“A shopping cart flipped upside down forms a cage that I use to protect myself from consumerism.” – Jarod Kintz
I’ve focused a lot of energy on in my closet decluttering process, but I STILL seem to have an endless amount of clothes despite the fact that I’ve given away several garbage bags full. That’s kind of embarrassing haha! I used to have a bit of a shopping problem. Whenever I’d get a paycheque, I’d have to make sure that I bought the latest things on my “want” list. And it was a never-ending list. I’d constantly see an image, or person wearing something that I had to have, and since I had the money to spend, I’d just go buy it.
I definitely think living in the city had a little to do with it. Working or living downtown, seeing everyone wearing the latest and greatest fashion trends. There was some sort of internal pressure to try and keep up, while it never crossed my mind when I was growing up in the countryside.
Anyway, those days are over. Ever since I embraced minimalism, I don’t care anymore. BUT, I was left with a ridiculous collection of things I probably only ever wore once or twice. I’m sure some of you can relate. Shoes for every occasion, bags to match every outfit, 30 pairs of jeans, random shirts of all colours and prints. Yikes.
(Side note: If fashion is your passion, then I completely get that. It’s a great way to express yourself and inspire others to do the same. For me personally, it was partly that, but partly an inner desire for something that was unhealthy. It took up a lot of my precious mental space and time and I was trying to fill some sort of void).
But to the point of this post, below are the steps I used to pare down my crazy collection. Mind you, there is some sort of method to my madness haha.
How To Declutter Your Closet
1. Make it fun! Put on your favourite music, have a glass of wine, and designate some special “me time” out of your day to focus on decluttering your closet.
2. Take a little moment, sit somewhere comfortable, and think about the style you want to have. What type of style represents you the most? Are you preppy? Sporty? Classic? Girly? Hippie? Chic? What I always found was helpful was Googling or Pinteresting the fashion style of some of the celebrities that I found represented the style I wanted, and using those as a guide. For instance, I’m naturally drawn toward minimalist street style. So neutral pallets (grey, black, white, navy) mixing casual and smart with mainly plain patterns. My style inspirations seem to gravitate towards Rachel Bilson and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. I also love stores like Noul or Oak & Fort.
**One thing I’d like to add is to think about the lifestyle you live and the clothes you need for this. If you’re outdoorsy or active, you’ll probably have more of those clothes. If you like to go to fancy events, you’ll probably have dressier items. What is the most useful for you?
3. Once you’ve collected images of your favourite style inspirations, take everything (I mean everything!) out of your closet and toss it onto your bed. The floor works too.
4. Take the first item of clothing, hold it in your hands, and ask yourself these 8 questions. For anything you don’t want to keep toss it in the “don’t keep pile”. For anything you want to keep, put it back on the hanger and back into your closet.
- Have I worn this in the last year? If you haven’t worn it in the past year, put it in the “don’t keep pile”.
- Do I LIKE this? If you don’t even like the item, toss it.
- Do I feel good/confident/hot/sexy when I wear this? If you feel unattractive in it, off it goes.
- Does it fit? Don’t keep it if you think it will fit you ONE DAY. If it doesn’t fit, put it aside.
- Is it in good condition? If there are any holes or snags, you can either choose to mend them, or toss the item.
- Is it comfortable? If you can’t stand wearing it, why keep it? If you’re constantly pulling up at your pants revealing your beautiful hot pink thong, or you feel restricted and can’t put your arms up in that sweater, it’s time for it to go.
- Does it serve a purpose? You may have to have different clothes for work, or you may need special clothing for specific activities/events. If it serves no purpose, get rid of it.
- Does it line up with the kind of look or lifestyle I am going for? Going back to the style inspirations you gathered, if it doesn’t match, put it aside. A good example is if you’ve collected several printed items, but you actually don’t like prints anymore then get rid of it.
Do this with the rest of your clothes, until you get through them all.
By now you’ve gone through all of your clothes. The ones you want to keep are hanging up nicely in your closet, and the ones you want to get rid of are probably in a big gigantic pile on the floor. I know I could have done the next step as I was tossing things, but I like to work from the top down haha.
5. Sit with your giant pile of clothes and separate the items into 3 piles: Trash/Recycle, Donate or Sell. Obviously the items that are worn out or are in terrible shape can be trashed or recycled to a place that recycles textiles. Everything else can be donated or sold. You can donate items to a thrift store, charity, friend or family member. Some people like to get their friends together and do a Clothing Swap. Or if you have the time and patience, you can sell things on Craigslist or Ebay etc. No matter what you choose, all the clothes need to leave your home!
6. Finally you’ve gotten rid of the clothes you don’t want anymore. Now it’s time to ORGANIZE YOUR CLOSET! I love this part. Everyone has a technique, but I like to organize my clothes first by sleeve length (Skinny sleeve tanks, then thick sleeve tanks, then t-shirts, then 3/4 sleeve shirts, then long sleeved shirts, then sweaters, then blazers, then jackets, and lastly dresses.) Then I like to colour code them because I’m weird like that.
That’s it! You should be all sorted! For now anyway 😉 You can obviously use the same method for your drawers or shelves.
Remember, it’s a journey. You’ll likely make quite a dent the first time around. But as you get more comfortable with getting rid of things, you may go through this process a few more times.
What you will notice is a much lighter feeling within you. You’ve created more space and a clearer mind, which can be addictive!
Give yourself a pat on the back!
Next time you go shopping, carefully examine the piece you’re thinking about purchasing. Look at it, sitting there in your hands. And think long and hard if you’re buying it out of impulse, or if you really need it.
Random question of the day: I’m curious to hear, do you live in the city, suburbs or country, and how has this affected your need to shop for new clothes?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below! I’d love to hear them. If you liked what you read, please subscribe!
