Spring Closet Cleanse Time!
It is Spring! The time for renewal and fresh starts. Now is the perfect time to clean out your closet and spruce up your wardrobe. Yes, I do realize that it’s May and that summer is right around the corner, but here in NYC we haven’t had must Spring weather, aside from all the rain. So much rain! Also, In this post I refer a lot to clothing, but closet cleanses also include footwear, handbags, accessories, hats, underwear, and other wearable items.
Hello Spring! Goodbye horrid clothes!
Things to get rid of:
1.Things that no longer fit. If it doesn’t fit, you must ditch! This one seems kind of obvious, but I’ve encountered plenty of people holding on to clothes that are too small in the hopes of losing weight and fitting back into them. The problem with this is some of us just won’t lose the weight and the clothes not only end up taking up valuable real estate in our closets and clothing drawers, but just looking at them will make us feel bad about ourselves. It’s just not worth it! Another reason you shouldn’t hold on to clothes that don’t fit is that styles and trends are always changing, so even if you’re able to lose the weight your “skinny” clothes may just be out of style when you’re finally able to fit into them again.
2. Things with rips, holes, stains, tears, odd smells, etc. and things that are worn-out. Eww! Just gross! If it’s damaged, just throw it out! A quick note about clothing repairs: if something can be fixed, hurry up and do it. Some folks hold on to things they’ve been meaning to mend for ages, but never get around to doing it. There’s no point in holding on to these things.
3. Aspirational clothing. True story: I once aspired being the kind of person that went to the gym every day. I bought all kinds of leggings, cute workout tops, sneakers, and other gym accoutrement. I went to the gym exactly three times before I lost interest and stopped going. Now I was stuck with all kinds of gym clothes I would never wear again. It happens to the best of us. We dream of living a certain lifestyle or projecting a certain image that really isn’t us, we buy the clothes and accessories to go with this image, and then we never wear this stuff. Get rid of it all!
4. Out of fashion or out of style clothing. Trends come and go. What’s in today will be out tomorrow. Yes, fashion is cyclical, but it could take 20 years for your cold shoulder tops to come back in style.
5. Things that no longer fit your lifestyle. As the pandemic wanes, many people are returning to normalcy. Many folks who had been working from home the past couple of years may now find themselves going back to the office, even if just for a day or two out of the work week. Those sweatpants, leggings, and track suits that were oh so comfy while WFH will most definitely not suit you when you return to the office, even if you have a casual dress code. Time to cull that pile of sweatpants!
6. Duplicates. No one needs 20 pairs of jeans. Just sayin’.
7. Anything you just don’t wear. I’ve seen articles telling people to ditch anything they haven’t worn in the past year. This issue with this is that because of the pandemic some folks haven’t worn a particular garment not because they didn’t want to wear it, but because they had nowhere to wear it to. However, if you have any items that you don’t wear because you just don’t like them, they don’t go with anything, don’t fit, etc., toss them out!
What to keep:
1. Items that are classic, chic and timeless. Some things just never go out of style, like the little black dress, a well-fitting pencil skirt, a crisp white button-down shirt, straight-leg dark wash blue jeans, etc. Just make sure they fit you well!
2. Things that you love and enjoy wearing regularly. If it’s something you love, fits you well, and makes you feel great, by all means, keep it!
A few other things to keep in mind:
Seasonal Clothes: Many of us living in places that experience all four (or even six!) seasons are probably accustomed to having separate wardrobes for the different seasons. In a time when air conditioners and heating exist, this really isn’t necessary. Many things like jeans, t-shirts, and other items can be worn year-round. Marie Kondo does a good job of explaining this in her book, The Life-Changing Art of Decluttering and Organizing (chapter 3). Personally, I like to wear a lot of solid color sleeveless dresses. In the warmer weather I’ll wear them as is, but in the cooler temperatures I’ll wear them with a blazer, sweater, or cardigan, with tights and sometimes boots.
Next Steps
So now that you’ve cleaned out your closet and purged out the stuff you no longer like, need, or fit into, what’s next? The first order of business is dealing with the items you no longer want or need. If an item is in good and wearable condition, you can donate to thrift stores and charities, or pass it along to someone you know would wear the item. If it’s not wearable, just put it with the trash. Please don’t donate damaged, unwearable clothes to charity. I see this all the time. No one wants your trash!
After you purge all your unwanted items, now would be a good time to organize your closet and clothes drawers. You can do this by color or clothing type, or something else. Personally, I like to sort out my stuff by color, then garment type. For example, I have all my navy-blue garments together in the closet, organized right to left by dresses, tops, then skirts. Fun fact: I rarely wear pants though I do own several pairs.
After cleaning out and organizing your closet and drawers, you may want to acquire additional items to complete your wardrobe. I’ll address this in is a future blog post, so stay tuned!
Need any help with cleaning out your closet or deciding what to wear? Please get in touch!