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Chris cleaned out her closet this week and had some really good insights into why we wind up with so many of the wrong things in our wardrobes.
I think part of my problem with clothes is buying things I like, but that a) don’t match anything else I own, b) don’t really fit right, or c) don’t fit my lifestyle. Sadly the last one means coming to terms with the fact that as much as I like blouse type shirts for winter I will NEVER wear them. No more telling myself, “Well, maybe I might wear it if . . . ”
No, Chris, when the temperatures are sub zero you will NOT wear that blouse type shirt, no matter where you are going.
Chris also came up with some great suggestions for getting the closet of your dreams. You know, once you've really whittled down what you're going to put in there.
In the comments on Chris' post, Personal Chef to 2 said what many of us think when we look in our closets: "I did a major jean purging before the summer. How sad it was to see my 20’s and much smaller ass being thrown into a bag and given away knowing that even if I starved myself for the next six months they would likely never ever fit again." We hang on to clothes because we are holding on to part of our selves, to that person who wore the smaller size or the shorter skirt. Cleaning out the closet can be hard, because it not only means parting with things we don't wear, but parting with the illusion that we might someday wear those things. It means accepting that our bodies or our lives or our situations have changed.
So how do you figure out what you're wearing and what you're not? When you move from season to season, hang everything backwards, with the hanger hook over the bar the wrong way. As you wear things, flip the hanger over; at the end of the month or the season or the year, you will be able to see what you have REALLY worn. The shirt you toss on every weekend, the suit you pull out for client meetings, the dress you keep because it's perfect for weddings and holiday parties--all of them are important parts of your wardrobe IF you are wearing them. Anything that is still hung backward should go, because you're not wearing it.
The hanger trick will help you see what's working for you because it gives you a visual on what you're really wearing. Some pieces--like your little black dress--will not see the light of day very often (unless you live a fabulous life where you go to LOTS of cocktail parties, in which case can I come visit you? Please?). Other pieces may not be leaving your closet at all just now, for good reasons. If you are in a transitional period--postpartum, for instance, or working to lose weight--you will most likely have things that don't fit right NOW but will fit later. Don't toss them; store them in another closet or under the bed, so that when you go to get dressed in the morning, you are not faced with things that you can't actually wear. Keep your regular closet for the clothes you are going to wear the most and store the other things elsewhere. Remember the goal is to get dressed easily, not stand in the closet in your underwear reminiscing about the last time you were able to zip that fabulous skirt.
Most of us still have one or two (or more) things we just CANNOT part with. Look closely at those pieces. What keeps you from tossing them? The cost? You won't get your money back by keeping them in the closet. Take them to consignment if you like, but don't keep them just because they were expensive. The memories? There's nothing wrong with keeping something for sentimental reasons, but don't hang it with the clothes you're really wearing. Pack it away. SentinelArchiving has some great tips for storing various pieces, including wedding gowns.
Coming Tuesday: giving your basics wardrobe some personality.
Susan Wagner writes about fashion at Friday Style and The Working Closet, and about
