BlogHer - clean closet - Comments

That's funny, Susan, I had a

jenniferl — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:07:44 -0500

That's funny, Susan, I had a pepto bismol pink trench coat. I loved it! But finally I consigned it and darned if that wasn't one of the things that didn't sell. Go figure!

kperfetto, I've got some friends who are regular ebay sellers and I have done consignment, both store and sales. There's pros and cons to both. With ebay, you have some control over price and how the items are presented. You can search for similar items to see how well they sold and how they were photographed. And you have a broader market than a local consignment store. One drawback is that you're a novice seller and have no rating. Ebay sellers live and die by their rating and you may lose some potential customers just because you have no selling history. There's plenty of places to learn about how best to sell on ebay and I'd read a couple so you have an idea of what to do. There's definitely an art to this.

At a consignment store, once you've dropped off your clothing, your job is done. Except for picking up your check and your unsold items. But the store will have a smaller market than ebay and they may not be able to sell your things. Plus, while you own the clothes, they set the prices and choose how the clothes are presented. I'd do some research about the different stores in your area to see what they carry and who their clients are. Maybe stop in without your clothes and shop around and then talk to the owner to see if it's the best place for your things. And be sure to read the contract over carefully. You could try both: start with consignment and if that doesn't work, give ebay a try.

yesterday

chris — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 19:32:17 -0500

I brought three huge black garbage bags of my clothing to Goodwill. Once I started being honest about what I really wear it was easy. Now can begin all over again with clothes I will actually wear. Or at least that is the theory I am working on.

consignment vs eBay: ideas?

Susan Wagner — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:09:14 -0500

Kathy asked a good question about the best strategy for resale, and I honestly don't know. But I know that YOU do!

Which makes more sense: eBay or your local consignment shop?

Jennifer, you absolutely SHOULD hang on to those really beautiful pieces; store them out of the way, and be sure to keep them safe from the elements. And I will tell you (because I like you) that two weeks after my last baby was born I bought some PeptoBismol pink tapered capri pants, with a high waist and PLEATS, because I was sure they would . . . well, I don't know what I was thinking. But yes, I understand how that can happen.

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One Word

jenniferl — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 13:15:28 -0500

It only takes one word to tell why I have so much unwearable stuff in my wardrobe: pregnancy! Not the weight gain. Or the new body. But the post-partum brain that thought buying a pair of loud floral capris...to draw attention away from my chest, of course...made perfect sense. I have so many "What was I thinking" clothes in my closet. Well, had. I've got most of them pretty much cleared out now. I think I have one more box floating around storage but the rest of the closet has been sorted through.

I'm keeping a couple of things that I can't wear: a fabulous cream suit, gotta be 10 years old but classic enough to keep, and a beautiful blue sweater with an Indian pattern. I'm losing weight so maybe I'll fit into them soon. But for now, I have so few beautiful things in my closet that I'm saving them. If I still can't fit into them by spring then I'll look towards replacing them. Meanwhile, I've got a date with the mall for the first week in October. My hubby has promised to babysit and I'm going to find myself some new beautiful things that fit me right now.

Re consigning clothes: this is going to seem like a no-brainer but I'm going to say it anyway. Be sure to pick-up anything that doesn't sell in a timely fashion or else it will belong to the store. I've done this twice now.

I'm about to do that: take

kperfetto — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 11:16:20 -0500

I'm about to do that: take the clothes I don't wear to a consignment shop. (Size 2 Betsey Johnson skirt? I think I wore that for maybe a minute.) The only thing keeping me from getting rid of the clothing I don't wearis that I paid good money for the designer stuff. Which is better, going with a consignment shop or selling it yourself on ebay? (I've done neither, by the way.)

Five Dollar Camera & Five Dollar Radio

Postpartum is tough

Susan Wagner — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:08:39 -0500

We'll talk about getting through the post-baby window soon, I promise. And while you shouldn't give everything away right now, keep in mind that once the baby weight DOES come off, you may be ready for a whole new wardrobe anyway.

And I always went with the theory that everyone was looking at the baby anyway. Right? Right.

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I don't wear 95% of what is

Kian Yamaguchi — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:02:51 -0500

I don't wear 95% of what is in my closet because it is all pre-baby clothes and I haven't gotten back to my pre-baby size. So I have a couple shirts and 2 pair of jeans that fit me now and that is what I wear.

All.the.time.

*sigh*

I'm with Elana

paper napkin — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:14:06 -0500

I don't like to shop, so I have about 15 shirts for summer, 15 for winter. Same with pants, and about 5 summer dresses and 5 winter dresses. I don't wear a dress very often, but at some point or other I wear nearly all of it.

Inspired by Susan, I cleaned out my closet yesterday getting rid of everything I knew I'd never wear, it was only a handful of stuff. Can't vouch for how fashionable I am, but at least I'm practical. That counts for something, right?

Sheryl

Clothes Horse...

Robin Ogden — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:50:37 -0500

Ok - I'll admit it, I am a clothes horse. Of course, my friends would tell you that admitting it is no problem for me. They say when the word shopping is mentioned the color of my eyes changes :)

Yet, you are right... I do often wear a small amount of my wardrobe. I have my favorites - the things that I'm truly comfortable in. The difficulty is that I love outfits and when I go shopping I just love to pull an outfit together - it's just fun! The problem is that it is more about pulling it together than "will I wear it?" So, alas I have soooooo many things in my closet that I truly have never worn (shhhh, they still hve the tags on them...ouch).

So, I will take the challenge. It would be nice to have a bit of space in my closet and would also be satisfying to know that I actually wear what is in there (is that normal?)

Ok - two weeks and counting....it's only fair to start from today, right? :)

Robin Ogden
http://www.firedupcareers.com

weight gain and my closet

Daisy — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:00:21 -0500

DaisyI've gained a great deal of weight in the last few years, and I'm just now giving up my "slim" clothes. If and when I lose this excess, those pieces won't be in fashion anyway. sigh.

EVERYONE needs a black turtleneck

Susan Wagner — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 14:29:56 -0500

Unless, of course, you live in San Diego, or Hawaii. In which case, can I come visit you, say in February?

A black sweater, either a turtleneck or a crew neck, is a Wardrobe Must Have. More on that soon, I promise.

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I am doing it too

chris — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 13:19:19 -0500

Going through my closet and drawers and getting rid of 80% of it.

Part of it is being honest about what I really do wear. It is ridiculously cold here in the winter and I have so may items that never see the outside of my drawer once october hits.

Also, I need that black sweater. I'd wear that in subzero temperatures.

I'm going to be honest with you

HeatherB — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:45:16 -0500

Today, I bought a shirt just because the shirt I was wearing had makeup on it. Not completely visible but it was there and I didn't want to go where I was headed with makeup on the collar so I bought a shirt at the gap. I'll probably wear it a million times because that's what I do, but really, there was no good reason for it.

When I move in a few weeks, I'm doing a final weeding out of things, because I'm sick of staring at my closet every morning saying "I have nothing to wear" only to spend two hours ironing the next day.

Heather B.
Personal Blog: No Pasa Nada
BlogHer CE: Business, Career & Personal Finance

Another exception..

debra roby — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:41:56 -0500

Since I am home almost all the time, my wardrobe is really 5 tank tops, 10 short-sleeve ts, and 3 long sleeve (it's summer). Plus 2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of knit pants.

Yes, there are 3 dresses for special occasions and one red wool blazer. Period.

But I've been losing weight and unwilling to invest in a new wardrobe until I got close to the end.

Every season, I pull out the stained shirts, give them away and replace them. But I wear almost everything in my closet every 2 weeks or so, or it's gone. (we have a truck that comes to our neighborhood every Thursday. Just put it out and it disappears.)

However, I'll admit that my wardrobe is a bit spare.. and I do need to start considering adding some of the basics to it. Now that I'm almost through with the weight-loss thing, I'll feel OK doing that.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Deb's Daily Distractions

Hooray for Elana!

Susan Wagner — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:29:37 -0500

I wish more women were doing what you describe: spending money (and yes, $75.00 IS a reasonable amount for really good quality pieces) on clothes they REALLY WEAR.

At the end of this, you will ALL be able to say that you wear what's in your closet. RIGHT?

Right.

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