?

Cardigan:
Tank: Old Navy
Skirt: Skin Graft
Shoes: Cydwoq