Your Decluttered Closet: 7 Garments You Shouldn’t Keep
Your Decluttered Closet: 7 Garments You Want to Keep But Shouldn’t
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Ready to declutter your closet?
When it comes to our wardrobes, the most sustainable practice is to wear what we already own. Donating clothes contributes to textile pollution; as such, it’s prudent to wear + re-wear our garments until they’re thoroughly worn out.
But what if we have a closetful of items we simply aren’t wearing?
If we’re being honest, what if we have a wardrobe comprised of garments we’ll never wear again?
Amanda Warfield is a capsule wardrobe expert who argues that the average woman only wears 20% of her closet, 80% of the time. That’s because we naturally gravitate toward the few items that fit our unique body type + make us feel fabulous. Conversely, we shy away from pieces that don’t quite fit or bum us out.
When decluttering your closet, here are the 7 items you’ll want to keep but can (+ should!) responsibly let go:
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Declutter your closet: 7 garments you’ll want to keep but shouldn’t:
1. Jeans that fit your skinnier self
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What’s the #1 rule of closet decluttering? Say adios to EVERYthing that doesn’t fit.
I know, I know. If you just lost that last 5 pounds, those jeans would look spectacular.
You may lose those last 5 pounds; you may not. But one thing’s for certain: every single time you open your closet + eye those jeans, you’re reminded of what you’re not (skinnier). Those jeans therefore taunt you by implying you’re inadequate (you aren’t).
The result? You’re bummed out before your day even begins.
Don’t grant negativity admittance into your closet. Wholly surround yourself with items that make you feel fabulous, instead.
Having trouble letting go? Amanda can help.
She has created a free roadmap to take the guesswork out of keeping, donating, trashing or mending all those items that make you scratch your chin.
Grab your free Closet Cleanout Flowchart here:
2. That sentimental outfit
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Keeping an item that reminds you of someone?
Holding onto an outfit that transports you back in time to a special place or a happy event? (ahem…wedding dress.)
Sentimental items remind us of someone, something or some time that was near + dear. We attach intense emotions to memories; therefore, sentimental clothing has a knack for sticking around long after it should have taken its final bow.
The solution? Digitize. Take a photo of yourself in the outfit, then let the actual outfit go. Allow the picture to be your remembrance.
3. The (very) expensive item
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Perhaps the designer label enticed you, or maybe it was the luxurious fabric. Maybe you felt the need to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak, + have a closetful of nice things just like everyone else.
Regardless, you handed over your credit card + ignored that quiet-ish voice in the back of your head. Before you knew it, you spent more money on that outfit than you would have liked.
When it comes to expensive purchases, there’s a single cold, hard truth: You’re never, ever going to get that money back. It’s gone for good (unless you still have the receipt + tags; if so, absolutely attempt to return it!).
Instead of lamenting money lost (+ instead of keeping the piece around because you feel guilty), turn the experience into a learning opportunity. Examine your purchasing motivations + make strides to be more intentional on future shopping excursions.
4. The item with that one little issue
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The shirt with weird sleeves. The skirt that’s a hair too short.
You love everything about the garment except that one little issue.
Yet that little issue presents an oversized problem: You rarely – if ever! – wear the piece.
If you aren’t wearing it, let it go. Simple as that.
Having trouble letting go? Amanda can help.
She has created a free roadmap to take the guesswork out of keeping, donating, trashing or mending your questionable items.
Grab your free Closet Cleanout Flowchart here:
5. The outlier
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You worry your wardrobe is too boring, or perhaps it’s too homogenous. So you force yourself to branch out by adding bold colors. Unique textures. Wild prints.
You didn’t realize, though, that branching out rarely works to our advantages, at least when it comes to our wardrobes.
That’s because outliers are outliers for a reason. If you own nothing that compliments them, outliers remain unworn.
Think cohesiveness, instead: Embrace your personal style + purchase items in your typical style range with pride.
6. The gift
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A loved one gave you a garment as a gift. You don’t love it (you never did!) but you find yourself holding onto it anyway.
Remind yourself that the joy lies in the giving, then let yourself off the hook. Neither your friends nor your family expect you to hold onto gifts forever; indeed, they certainly wouldn’t want their gifts to add extra stress to your life.
Let gifts go + remember that clothing preferences are highly subjective. When gifting your own loved ones, try to shy away from clothing.
7. The on-trend item
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You want to be cool + hip so you rely on mannequins at the mall to inform your purchasing decisions.
But if current fashion trends don’t fit your body type, these ultra-fashionable items hang on hangers, unworn.
Forgo trends. Stick to your personal style instead because these are the items that look best on you. They make you feel your most fabulous, too.
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