A while ago a friend of mine asked, “Tell me, what is one item a DC man must have and what is one that the same man should banish from his closet forever.” While I stand by my answers, must have – a good blazer; banish – old college tees, it got me thinking of the closet edit that she suggested. Her question was quite timely because I was just getting ready to do my own closet purge. But it also got me thinking how was I going to edit my own closet so that I could stay both on trend as well as maintain some classic looks and what was I going to banish?
While I’m not necessarily a fan of the philosophy if you haven’t worn it in two years, you should get rid of it, I do believe one should take a serious look at your closet on a regular basis and make an honest assessment of what should stay or go. I tend to go through this exercise twice a year, spring and fall. For me, this fall’s approach was slash and burn, if there was the slightest question of whether it should go, more often than not it hit the “to go” heap. I followed 3 simple rules.
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| Sample of the victims of the purge – Donation bound! |
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| Dolce & Gabanna sweater – Never worn. Too small. |
1. If it doesn’t fit, get rid of it. – Yes we all fluctuate in weight but why have a wardrobe full of clothes that are too small that you haven’t worn in years or clothes that are too big for fear of gaining too much weight. On the too small side, it’s alright to have an incentive piece here and there to try to get back to a goal weight but if you’re not actively making an effort, there’s no need to keep these items. It’ll just depress you. On the other end of the spectrum, why keep your “big clothes”. If you no longer have them, the fear of having nothing to wear will help keep you from growing large again.
2. If it’s out of style, let it hit the pile – You cannot always wait for something to come back in fashion even if you paid a lot of money for the piece. If you believe it’s still of value, you could always try to consign it. But face it some looks can be very dated and should simply be retired. And you know if you paid a lot for one thing, you’ll probably pay just as much or more for something else. Furthermore since you may have a biased opinion, ask a trusted friend if the clothes are still on trend. Your judgment could be too cloudy to make an honest assessment.
3. Moth-holed, damaged or stained – please! – Okay no cute rhyme but you get the point. If you have clothes that fall into this category, it’s time to say good bye. Ratty t-shirts, holey underwear, clothes that have lost their shape all fit into this category. Unless they can be repaired or the stain removed, these items should hit the trash can. They should not be donated.
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| Michael Kors – beautiful overcoat. Much too big! |
So how did I do? Fat clothes are gone and have either hit the consignment pile or will be going to a favorite local charity. Yes I found clothes with the tags still on them! A few of my favorite sweaters fell victim to the moth so sadly, they are now in the trash can. On the plus side long forgotten favorites will now be re-appearing. And now, I have additional space for new looks. Let the shopping begin! Until next time…Happy Shopping!
