The state of my wardrobe has had Hubby in various states of frustration, “You bring new clothes in, but no clothes are going out.”
I have had so much emotional attachment to my clothes. It’s not the memories created whilst wearing the clothes, but something a little bit more. To throw away the clothes, particularly those in sizes that are too small, would be admitting defeat. Admitting that I was fat, no longer able to wear them, but also admitting that I may never wear them again.
Instead of taking such a pessimistic approach to my wardrobe cull, I decided to give myself a kick up the butt and ask, “Would I really wear it anyway? Even if I could?”
And so I ruthlessly went through all my clothes, even those stored lovingly in the garage, and cleared the clothing clutter. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but over the weekend I donated FOURTEEN garbage bags full of clothes to charity. Fourteen. {And threw another 2 out}.
But the feeling. I feel good. I saved a few key pieces {beautiful dresses & my skinny jeans}, but the rest was stuff I was just hanging onto because I could, and felt I should. I was a little emotional as I went through my clothes and remembered times gone by, but after I was done I was on a cleaning high. In fact I still get a little buzz each time I open my almost immaculate wardrobe.
Do you have items in your wardrobe that you’re hanging onto just because? Or are you super organised and someone I should envy? How long has it been since you had a wardrobe declutter?
ok. totally inspired. I will do this next week.
I don't have 14 bags of clothes but I'm sure I can get rid of a fair chunk of stuff.
I did a declutter a couple of weeks ago as well. Just out of curiosity do you have a summer and a winter wardrobe? I pack all my summer stuff away in a suitcase when it becomes clear my summer dresses aren't going to cut it anymore. Must go and get that out of the back cupboard 😉
i got rid of all my skinny clothes this year, i'm me and i'm curvy, and thats that x you are beautiful no matter what the number on your clothes says x
This is my therapy. I do it every 3-6 months. Good for the soul x
Yup! I'm hanging onto old suits and fancy dresses. Some are too big and some are too small. Just feels a waste to throw them but as I write this, rather stupid to keep them! Some were bought overseas so they have lovely travel memories attached to them – I should just rely on photos! Else I'm pretty good with regular clothes. I can turf them from time to time and it feels great. In fact, I must admit that I felt rather liberated at the height of my pregnancies when I could really only rotate about 10-15 pieces. It made dressing so quick and easy and my wardrobe never looked so uncluttered! Not sure I could replicate that now I'm not preggers.
I just cleaned out my van. The closet should be my next step. I also have things in my closet that should no longer be in there. I have different sizes which I hate.
I just have to make the first step.
I'm pretty good about it all. Possibly because I've never had a lot of wardrobe space, and the spare room wardrobes are usually reserved for TBK clothing. Therefore I'm pretty ruthless. A friend's op shop has done pretty well out of me!
When we moved recently, I took everything out of spacebags and did a massive cull. Now, everything I own is unpacked and if it didn't fit, it was gone.
The only thing I still have, and should just put on ebay is a “worn once then spacebagged for 13 years” is a ski jacket. Damn thing looks like new!
14 wow, when we moved I donated 5 of just clothes, pre-Isabella, after her & the clothes I brought wore once & then never again.
But now I have not clothes.
For my it is a continual process. If something comes in, something goes out. And If I have not worn it for 12 months. It goes. Call me Ruth (less) xx
Wow, 14 bags! Good on you! I NEED to organise my wardrobe, i have so many clothes that i really dont know what to wear so i just keep wearing the same outfits.
If only I had 14 bags of clothes to throw out! My wardrobe has gotten smaller and smaller over the years – in direct proportion to the ever-growing wardrobes of my children!
That is wonderful! Good job! I made a promise to myself some time ago that if I brought some thing new in I had to donate something else, or I would literally need to tear down a wall to make it fit. Every few weeks I go through a pile of clothes I have been also hanging on to because of mmories. The pile isn't large, but whenever I see the show “hoarders” I have a urge to just dump out anything 😉 the pile is getting smaller and smaller because every time revisit it I realize I don't need it really or I won't fit in to it and I wont wear it if I could.
And, like you, I can now find things I forgot I had. It's like a brand new wardrobe!
Take care!
Must be a winter thing because I've been sorting out my wardrobe as well, culled my dresses down to 74 (http://jarrahjungle.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-many-is-too-many.html). Yes 74, what can I say I love clothes! Most clothes I put on now if they don't look good or make me feel good, or don't fit etc then they go into the bag for the next clothes swap party that my girlfriends and I have every few months 🙂
Way to go Chantelle! It feels amazing, doesn't it? It's what I teach all my clients and practise myself. We don't have a lot of room to store things so if it's not making me feel fabulous, then it's gone!
so i bit this bullet afew years ago but not totally i still have 10 pairs of new never wore undies in my draw that i stocked up on only to find they dont sit right and havent been able to throw although i know ill never wear them so thanks i now know ITS TIME lol
Oh I am you 'pre' your declutter Chantelle. We have really limited cupboard space in our place, therefore everything just gets hurled in and the doors shut on it. It gets me down regularly, because I have absolutely no idea where anything is or even what I have. I try to keep my favourites close to the front or sitting on top of my drawers, which is not ideal either. I need to do a ruthless cull, but much like yourself, I am hanging onto some of them out of nostalgia or something silly like that. We definitely need more storage space, but I know that's not the only problem… I've gotta get tough!
So glad your purge has made you feel so good… you're an inspiration for the hoarder in me ;o) xo
Yay for you! I love a good declutter. I feel your pain at letting those clothes go though. My body has changed so much after 2 bubs that I don't suit those pre-baby clothes and holding onto them only serves to depress me. Embrace the new you I say, well I am trying anyway.
I'm going to do a huge cull when I move back home. I will have an organised closet (like the ones I have envied since I was a teen). A closet where everything has a place and everything is neatly in its place. I have currently got stuff on a temporary laundry hanger on wheels in the new closet – plus clothes in spacebags and my closet here at my mother-in-laws. I need a serious cull. I did one when I moved over here but will need to do another. I currently wear 20% of my wardrobe.
I did a massive de-clutter of my wardrobe right before winter. I had so amany things from pre-mama days. Things that I just wasn't going to wear. And shoes – I had lots of cheap pairs that looked okay but hurt my feet each time I wore them. So I went and bought a gorgeous leather pair with a bow 🙂 and threw my cheap and nasty ballet flats away (along with 13 other nasty pairs) and now I have less shoes to choose from but my choices are now quality and comfortable.
I decluttered my wardrobe a few weeks ago. I lost weight and rather than put my 'fat' clothes up into the top of the wardrobe as I have in the past, I gave them to Good Sammy's. I do still have a bag of skinny clothes that I may never fit into (I'd probably look ill if I was ever that small again) but I can't bear to part with them.
This has been on my list to do for months… Thanks for the kick!! x
This is SO relevant for me right now. I am pretty sure I can't get 14 bags worth of stuff, but I definitely hoard stuff that if I really think about it truthfully is stuff that I will never wear again. Somehow it also seems wasteful, and yet I guess it is a bigger waste leaving it to clog my cupboard rather than passing it onto someone who might actually use it. Thanks for this timely post, I feel inspired to try and tackle my wardrobe challenge today.
Thank you for the inspiration, especially the post script. I really REALLY REALLY need to tackle my wardrobe and drawers. I've shrunk – have lots of big clothes (kept “just in case”), gotten bigger (had another baby) and not quite at pre-baby size again. I have so many variables of sizes, and it's driving me insane!
This is the kick up the bum I need, to do this.
Everyday I walk into my bedroom and feel overwhelmed. I have so so so many clothes, and I wear about 5% of them.
I did a big cull of 6 bags about 18 months ago, for a charity drive, and have only regretted maybe up to 6 individual items wishing I still had them. I got rid of all my corporate suit type items as I wear less structured, more flowy, slightly gypsy style now, so much more comfortable. I wear my summer skirts all year round by simply adding a pair of tights underneath in winter and have a couple of pairs of hippie/gypsy pants that I do the same with. Then I have tshirts, skivvies, cotton blouses and a few knitted tops (long &short sleeve)a couple of dresses and that's about it, except for coats, shoes, handbags & undergarments. We also store the spare linen for each bed in the wardrobe of the appropriate room. One room has queen size sheets, one room double and the other single sheets.
Yep. I have doen exactly the same thing this week!
I think i threw out 12 bags of clothes and a bag of bags 😛
I have kept all my pretty dresses (I don't have a daughter, but my boys may not turn out gay, so they may have lovely girlfriends I can hand them down to).
I still have skinny jeans though. Hmmm is “size 18 skinny jeans” an oxymoron?
If only I had 14 bags of clothes to throw out! My wardrobe has gotten smaller and smaller over the years – in direct proportion to the ever-growing wardrobes of my children!
Elizabeth Saxe Coburg-Gotha is an evil woman, why do we slave away at work our whole lives for money with her face on
I’ve said that least 1122378 times. SCK was here
Fantastic read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing a little investigation on that. And he actually bought me lunch because I discovered it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!