Cleaning out your closet

[lovespell]

So I decided that I was unhappy with over half my wardrobe, and needed to "declutter" and "purify". I packed up bags and bags of stuff. Some for the garbage, some for a consignment shop, and some for the Goodwill.

I got rid of ALOT. It was good, because it helped me find some great stuff I had forgot about, helped me figure out what to STOP buying (you know how you buy stuff, but really can't wear it, but you KEEP buying it because your convinced you will fit it into your wardrobe/lifestyle/bodyshape).

But, now my wardobe is pretty bare. REALLY bare. I'm getting kind of nervous! It has some awesome pieces, but there are such huge holes!

So now I get to rebuild the entire thing. I'm just going to pick up a few pieces for summer, since summer is super easy to dress for, and then start worrying about the rest of my wardrobe when the time comes.


But has anyone else done this? Did you have a nervous breakdown like I almost did? Or did it feel great? Did you start rebuying stuff right away, or are you still working on it?

And how do I make it work NOW, since I'm not going to go out tomorrow and buy a ton of stuff, it will be a more gradual rebuilding.

 

[tott]

Good questions. I had to prune my wardrobe when I moved to Milano, and yet again when I moved to München. Now I've cleaned out stuff before my move to Stockholm... To me, it's been great having to focus and simplify!

It also gave me the motivation to finally throw out underwear with bubbly elastic and socks that are simply too worn...

Anyway, I don't feel like there are holes in my wardrobe. I'm buying something new every now and then, but there's not much I really need to be honest! Maybe a good suit, but I very rarely wear suits...

 

[Hipkitten]

I wouldn't be too verklempt, lovespell. Trust your initial instinct to purge yourself of those things. Most likely they were all wrong and/or you wouldn't ever wear them. Take comfort in the fact that someone, somewhere, will be enjoying and wearing your discarded items; that's much better then having them rot away in your closet.

Every few months I go through my closet and rid myself of items I never wear (some even still have the tags attached) and donate them. It can be hard to get rid of clothes you thought you loved, but it's even harder to find something to wear when your closet is full of crap you hate. Besides, isn't hording a sin or something

 

[Moda_junkie]

aghhh had to do the same thing. some jeans, tshirts, shirts I would never wear again. You know time by time my personal style changes until stabilized. So.. I decided to fill the holes, not right away.

Now it's at a point that's almost full, but I need some more T-shirts and a pair or two of jeans.

My advice is, don't fill the empty space right away.
The best is to choose good and quality pieces over time, rather than spending amounts of money on clothing you might never wear.
Go shopping when you really need to buy something!

 

[lovespell]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who's done this! Yes, I'm not really ready to buy anything right now. I have a little list in my head of what I want and need, but I'm kind of waiting for the items to seek ME out. You know when you find something and have to have it and it's just perfect? Sometimes I hate going out with a list, buying those exact things, and then you get home and are just bored with it. If that makes any sense.

Tott, I am also moving soon, so that was my big motivator to rid myself of it. It's a big pain moving lots of clothes.

 

[tott]

lovespell, that makes perfect sense, about waiting for items to seek YOU out! The worst thing is when you have to get something and you have to settle for something acceptable instead of great. Take your time and don't rush it!

 

[P.Peach]

Oi vay, I do that about every 6 months or so. I don't really flip out, because I always think of it as preventive medicine. It prevents me from wearing clothes that were obviously not made for me I'm also trying to ween myself off of this cheap but trendy thing I've been doing for a while. I always end up tossing everything anyways. Now I'm more into spending more money on a single item, that I know I will wear for more than one season.

The whole purging my closet thing is like therapy to me in the end

 

[Bonchic]

omg I did this too. I don't regret cleaning out my closet because I realized how many clothes I had that I didn't even wear or like. So I got rid of a bunch mainly selling them. I kept my more valuable ones to try and sell on ebay (haven't yet) but now I have alot more clothes to sell because I've lost alot of weight. So hardly any of my clothes fit me right they're all too big and look bad. But I'm not going out and buying clothes just so I can have them I want to invest in good classic pieces I can mix and match and once I get a good start at that I can splurge on "trendy" pieces. I'm really into the whole nautical thing for spring/summer. JCrew, Nautica, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren etc..

 

[tott]

You know, when I've cleaned out my closet, I realised I actually had clothes I never wore even though they were nicer than the stuff I did wear...

I'd just forgotten about it...

 

[Curious]

it's even harder to find something to wear when your closet is full of crap you hate

I agree with this whole-heartedly!! I do the same Hipkitten. Every few months. I would never get out of the door in the mornings otherwise! And I'm fifteen minutes late to everything as it is

I say, good riddance, LoveSpell! You just have to do this every once in a while

 

[oanadobre]

I'd rather buy a new closet than throw away something...

 

[adi]

i rwally should do this. especially when i have all those hidious t-shirts, top, skirts and jeans. first i always ask my mom if she wants to have something and then i take all my clothes to red cross or to second hand stores. maybe someone will find them just fine, but i just don't want to wear them anymore

 

[TheSweetest]

I would have to say this is a good thing you've done. Now you can truly focus on what you've discovered about what you were buying and what you want now. You should only buy what you truly love and what fits your personality and lifestyle. Sounds complicated but don't walk out with it unless you are utterly sure. Ya know?

 

[Miss_A]

For quite a while now I have been thinking of doing this as well. It's time to finally get rid of stuff that I never wear, stuff that has shrank in the wash and just stuff that are plain fugly . Despite my big words, I actually find it hard to throw something away, I always end up thinking..." but maybe one day I will end up wear this..or...if I loose some weight maybe it will look great again" It's like I'm emotionally attached to some of this crap I have on my hangers pffff it's been way to long that I have been doing that!!! So today I am gonna clear up everything. I know that when I open my closet tomorrow I am gonna fall on my knees and realise I have nothing to wear , and the biggest problem is that right now I have much more important expenses to make than new clothes It would be great to fill up a closet will fresh, new and beautiful clothes....but I guess I should start off with the cleaning first...so I'm off to work

 

[Hipkitten]

If you're having trouble cleaning out your closet:

*Go through your clothes and select items you think you might want to get rid of.
*Put said clothes away - in a drawer, bag, spare closet, etc. - anywhere you won't see them on a daily basis.
*After a few months, if you haven't worn them, it’s a pretty good indication they need to go!

This is what I do and it keeps me from wondering, What if?!

 

[Miss_A]

I just did that put everything away in bags and out of reach....it actually feels good....my closet is clean, wish I could go shopping now

 

[lovespell]

I'm actually having fun wearing some really great stuff I had forgot about. It's great, because I can just focus on the good stuff, without being overwhelmed by all the crap that I am always convinced I can make work. I feel much more confident about my styel!

 

[adi]

i just went through my closet and i found these ugly skirst that i've weared like one time. now my closet is so empty and i really need to do some serious shopping. well anyways it felt good to get rid of all of your old clothes and underwear, and now i'm going to take all the old clothes to second hand stores

 

[fashionista-ta]

I've noticed there are a few of us clutterholics around tFS Some have cluttered closets ... others (like me) have a fairly uncluttered closet, plus at least one other closet that should perhaps be cleared out mostly or completely And then there's other kinds of clutter, like my own personal weakness, paper clutter

We have other threads where you can complain about the problem ... this one is for talking about the solution

I've recommended elsewhere two books that have been a great help to me: Peter Walsh's It's All Too Much, and Karen Kingston's Clearing Your Clutter with Feng Shui. Both are available in paperback & both should inspire you to action

So please share your clutter clearing strategies and success stories here!

I'll be back to say more about mine ...

 

[The_Ida]

I have one rule: Buy one, get rid of one. It works fairly well. I can reach into my closet and grab something random, and I know it's something that I love and wear often. Because everything I kinda like, but don't wear to often, has been thrown out or donated to Red Cross to make place for something I really love.