I Wore 18 Pieces of Clothing For 38 Days

And I was Miserable.

I’ve written before about my adventures in capsule closets:

One thing I have come to appreciate about making this trip is I basically have a capsule wardrobe (also known as living out of a suitcase) for the visit. I leave New Mexico thinking how nice it will be to have a streamlined, simplified wardrobe for a few months and I return unbelievably excited to get reacquainted with my closet and also daydreaming about whittling down my belongings.

Never not laughing at my past self! Yes, there can be joy in having a smaller wardrobe—smaller loads of laundry! Being able to name every piece of clothing in my closet! Fewer decisions and decision fatigue!

This trip has not felt that way.

After the paywall I’m going to get into

• How and why I spectacularly failed at my travel capsule wardrobe.

• All the clothes I brought with me to Maine, including my least-worn shirts, my shorts of the summer, and the things I never wore at all.

• What I have worn, what I have not, and what I’ve already donated.

• What I’ve bought to supplement.