I hate to admit this, but I had stacks of clothes that were just kind of “around” because there was no real closet space for them to all go into. I could blame this on needing a bigger closet but in all honesty, I needed fewer clothes. I needed to build a better wardrobe. After several months of seeing these organized piles, I realized I was making it day to day just fine with the clothes I was actually placing on hangers or neatly folding in the closet.
Even with this realization, getting rid of clothes can be hard. You tell yourself you’re going to wear that … one day. The weather isn’t right for it right now. You’ve gained a few pounds but once you’re back down, you’ll wear it. You just haven’t found the right shirt/bottom for it. So.many.excuses.
I love dressing up just as much as the next person, but I don’t know why we gain such an attachment to clothes. Stores aren’t in danger of running out and I haven’t met one person who enjoys laundry.
I went through a round of closet decluttering. It was a joke. When I finished I still wasn’t happy with the number of items I had left. I still chose with my emotions instead of diplomatically choosing what should go and what should stay.
Should you find yourself in the same predicament, here are 3 very simple questions to ask yourself on whether something should go or if it should stay:
Have I worn it in the past 6 months?
I gave myself 6 months to account for the only 2 seasons North Carolina has. If it hadn’t be worn, it had to go.
Does it fit?
I kept telling myself I was going to lose weight and get back into those items. I’ve been saying that for 2 years, so that’s no longer a viable answer. If I couldn’t pull it above my thighs or below my breast, it had to go.
Is it multifunctional?
If it can only be worn as one outfit, it had to go.
You’d be surprised how those questions alone narrowed things down so much for me. After that quick reevaluation, half of the clothes I took to Goodwill and the other half I’ll be putting up on Poshmark in the coming weeks.
What’s keeping you from tossing the things that clearly shouldn’t be in your closet any longer? Are there other question you need to ask yourself in order to build a better wardrobe?
