Cleaning out your closet

[ssgghh]

This thread inspired me to clean out my wardrobe. I usually do that 1x or 2x a year anyways but most of the time i feel too sentimental. A a couple of years ago I did have a few really good clean outs after which i felt really zen for a while. I feel today might be another day like that. (hopefully!)

 

[frk-frost]

This thread inspired me to clean out my wardrobe. I usually do that 1x or 2x a year anyways but most of the time i feel too sentimental. A a couple of years ago I did have a few really good clean outs after which i felt really zen for a while. I feel today might be another day like that. (hopefully!)

The best of luck

 

[ssgghh]

^ thanx. a little update,it worked, i did it And there was a charity flea market at a local caffe where you could donate your chlothes and they sell it for you giving the money to charity afterwards, it was just perfect timing so i didnt feel any guilt discarting a lot of clothes in good condition. And i wont feel any guilt when I buy new stuff eather because i now really need some!

 

[mimo]

I'm in the process of cleaning out my closet and its been a real pain. I've actually had a rather easy time getting rid of the newer stuff I buy but that I don't wear. The problem has come with pieces my mother has given me. Not only is there sentimental value but mos of them are things that my mom would wear in her teens. I keep telling myself to keep them because maybe one day I'll have a daughter and she will want all that wonderful stuff.

Should I toss them or keep them?

 

[dauphine]

I don't really think I need to closet cleanout right now, just wish I could organize it better :-/

 

[fashionista-ta]

I'm in the process of cleaning out my closet and its been a real pain. I've actually had a rather easy time getting rid of the newer stuff I buy but that I don't wear. The problem has come with pieces my mother has given me. Not only is there sentimental value but mos of them are things that my mom would wear in her teens. I keep telling myself to keep them because maybe one day I'll have a daughter and she will want all that wonderful stuff.

Should I toss them or keep them?

If you're not sure, then keep them, unless you have serious space constraints ...

 

[softgrey]

i also had my little cousin who just started college come over and pick out some stuff from my 'archives'...she was so happy to get some nice stuff and i was just as happy to see some of my favourite things get a new home/life...
most of them were new or next to new but they just didn't suit me for whatever reason...size, colour, too 'cutesy', etc...

I'm really glad we did that...
feels good...

i've already seen her wearing some riding pants style leggings and little booties that i gave her and she looked freaking adorable...
yay!

...

 

[adorefaith]

^can I be your little cousin please...

 

[Juliette]

My closet needs a good cleaning, too. I'm SUCH a bad shopper, I buy loads and end up wearing the same things over and over again. If I think about the money I could have saved up... Which is the reason I have insane amounts of unworn things in my closet. I've recently been selling them on a local website, and the rest I donate. Actually got enough money to start shopping for my spring wardrobe!
But the closet is bursting with things still... I'll probably do a good spring cleaning next weekend, I can't wait to weed my closet. One thing I find that has helped me enormously is having a clothes rack on which I put the items that are my favourites and inspire me at the moment. I end up wearing only those, and my huge closet remains untouched!

 

[eizhowa]

i also had my little cousin who just started college come over and pick out some stuff from my 'archives'...she was so happy to get some nice stuff and i was just as happy to see some of my favourite things get a new home/life...
most of them were new or next to new but they just didn't suit me for whatever reason...size, colour, too 'cutesy', etc...

I'm really glad we did that...
feels good...

i've already seen her wearing some riding pants style leggings and little booties that i gave her and she looked freaking adorable...
yay!

...

That is one of the reasons having a babysister who is half a size smaller is so great. She can inherit the things I can't wear anymore, but refuse to part with Sometimes I steal things back

 

[Fewormany]

After purging my closet I came to a few conclusions:

• I need more good quality pieces. I still have lots of cheap/low quality clothing from my student days (only a year and a half ago, but still ), and not enough quality items.
• Only about 50% of my wardrobe consist of thing that I absolutely love.
• My color scheme is working, but needs a bit more variation.
• I might need some wardrobe planning to fill in the gaps (I hate planning ).

 

[softgrey]

i think i'm going backwards...
i had a bag of stuff to take to good will but it was too heavy so i started splitting it into two bags to make it easier to carry...

while i was doing this, i was like---
oh...i don't really want to let go of that....
oh...i can fix that...
oh...other random reason why i am not giving something up...


......hilarious!

 

[pinkpol15h]

After purging my closet I came to a few conclusions:

• I need more good quality pieces. I still have lots of cheap/low quality clothing from my student days (only a year and a half ago, but still ), and not enough quality items.
• Only about 50% of my wardrobe consist of thing that I absolutely love.
• My color scheme is working, but needs a bit more variation.
• I might need some wardrobe planning to fill in the gaps (I hate planning ).

I totally have the same problem. I buy pieces I fall in love with, but realize there are only a couple items I wear it with.

 

[Psylocke]

softgrey, your story is hilarious!

I finally got rid of a hell lot of jeans today. I had 23 pairs. Now I'm down to 7 I always find it the most difficult to throw away jeans because I only buy jeans that fit really well and even years later, no matter how ugly the wash and how out-of-date the cut is, they usually still look good on me. So I end up keeping stuff like bootcut 7FAM jeans from the early 00's that look hideous but still make my butt look great They're all gone now, finally. I also have a hard time giving up shoes and coats. I always want to sell them but usually don't feel like going through the hassle of putting them online or waiting for the next flea market where I could sell them. I'm doing a major closet purge right now because I'm moving this summer and it's scary how few items are left now that I'm only keeping things that are really great quality, that I love and regularly wear. I must have eliminated about 4/5 of what was in my closet!

 

[T_C.]

I started culling my wardrobe 1.5 years ago and I am still going!

Just recently I sold 67 items on ebay and made $2500... so I can totally recommend listing some of your better pieces if you have the time and inclination to do so. You can then put the money towards a few better quality items

The last time I culled I finally got rid of some of those pieces that I was holding on to for dear life... not sure why since I hadn't worn each for years. They are now out of my life and funnily I do not regret getting rid of them, if anything I feel relief.

Undertaking this culling process has also helped me become a more discerning shopper... I no longer get sucked into sales and often i don't impulse buy anymore. I go home to really think about the item and then the next day if I still want it I consider buying it. I also repeat to myself that the world will not end if I don't buy the item.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ It's so true that items with tags still on in people's closets are so often sale tags.

Once I decide to get rid of something, I don't think I've ever changed my mind. It is my solution of last resort. Had a sweater that needed to go, and there's a drop box less than a block away, so I took a bag of things yesterday, including the sweater.

 

[vetements]

I think the price of that item definitely affects my decision making, I wouldn't think twice if its h&m and now become hideous, but if its expensive then very tough to let go and will frantically think of a way to justify keeping it!

 

[softgrey]

^^i can understand that concept...

but everything i buy is something that i love, regardless of the pricetag, so that doesn't effect me so much...

*i also have this thing about 'reuse and recycle'...
save the planet and all that...


waste not, want not...etc....

i recently went to visit a family member in another (very conservative) state---
i had given her this trendy bag during the 80's for xmas or something...
and i had a matching bag...
when i visited, she still had the bag (never used) and gave it back to me...
and i still have mine from the 80's, so now i have a matching set...
...
i use it to keep my toiletries when i travel- it's perfect and awesome!
ha!

 

[falsecontender]

I've done it, 3 bags later my wardrobe is looking a lot cleaner and more me- still have a huge pile of clothes I still love but need to try on to see if they still work for me- although there must be a reason I haven't worn them for months.

The bags are only in the spare room as I have some stuff in there to ebay but I'm gonna wait to sort it with my boyfriend cause he won't let anything sneak back into my wardrobe.

It was very hard to get rid of stuff when I can't afford to replace stuff but hey I also have 10 spare hangers now so no need to go spend money on those for now.

 

[eizhowa]

Woah! Thats a lot of Ebay listings waiting to be made It must feel so great to see your own wardrobe so much less cluttered too.

Spare hangers do not stay spare for long in my experience You will find something to hang, be it t-shirts or bras