https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 24 Apr 2026 06:21:50 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets/page/2#post-1642576 Sun, 10 Apr 2016 11:09:52 +0000 Anonymous 1642576@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>There is so MUCH GOOD ADVICE here, I don't feel I can add much. &nbsp;I do have two suggestions though. &nbsp;</p> <p>First, I bought a stand alone clothing rack, set it up in the bedroom, and used it to start building my capsules. &nbsp;It was amazing to me how things came together on the clothing rack. &nbsp;[Thanks for the suggestion, Joyce]</p> <p>Second, the Vivienne Files (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theviviennefiles.com">http://www.theviviennefiles.com</a>) has some wonderful posts on building wardrobes from scratch and from existing outfits. &nbsp;</p> <p>Finally, go slowly and thoughtfully. &nbsp;Best wishes going forward. &nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1642568 Sun, 10 Apr 2016 09:45:36 +0000 Mac 1642568@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Incredible advice, everyone.&nbsp; Thank you so so so much.&nbsp; I will have to read and re-read it all several times before I can even begin to formulate a Plan of Attack.&nbsp; But attack, I shall!!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1642240 Sat, 09 Apr 2016 18:59:05 +0000 cheryl 1642240@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is a great and informative thread. I don't have anything to add but hopefully can use and follow some of the wisdom here as I need to do some decluttering of my closet! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1642075 Sat, 09 Apr 2016 14:14:56 +0000 Anonymous 1642075@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What Suz said. I got lots of ideas and inspiration reading the replies. On the order of what would you save if you had very little time to grab your favorites, packing for a trip kind of does this for me. It forces me to look at what works together or not and what feels comfortable yet stylish. I ask myself if I would ever pack that item in a carry-on. If not, it goes. It also makes me ask what I need to make pieces I want work together in a small capsule. Often it is a print, which I am very picky about, but gives me a goal. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1642060 Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:49:40 +0000 Suz 1642060@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What a fabulous thread. Thank you to all who have shared thoughts, especially <b>Sarah</b>, whose advice I need to print out!&nbsp;</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1642048 Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:24:30 +0000 Liz 1642048@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So many good ideas here! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641591 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 18:02:48 +0000 Chris987 1641591@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This thread is awesome!!! So many fabulous ideas. I posted on the 10th anniversary blog&nbsp;that I just found this blog recently and to me it's like the biggest, best box of chocolates ever! In this case the individual candies are the fantastic ideas on how to approach one's wardrobe. I don't' know why I'm associating ideas with chocolates but I love both and it just works for me :-)&nbsp;</p> <p></p> <p>&nbsp;The think that strikes me over and over is how big a difference there can be between "what I like" and "what I want to wear". Some sort of self awareness thing going on here. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641584 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 17:50:34 +0000 citygirldc 1641584@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm following this thread with intensity. I definitely need to purge my wardrobe sooner than later because I don't seem to like anything I have.&nbsp;&nbsp;The good thing is that I haven't bought anything since December and am waiting for the Spring/Summer styles to come out. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641576 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 17:34:24 +0000 texstyle 1641576@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think I've used a bit of all the wisdom already mentioned here for my own culling purposes. It's a process, and it takes time. Patience is important. We won't change our entire wardrobes overnight (at least most of us won't) unless we are required to do it by a new job with a specific dress code or something drastic like losing everything in a disaster. </p> <p>The question of "What would I take if I only had one hour to grab anything I wanted in my house?" is not a bad one to get you jump started on what you actually love. I'm still sort of striving to have a wardrobe of that size - where I could actually grab it all in just a few minutes and pack it up to move. But I live in a very warm climate so there are days when I might change clothes 3 times in the spring/summer if I'm being active outdoors!&nbsp; (most of the time this means changing tees and shorts a couple of times, and maybe wearing one other "good" outfit). So for me, I might have 3 of the same exact tee (if I love it) and similar of the same shorts or jeans. I buy a lot of exact duplicates for that reason. I have at least 2 of each of my favorite jeans, shorts, most tees, etc. I sometimes duplicate shoes as well, but not as often as I like to have those as more of a current thing.</p> <p>I don't have to dress up on a daily basis so my criteria is based on fit, feel and function to a great extent. That said, I also want to look "good" so I choose colors, styles and accessories to keep it from being too boring. Things that I kept hanging onto but didn't wear (too "special" too "delicate" or too "something") have slowly made their way out of my closet to be replaced by things I do wear. I only need a couple of "special" pieces, not a whole closet area of them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641551 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 16:52:48 +0000 RobinF 1641551@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I like the idea of movingfashionforward's spheres. That was kind of a light bulb moment for me. I tend to do that subconsciously but would have more success if I actually thought it through and picked outfits and pieces based on how I really want to use them.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641539 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 16:02:38 +0000 unfrumped 1641539@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I&nbsp; love organizing/culling posts and blogs because I need to pare down and am using that to hone style as well.</p> <p>Kudos to Sarah for a GREAT collection of ideas.</p> <p>There are&nbsp; a lot of YLF posts on this; some of mine are under "Inspiration".</p> <p>I also just search net for "wardrobe purge" or closet org and enjoy getting just other perspectives or ways of dealing. It is not always anything you haven't heard before, but sometimes something just speaks to you differently.</p> <p>I was going to do a post on the sayings below, but though I'd do them here. Here are some things that "spoke" to me.</p> <p>1) "<u>You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically<br /> everything</u>" ...Greg McKeown</p> <p>--this statement is good to help let go.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>2) Looking into your closet: "&nbsp;<u>There is nothing here for who I'm supposed to be<br /> today</u>"... Caitlin Moran</p> <p>--this is about having clothing that really suits all the actual, real-life roles, events, capsules and echoes what Sarah said. I needed to be able to "see" items and outfits that looked ready to go for a variety of different roles. Even work days are different and have some times I want to wear this or that.&nbsp; Usually I actually have the items/outfits but need to spend more time on outfit creation, take notes if needed, remove the fluff and keep good, go-to outfits.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>3) Like Sarah I also have things I like or think I like and just can't let go--somehow the item seems like I might&nbsp; need it or I need something LIKE it so am afraid to be without. This quote was helpful:</p> <p>"<u>Identifying what it is about an item that makes it hard<br /> to let go. Then go about&nbsp;finding that characteristic in an item that is more you</u>. " (may be a paraphrase. ...Kelly? AlterationsNeeded</p> <p>I think this is very helpful for me because I may have a jacket or top that is a color to go with&nbsp;other items so I hate to let go,&nbsp;but the fit is wrong or quality lower. Then I know I need a new jacket in my color palette but&nbsp; upgrade. A big category is footwear that is not really comfortable enough but gives me that look I want, perhaps trying to be more trendy than my feet will allow. That is a lot like Sarah's post on needing comfortable shoes that have some&nbsp;fun style aspect. Or I need to accept that oufits that require certain shoes to look "right" (skirts or dresses that need heel height or shoe pointiness are the big issues) are not a good focus for me.</p> <p>&nbsp;4) "<u>Always--Sometimes--Never</u>" (meaning, how frequently are items worn)</p> <p>&nbsp;Lots of different categories are suggested such as Definite, Maybe or Love, Meh or numerical "10's" or 8&nbsp;&nbsp;or whatever. But, again I had an issue of wearing things some but not being sure they were earning their keep. So for a change I tried using the above categories. Then if it's "sometimes" I can try to see if it's for a truly needed rare but special event and useful, or maybe for certain maximal weather conditions, vs. am I just wearing it because it's there and I could easily sub something else.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641406 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 12:01:08 +0000 Anonymous 1641406@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I haven't read the posts, so this may have already been said, but I think it's a good idea to stick to a certain color palette. You can then cull the "outlier" colors that don't work. I've done that, and my wardrobe is much more versatile as a result. I don't have as many clothes, but I wasn't wearing those colors as much as I wanted to, so they weren't missed when I got rid of them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641394 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 11:18:58 +0000 MovingFashionForward 1641394@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oops -- I forgot -- one of the earliest criteria I used in my editing process was to donate everything in any colour that either I didn't LOVE, OR that somehow didn't suit me. I didn't have that much in either category but I had, for example, bought some items in colours deemed to suit me but that I simply don't like, and I had items in some colours that I had gone off, and I did discover one or two items in colours that made me look ill.</p> <p>Sarah </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641327 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 06:36:13 +0000 rachylou 1641327@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I started by pulling a capsule based on select colours. Then I tried to go as long as I could with those things, seeing what I never went for and what I was willing to dig thru the 'back stock' for. A time consuming way to do things, but I really had to consciously live in what I had to evaluate my needs and likes properly. Also, my stockpile was and is huge...not easy to sort through in one go. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641308 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:10:53 +0000 Firecracker (Sharan) 1641308@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I had a YLF buddy in my area, the very generous Aida, come over for the better part of a day and help me. Before she came, I felt I needed to get ready, so I did a lot of pre-pruning so I could make the most of my time with her, and seek her advice on the things I really felt I couldn't figure out alone. It was really fun and efficient! </p> <p>It's an ongoing process, though. . . . So now my challenge is to keep weeding out the items I don't wear. It's not that hard; they are pretty self-evident, if I'm honest with myself. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641277 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 03:06:49 +0000 Janet 1641277@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sarah, I need to print out your advice and save it! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641263 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 02:38:36 +0000 Jaime 1641263@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow, brilliant advice on this thread! One thing that helps me is to pick something that immediately seems right without hesitation and use that as a bench mark to test the rest.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641239 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 01:40:18 +0000 Isabel 1641239@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Boy oh boy is this something that I struggled with...then two years ago I started a "core" wardrobe from what I already owned. I wrote down on paper ( ok, I used crayons...more fun ) what I absolutely needed to get me through that winter. &nbsp;Then those were the only things that I worked with for about 10 days. &nbsp;Some things worked great, others didn't, other things needed to be added...etc. &nbsp;At the end of the season ( a very long one that year ) , I knew exactly what I liked and what worked. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Good luck and don't despair. &nbsp; : )</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1641178 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 23:28:23 +0000 MovingFashionForward 1641178@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Are you saying that your self-critical attitude is such that you don't feel good about most of your clothes, but that you think some of those clothes you don't feel good about might in fact be worth keeping?</p> <p>When I did my drastic wardrobe edit I had the opposite problem -- of feeling good about most of my clothes and thus being at a loss to know how to start paring them down. (I had already got rid of everything polyester and/or that contains elastane, that feel icky to me.) </p> <p>When I really thought about it, there were some clothes and pairs of shoes that when I held them in my hands and asked myself how I felt about them, they did not give me joy. Some, I associated with bad memories; some made me feel guilty for having wasted so much money on them, some, I kept not feeling like wearing, some didn't feel good when I actually wore them, and so on. If I put something on and don't feel good in it, it goes straight into the donation box. If I wear something an find it fiddly/uncomfortable/frumpy/silly/whatever, then again, I donate it. So for me, noticing negative feelings in association with particular items really helped me get rid of a lot of stuff.</p> <p>Another thing that helped concentrate my mind on paring down was my experience of having to go through a dead relative's belongings. Even though the person was by no means a hoarder, the whole thing was so psychologically difficult that it gave me an aversion to acquiring more stuff, and made me want to get rid of just about everything I own. Stopping buying more stuff is a good start. Having a pause and shopping your existing wardrobe can help bring perspective and calm, which makes it easier to make good decisions about your stuff.&nbsp;</p> <p>Another thing that helped me was to identify the different spheres of my life/activities and what I prefer to wear in each sphere, how often each thing happens, how many times per season I want to wear each outfit, and thus I calculated what I actually need for each different activity/sphere per season. So, for example, what do I prefer to wear when I go shopping? What do I prefer to wear to conferences? What do I prefer to wear when at home? What do I prefer to wear for girls' nights out? What do I wear for dates with my husband? Work events? Travelling? And so on. When I thought about it like that, I discovered that my actual preferences for what to wear could be narrowed down to a few distinct looks/styles (I gave each style a name/descriptor), some of which apply to more than one sphere/activity of life. </p> <p>To come up with these named 'looks'/styles wasn't totally straightforward. It did take time, and as part of that process I initially came up with many different 'looks' I enjoy and thought about each one and made a point of wearing each one and seeing how I felt about it. I discovered, for example, that although I have collected silk dresses and silk tops for years and love the feel of silk, when it comes to actually wearing silk dresses, I have an aversion to wearing floaty silk dresses in most spheres of my life. I feel silly/frumpy in them. This was a great surprise to me, because I have always liked the idea of silk dresses! I have thus donated a whole lot of silk dresses.</p> <p>By going through this process of identifying spheres/activities of my life and what kind of 'looks' I actually prefer to wear in each, etc., one thing I discovered immediately was that I had vastly too many super-fancy red carpet evening dresses that I only wear perhaps once a year -- as in, I only have ONE red carpet event per year (if that!). This made it easy to get rid of almost all my red carpet dresses. </p> <p>It also showed me that I had too many pairs of high heel shoes, and it made it easy to decide which to keep and which to donate, because, for example, when I am in London, I walk for miles and miles and miles (like 12 miles, not just 1 or 2 -- I LOVE walking in big cities, especially London and New York), so that means I want to be wearing playful Dr Martens, not either high heel or flat pointy toed shoes that will squish my toes and hurt both in that respect and by virtue of their lack of cushioning on the soles. When I go shopping I also prefer to wear very comfortable, playful shoes. When I go on a date with my husband, I often wear high heels, but given his preferences the range I wear is narrower than I had. I worked out that I need MORE playful super-comfortable walking shoes, and many fewer high heels, and which kinds of high heels I need and which I am really unlikely to wear much.</p> <p>Another thought that helped me pare down my wardrobe was imagining how I would feel were I to meet particular individuals (significant to me) while wearing a given outfit or item. This considerably narrowed the number of different 'looks' I feel like wearing. It made me less high fashiony except when I'm in London, where I feel completely free in a fashion sense. I found that I simply didn't feel like wearing my most high fashion 'look' at all except in London. It also made me completely go off the idea of a hard/edgy/masculine 'look'. Perhaps a decade ago I was enjoying that, but in recent years it has been leaving me cold. Going through this process helped me notice that that was the case.</p> <p>That is another thing that is worth considering: does a given item fit your CURRENT style preferences, or is it now out of date in terms of your own individual specific preferences? This is not necessarily about what is out of date or in fashion (though that can be a further consideration); it is about how it feels to YOU. Some of the footwear I donated felt too fashiony; some felt no longer current for my specific individual preferences about what to wear; and some simply felt out of date. (I tend to be a fashion early adopter when it comes to footwear styles, and tend to find things 'out' when they are becoming popular!)</p> <p>Then, when I considered climate/temperature issues, that enabled me to get rid of vast amounts of stuff that realistically, given where I have been spending my time in recent years, is simply not right for the temperatures I will be in.</p> <p>Another exercise that you might find helpful is to imagine that you have to pick only the n items that you love the most, where n = the number you choose, and that you have to do this RIGHT NOW, without hesitation. Set a timer and start writing a list of (or bodily gathering) all the items you most love -- perhaps imagine you can only pack one suitcase, or that you have very limited time to save most loved things from rising flood water or something. The point is to QUICKLY establish what you would most hate to lose. Then ask yourself why you are hanging on to the other stuff.</p> <p>Do keep an outfit diary, listing what you wear (or taking photo), and HOW YOU FELT IN IT. This is a huge help for anyone finding it difficult to pare down.</p> <p>But if most of your clothes make you feel bad, and thus, it is going to be difficult to decide which to keep, then unless you can afford to make an expensive mistake of donating too high a proportion of your wardrobe, you might want to hold off on the paring down until you have come up with some preferred styles/looks/uniforms that you can then start trying out in real life, and thereby perhaps narrow down to one or more 'looks' that you actually enjoy wearing -- that actually make you feel GOOD -- and THEN do the paring down. Of course if you feel overwhelmed by too much stuff, you won't want to wait for this style clarity. But in that case, separate all the items that don't make you feel bad, then, when considering the remainder, identify the items that make you feel PARTICULARLY bad and donate them immediately, and put the items that merely don't feel good into a holding zone -- potential donations that you are not going to actually donate just yet.</p> <p>Having massively over-bought for a while I now buy about 10 new items per year (and last year only 7!) apart from gear for exercise/skiing etc.</p> <p>I hope this helps! Best of luck!</p> <p>Sarah </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1640836 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 15:23:04 +0000 Anonymous 1640836@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I haven't done it, but I think taking photos is a terrific idea. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1640826 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 15:15:23 +0000 Bonnie 1640826@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I started taking photos of my outfits about a year ago and it has really helped. I started with the clothes I have in my closet to make outfits and printed the best ones, four on a page, to help me remember what worked. I keep these photos in a notebook and refer to them often. They help me determine wardrobe holes, and future purchases. For example, I had 20 button down shirts and didn't like them in any of the photos, so I tried other tops and decided that tunics looked best on me. When I get stuck, for instance deciding on proportions, I ask for help on the forum. I also decided on a color palette, and I'm not sure it's the best one for me but I like it, and have tried hard to stay with it, at least now in the building stages of my wardrobe. You have gotten a lot of excellent advice but don't think of it as a big project, think of it as a fun journey. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1640800 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:54:11 +0000 Elizabeth P 1640800@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Echoing what has already been said, esp about taking photographs.&nbsp; It's amazing how we look at ourselves differently in the mirror vs a photo!</p> <p>Another idea... Pick one or two things you KNOW you want keep, then build a capsule wardrobe around it.&nbsp; I really like how the Vivienne Files does this, (even though I wouldn't necessarily buy the clothes she chooses).&nbsp; she has various different techniques...&nbsp; 4x4, one at a time, starting from scratch, packing... all are outlined in her blog.&nbsp; When you build the capsule, you may find the pieces you need in your closet, or you may need to shop for them.&nbsp; But at least you'll have a start that is new and fresh and feels like you, then you can either build different capsules, or keep building on this one.</p> <p>and of course Angie has some great posts on capsule dressing as well.</p> <p>I would suggest you do some work on descriptors, or mentally knowing where you want to go before you start.&nbsp; Pick a colour palette.&nbsp; It'll save a lot of mistakes!</p> <p>I hope you choose to share your journey, it was fun (and educational) watching Staysfit go through hers.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1640799 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:53:55 +0000 Anonymous 1640799@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't have anything smart and snappy to add here - I'm just following along with great interest. &nbsp;I'm pretty stuck myself, and frankly feel I don't know what the h$ll I'm doing with clothes anymore. &nbsp;I'll split the cost of Angie with you &nbsp;- ;)</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1640790 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:43:13 +0000 Chris987 1640790@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mac, I totally agree with all the recommendations here. Taking photographs is amazingly good for this...as Aliona said&nbsp;you can&nbsp;think you have an item that works well but the picture tells a different story. Rather than starting by "trying on everything and taking pictures" why not break it down into smaller chunks...either go with categories as one person suggested, or start with a few outfits...and post them here and take your time. I have just started doing this (not yet the posting here part) and find that by doing one outfit or garment I learn a lot that translates to the next one. Pick one approach, try it out, and see how it goes for you. Give yourself time and try to enjoy the journey.&nbsp; </p> <p></p> <p>p.s. LOVE the idea of packing up suitcases and landing on Angie's door in Seattle! Not fair to Angie of course, would not really do it, but it's fun to think about. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1640755 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:21:11 +0000 Janet 1640755@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So much wisdom in this thread already. I agree with Aliona that taking photos helps, even if you never post them here. I have photographed myself in an item for evaluation and ended up making a decision based on the picture, before even putting it up for YLF feedback. </p> <p>That said, photos do not tell the whole story. How does an item or outfit make you feel when you put it on, and how do you feel at the end of the day in it? See if you can separate the feelings for the clothing from any self-criticism (I understand what you mean, I struggle with that too!). Remember, it's the clothes that are the problem, not you! </p> <p>If there are things in your closet that you absolutely know you love and enjoy, put them aside as definite keepers. I would then tackle the rest, one category at a time. Take all the skirts, or trousers, or sweaters, out of the closet, and look at each one individually. Try each one on. Anything obviously subpar like bad fit, unflattering color, being worn out, or anything that makes you say "yuck" just needs to immediately go. The rest are the items that might require a bit more evaluation. Something might not "spark joy" (in the Kondo speak that's currently so popular), but it might be useful for completing outfits. Other things might not be particularly useful or particularly beautiful to you at this point in time -- those are things that can go too. </p> <p>Of course, on the forum we're happy to help you evaluate anything you photograph and post -- I've never regretted a K/T decision based on forum feedback! </p> <p>I've seen some good closet editing articles. I'll see if I can find any of them bookmarked and I'll share if so. You can do this. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1640753 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:17:31 +0000 Anonymous 1640753@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am in the process and presently have my hot weather items scattered across the bed in the guest bedroom while I try on and try to build outfits.<br /> If you have a large wardrobe, I suggest that you start with like items. I have multiple black tops, for example. They are a wardrobe essential but I don't need so many. Getting them all together, I could find duplicates and pick the one or two that I wanted to keep and get rid of the rest. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1640733 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 12:01:44 +0000 Anonymous 1640733@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mac, I have found that just taking pictures of items has helped me self-evaluate more successfully. Things pop out in a pic that might not show in the mirror. If you have the patience to take this approach with multiple wardrobe items, you may find you can cull on your own and then post any items you feel on the fence about here.</p> <p>ETA: I've attached a photo from last year by way of example: I thought this Eileen Fisher top looked great on me just because it was 'my' colour and a raglan sleeve usually works well on me. It wasn't until I saw this pic that I realised it did me no favours. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1640731 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 11:56:46 +0000 Staysfit 1640731@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mac, I did an entire closet overhaul. It took just over a year. It was time consuming and expensive, but I wear fairly high budget items for work, etc. You can go through my many posts, but I have deleted my pics. You may still gain knowledge by reading them. </p> <p>I started with major purging of items. I eliminated items that were ill fitting, stained, torn, or just old and outdated. I eliminated anything I hadn't worn in the past year. I was color typed by a local color specialist and then I picked a palette. I came up with style descriptors with the help of my daughter, and with the help of YLF. </p> <p>I made many purchases and tested new items I was unsure of on the YLF community. I learned about what styles worked for me and what did not. I am still learning. I am so much better at picking out items that work and now I post when I have a question. I am fairly analytical. My real question may not be what I am posting about but somehow, the responses manage to give me the answers I need to make good choices and proceed. This forum has been an excellent place for teaching me how to shop and be more independent with my wardrobe choices.</p> <p>When my best friend died four years ago, then my brother-in-law soon after, and then my uncle, step father and mother-in-law in the past year, and with my Daughter away at college, I had a huge hole left in my life, it was so much loss in a short time period. Two young people, my age had died leaving behind young children and it was devastating for me, and their spouses/ friends, families (my family). I was grieving beyond expectations. I started shopping to fill the void, without being thoughtful, and my closet expanded with useless items. (What an awful thing for a shrink to do right?!) It didn't last long because my closet became full and I eventually concluded that without either my daughter or best friend present, I could not make good decisions about clothing purchases. My daughter is an artist and has a wonderful eye for color, proportion and style. My best friend was honest, fun, practical, and full of everything that one loves in close lifelong relationships. Redoing my entire wardrobe has been therapeutic, challenging, and at times terrifying. I really cannot recommend it to anyone. In fact I would discourage you from doing it all at once like I did. Actually, because I live in Central New York, I did it by season. I divided by spring/summer and fall/winter.</p> <p>I think the idea of hiring someone to help you select a capsule, and working on things slowly, a bit at a time is much more sensible. I was not sensible. Reasoned maybe, but not sensible. I am absolutely pleased with the outcome. I found it therapeutic. I have learned a great deal. I am feeling good about my wardrobe, and I am also in a better place about all the many losses I have experienced. The wardrobe has nothing to do with the loss by the way. I know that. The loss was just the trigger that started my journey. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1640722 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 11:48:33 +0000 Helen11 1640722@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I would love a wardrobe overhaul, too! I think DIY is my realistic option, though. In theory, my first steps would be to work out what items I need to keep to maintain a functional wardrobe during the process, like work capsule, casual, party outfit, etc. then try on other items and take photos.<br /> In theory, because I haven't actually done it yet!<br /> Keep us posted. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-to-cull-ones-closets#post-1640710 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 11:07:09 +0000 Summer 1640710@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm sure we would all love to call on Angie's expertise, but, failing that, I think your best plan would be to use your last strategy: post pictures and let the forum members help. &nbsp; We 'll be only too pleased to get your wardrobe into shape. </p>