DETOXING YOUR CLOSET
The start of a new year is a great time to evaluate and go through your closet. You probably got some new items for Christmas and are channeling your self-improvement energies with your new year’s resolutions ;)
Did you know that most women only wear 20% of the clothes that are in their closet? But it can feel a bit overwhelming going through the whole wardrobe deciding which items to keep and which items to get rid of. Below are some tips to help you if you feel stuck trying to purge your own closet.
3 pile method: Go though your closet and make 3 piles: items you think you want to get rid of, items to alter, items to keep. Immediately get rid of anything that is stained or has a hole. For everything else in your “get rid of” pile, bag it up and put it in a closet. At the end of 6-8 weeks, if you have not pulled something from the bag to wear, take the items to consignment or donate them. Take the items in your alter pile to get altered in at least a week’s time and if you don’t put them in the “get rid of” bag. This method helps you get items that are not being worn moving, but with the option to pull something back into your closet if you catch yourself wanting to wear it.
The “Will I really wear this?” method: Start at one end of your closet and work your way to the other end. Beginning with the first article of clothing, create an outfit wearing it that day. Use a marker advancing to the other end of your closet with one article of clothing per day. When you come to an item that you truly won’t wear, get rid of it. Another great bonus of this method is that it gets you outside of your box of the 20% of your clothes that you wear causing you to stretch yourself to try new looks.
The friends don’t lie method: Ok, well some friends do actually lie when it comes to this kind of thing, so pick a friend or family member who has a decent sense of style and will tell you the truth. Pull out the items that you are not wearing and get their feedback. Try them on for your friend if necessary. An outside eye can really help you get things moving that don’t need to be there or can make you inspired to wear items you are not wearing.
Purging your closet can feel like a big job! Hopefully these tips will help you to tackle it in a way that feels doable.
If you want to skip putting in your own time and energy and call in a professional, I am happy to help! My Sort, Shop & Style package has a sort stage where we would do this together. In pretty much every styling appointment, I use items from a woman’s closet she is not wearing to create a great look she loves, so an advantage to this method is that I can probably help you incorporate things you are not wearing into looks you love. More info here.
Which method feels like the best option for you? Do you have tips that help you sort through your closet? Tell us in the comments below!
…Now I’m going to go and take some of my own advice ;)
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