15 Signs It Needs to Go: Guidelines for Editing Your Closet
I am a resolution junkie. I totally buy into the new year, new you, and love thinking about what self improvements I can dedicate myself to. Goodness knows I have plenty of choices!
Some resolutions stand year after year. Get my body swimsuit edition worthy (any year now). Eat more vegetables (doing well with the potato category). Be more grateful for my blessings (I love being a mom. I love being a mom. I love being a mom). But I also try to pick a new one that addresses a current stress point. For 2022, my goal is to live more minimally. In other words, LESS STUFF. Last year we welcomed our third child. We also started an attic renovation that consequently reduced storage space. Exciting life happenings, but, both found us with more stuff than room.
So I’m starting with myself, and cleaning up my closet. I’m adopting a less is more approach (less being a relative term here). Why? For starters, its hard to have a bad outfit day when you have weeded out the weak links and everything in your closet is money. The getting dressed decision making process is simpler. Potential for clutter and mess is minimized. Laundry loads are lighter. All benefits that will affect my life for the better. So I am sharing the guidelines I will be using to decide what stays and what goes, in case you too could use a little cleansing going into the new year.
15 Signs It Needs to Go: No Pajama Mama’s Guidelines for Editing Your Closet
Guilt is stopping you from pitching
A loved one gave it to you. You feel wasteful because it still has the tags on it. There are too many items that I have held onto for too long because guilt stopped me from giving it up. Remember it is more wasted unused in your closet than donated to someone else who loves it or needs it.
It’s a backup item
I had a pair of jeans that every time I wore I just felt meh. There was no outfit that they were the best option for. So why did I keep? Because when everything else was in the laundry, they worked. I finally gave them up, conceding that I either needed to step it up with laundry or buy another pair- because if you don’t feel attractive in something it doesn’t belong in your closet.
You’re hoping it comes back in style
Fashion is cyclical its true, but those cycles tend to be generational, not 2-3 years. By the time it comes back in style, you will either have aged out of the trend, sized out of the fashion piece, or want the current, updated version of the trend. If you’re feeling like an item is too out of fashion to wear right now, it’s time to go.
It hasn’t fit in years
This is a toughie, because none of us want to acquiesce that we won’t bounce back to our “prime”- and I’m not saying we should! If you’re putting in work to get back to a happy place with your body, you could very well want to treat yourself with new clothes once you achieve your goal! If you had a baby in recent years, give yourself a break. But also understand that even once the scale is on your side, your body may never be the same. Boobs, ribs, hips- they transform and do incredible things when making a baby. And you know what? Feminine curves are beautiful. They should be rocked and worked. But you might need some new clothes to do it.
It doesn’t look good in the pictures
Of course we’ve all had the unfortunate inopportune photo, and we definitely looked way better in real life. But if you’re noticing time and time again that a piece of clothing is doing absolutely nothing for you as you flip through the images on your phone, it might be time to accept that the pictures aren’t lying and that the fashion needs to go.
You’re saving it as a gym/sleep/paint shirt
We all have a stack of these, right? Maybe a couple of stacks? It has some sentimental value so you justify its presence as a perfect free-and-easy time shirt, but when it comes down to it, you have a sexy yoga outfit and a snuggly pj set. If its collecting cobwebs at the top of a closet, its time to go.
You think your kid might like it some day
This is harder for me to preach on since I have no girls, but I am a daughter. And I have loved some of my mom’s outfits from back in the day. But, never really wished she saved them for me. If the piece is truly a special one of a kind or an indispensable designer piece, okay. But for the most part, be real with yourself, assess how many of your own mother’s clothes are in your closet, and pitch accordingly.
You keep telling yourself you’ll get it altered
Does it not fit because of a hem, or it’s too loose in the wrong places? Sure, go ahead and bring it to the tailor. But if you have been hesitating because the cost of the alteration doesn’t match the worth of the garment, or you just don’t care enough to take the time to get to the tailor, you might need accept you should be dropping it off at a donation site instead.
It’s perfect for one prospective imaginary outfit
You can picture the fashion item with one cute outfit, maybe, but you haven’t bothered to buy any of the other components that make up that imaginary outfit and have no real plans to. If you can’t make something work with the rest of your closet, it might mean it doesn’t fit into your style.
If your husband loves it, and you don’t
I have had items in my closet that I have kept because my husband thought they looked desirable on me. I do care what he thinks, and honestly I’m a sucker for compliments. The issue was, I didn’t feel great in them. As fashion obsessed as I am, I do truly believe that what makes someone the most attractive is confidence. If you’re not loving how you look, despite who else is- it has gotta go.
***Throw him a bone- It goes both ways. If hubby isn’t a fan of a piece of clothing, and you’re not too tied to it, consider pitching and remember who you’re dressing to impress (after yourself, of course).
It doesn’t match your lifestyle
I have a love affair with event dresses, and my closet reflects it. As a 20 something frequenting bars, these dresses got mileage. In my early 30s, I had all the options for wedding attire. But at this point in my life, my occasions to wear these wonderful dresses are limited. They still exist, but the span of choices is unnecessary. There are dresses that never get chosen, because they were an option for a fuller party life and never a favorite. If your lifestyle has changed, whether it’s your social life, how you exercise, or what you wear to work, take a moment to assess if you need quite so many options or if its time to edit.
You’re out of hangers
And not because they broke. Being out hangers has always been a reality check moment for me. I can’t keep just buying more. At some point I can’t even browse my clothes because the hangers are too neck to neck. If I am bringing in new clothes and they are in need of a home, I look to see where I can free up room for them.
You keep forgetting you have it
And when you come across it, you still don’t rush to wear it. If it’s never coming to mind when you’re putting together an outfit, there’s probably a reason. You’re just not that into it.
Your husband/best friend has never seen you wear it
Not only have they never known you to wear it, they can’t picture you wearing it. I have gone through the exercise of asking my friends their opinions when I am on the fence for years and its a good one. If my best friends or spouse have not seen me in it, or can’t picture me in it, that’s a pretty solid indicator its not my style or what I reach for when I get dressed.
Its reached the end of its life
This can be hard to admit to ourselves if we have really loved an item. But clothing, just like everything else, has a shelf life. Pilling, discoloration, stretching, stains that just wont budge- its sad to see these casualties happen to our loved ones, but such is life. Know how to accept when time is up, thank it for the good times, and say goodbye.
Wishing everyone conviction to achieve your own resolutions, and most importantly, a happy and healthy new year.