fashion

We’re always talking about purging our closets, getting rid of clutter… all in the hopes of not becoming a hoarder and ultimately refining our style.

Why are we being so hard on ourselves about keeping things we like?

There’s that “1 in 1 out” rule where you get rid of something old when you buy something new. This can also apply to home decor items. I actually did this for a while with shoes and soon ended up playing games with myself… holding onto shoes I didn’t want anymore during the initial purge, just so I could use them in the next trade. Ha! The more I thought about it, it’s such a stupid guideline. I mean, how do you decide what the perfect number of things is? Is it based on space available? It it some arbitrary number you pull out of the air? What if you really don’t want to get rid of something? The only thing I see this working well for is your basics. Your fave white tee bites the dust so you toss it and get a replacement. That makes sense. This obsession with an ultra-minimalist lifestyle is kinda grating on me lately.

There’s the “If you haven’t worn it in 1-3 years, it’s time for it to go” rule. This one makes some sense to me but it still can’t be a hard and fast rule. What about formal wear? What about that fantastic skirt you simply adore and really want to hold on to? Is it hurting anything to keep it? What about wanting to hand things down to your daughter? Women’s weight fluctuates so much too so, I see nothing wrong with keeping a size up and down in your closet as well, just in case.

There are plenty of ladies who are pure collectors. They buy unique pieces and have amazing wardrobes of well-made items. Things go in and out of style so frequently, I wish I still had a lot of my clothes from 10 years ago. Frequently, I have purger’s remorse. If I had the closet space and the money, I would love a collection that spanned decades!

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There are those who subscribe to the French mindset of shopping – keeping a basic wardrobe of classics and only adding 3 or so key pieces every season. This makes you pause and really think about the look you want to achieve that particular season and what trends you’re interested in, carefully editing your shopping list. It allows you to shop a bit more extravagantly on a few quality items rather than a ton of cheap stuff. I have never done this – sitting down with a budget and list in mind, having everything else work around a few new pricier items, sourcing, buying them and being done. I definitely know when my wardrobe is missing a key item though. For instance, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect brown knee boots for years. This Christmas I finally get them!

I kinda just get non-basic things as I see them. “Oh! I like those shoes! Oh! I like that sweater!” It’s all pretty compulsive and I don’t think much about how it will work with what I already have. That’s when you end up standing in front of your full closet and feeling like you have nothing to wear. I don’t think in terms of outfits. Well, when you pretty much wear jeans all the time… any sweater will go with anything but… you know what I mean.

So, how do you shop and approach your wardrobe?

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