I recently posted a WIW with an old mint green skirt with daisies on it that I've had for decades.
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....yay-or-nay
I was unanimously told to get rid of it, that it's horribly dated and the colors are all wrong for me. Yet I'm still really sentimentally attached to it and I'm not sure I can get rid of it! Rita was saying, "Maybe it can stay in the secret sad corner of your closet" for the pieces that really shouldn't be there but somehow are exempt from purging. I thought that was really a really funny concept (but so true!) and thought it would be worthy of its own thread! Hopefully this will be useful/therapeutic!

What pieces in your closet really should be purged and you know it, but somehow you can't bring yourself to get rid of them? I'm calling it closet "purge-atory" because they manage to reside there in limbo, safe from purging because they're sentimental favorites, but not getting worn either. Why are you holding on to these pieces--what do they mean to you?

And I'm not talking about the pieces you're planning to purge when you get around to it. For that stuff, I challenge you to start posting some keep or purge threads (I plan to do this soon myself with some of those pieces). I mean the really stubborn stuff that seems to be purge-proof! I think talking about it will either help us decide why we need to keep these things, or else spur us to finally let go!

Here's some of my purgatory pieces (and no I didn't try these all on, they're from old threads):
1. The aforementioned daisy skirt. I have had this so long I don't remember buying it and it has survived many purges. I feel very feminine when I wear it and I've always liked it. Now I can see that it's dated with the small print and the shape. I know it should go but I'm not ready yet.
2. My 80's acrylic neon handprint sweater. I would never wear this out unless it was an 80's costume party, but it's the only piece of clothing I managed to save from when I was a teenager. So it's more memorabilia than anything else. It's residing with my other mementoes, not in my closet.
3-5. More floaty printed skirts from my 90's Ann Taylor era. I have so many of these still! I still like the skirt and top in #3 even though now I know that beige is not my color. Plus it's my only maxi skirt. The top in gets no love here either but I'm keeping it to go with the skirt. I got rid of the tops in 4-5 but the skirts are still hanging around. I think I may be ready to let go of these two now though, thanks to this thread!
6. Pink floral printed blouse from H&M. It's the only pink top I own. I used to wear it all the time with jeans and red pumps (because the flowers are printed in red. But it's rather low cut. I'm on the fence about this one, I think I may be ready to get rid of it (actually it was in the donate pile, but DD rescued it and said "This is pretty!"). This is DD at her first birthday party, BTW!
7-8. Two Anthro tops that I bought several years ago, pre-YLF. I used to get tons of compliments on these two (several patients were like, "I have that brown top too!"). Now they don't feel so fab in comparison with my new stuff. The neck on #7 is annoyingly wide so I have to wear a strapless bra with it and brown isn't really my color, but I'm keeping it for now because I like to wear it under my orange poncho and this is the only long sleeve brown shirt I have. #8 is my color (rust orange) but it's a little too frou-frou and ruffly-puffly. I feel like it makes me look a little pregnant. And it's also a bit low cut. I'm on the fence about this one, it might be able to go to the donate pile now. I still have the skirt in #8 too but I like it a lot too!
9-10. My plaid miniskirt! From my college days. I posted this before and the consensus was that my post-baby tummy is straining the buttons. I last wore it for a 60's themed holiday party in Dec 2010 (DH and I went as a NASA scientist and mod girl, bucking the hippie groovy theme that everyone else went for). I'm keeping this forever because DH thinks I look hot in it, LOL. I think I may have to let out the buttons a bit though to give my apple tummy some more room!

Also, I have a whole collection of Paul Frank T shirts and purses that need to go, but that's another story (need to figure out eBay first).

Well, that was useful! I think at least 4 of these are inching their way closer to the donate pile! What do you think? Any encouragement on which ones to let go? Just don't say all of them! By the way, I finally made it to the consignment store today to sell some things for the first time, and they took 11 pieces! And I donated the rest. Yay!

Can't wait to hear your "purge-atory" stories! And LOL, I can't believe I am posting an album of un-fabness. That has got to be a new one for YLF!