Advanced Closet Purging Question

Auburn

This weekend, my boyfriend and I "officially" moved in together, which meant consolidating two apartments into a new one. For the past year and a half, I have spent most of my time at my boyfriend's apartment, but kept my own place. I initially took just a few items of clothing to my boyfriend's but, over time, took more and more. But because my wardrobe appeared relatively small, I also did quite a bit of shopping. Can you see where this is going?

I just combined my wardrobes from both places and am TOTALLY overwhelmed by the volume, particularly given that the closet space in the new place is not abundant. And let me just say, I am an anti-hoarder. I purge my closet at least twice a year and find it cathartic to do so. So there's not a whole lot that falls into the category of easily removed. These are nice, high quality clothes with a lot of wear left in them. There's just too damn many of them. While I like having variety and the ability to go long stretches of time without duplicating outfits, I find myself longing for a tightly edited, manageable wardrobe. Angie--I know this is the kind of closet you have.

So, I guess I'm wondering if anyone has helpful input about how to do closet editing/purging for the purpose of having a smaller closet, not for the purpose of getting rid of things in bad shape/that I never wear/that are out of date, etc. It would pain me to eliminate things that I bought recently and spent a lot of money on, but I suppose that's an inevitable part of the process? I do find it to be the case that I wear certain items more than others so maybe that's a starting point...

14 years ago

Dressing

39 replies

Latest reply was from BridgetteRaes

Heather

Veteran

Auburn, my closet could certainly house all of your items that don't fit. ;D

14 years ago

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

I'm not necessarily the right person to be giving closet purge advice since I'm in a closet building phase right now, but a couple of suggestions that might help...(sorry if this is too basic for you...but this is what I'm thinking about now for my closet)

1) try the turning hangers around trick so you can see what you're actually wearing and get rid of the stuff you don't wear
2) organize your closet by type of clothes & color so you can see what things are duplicates (if you have 5 white shirts, etc.) and what things you still need. I have short sleeve tops, long sleeve tops, pants, skirts, and dresses, each organized by color within each section.
3) think about making "capsules"--this is something I don't quite understand yet and have to read up more on.
4) do the wardrobe remix challenge that I posted about earlier:
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ew-outfits
Using 12 basics and 6 new items, make 14-30 outfits. I started planning this and listing all the combinations on an Excel spreadsheet. I was amazed that I could come up with 30 different outfits using just these small number of items...it made me realize that I don't need a huge wardrobe if I can keep it to clothes that pair/layer with other clothes I own. And I love bright colors and patterns, so it doesn't necessarily have to be only neutrals or solid colors. Previously I bought clothes in "outfits", like skirt with matching color top, but they didn't necessarily go with other items I owned. Now I'm trying to buy things that will work well with the clothes I already have and trying to come up with ideas in my head for different combos before I buy, so I don't end up with closet orphans.

Hope this helps! And yeah, anything you don't want, feel free to pass them down to us!

14 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

I have been in a similar boat with excellent items that I needed to purge. My criterion became anything I didn't love, didn't make me feel fabulous, or just didn't wear. I had great things I never wore. Now that they're gone, I don't miss them!.

This approach requires trying on EVERYTHING btw. If you have six pairs of black pants, the only way to ditch some is to try on and lose the least flattering ones.

14 years ago

Jill

(website)

Active Member

i have a relatively small closet, so i store my off-season clothes in storage bins. i basically keep spring/summer OR fall/winter in my closet at any one time. it's not ideal, but it works.

14 years ago

Gaylene

Veteran

I'm preparing for major downsizing-- big house in the suburbs to smallish apartment in a city. Downsizing will mean sharing a closet with my husband so I've done a major overhaul of my closet.

The way I tackled it was in stages. Stage one was to grab anything that I absolutely loved that looked fabulous on me and throw it on the bed. I called these items my 10s. I then checked to see what I needed to complete outfits using these 10s-- scarves, shoes, etc. That stuff also went on the bed. The items on the bed would definitely accompany me to my new home.

Stage two involved staring at a closet still full of clothes and making some tough decisions. Anything I hadn't worn in the past year was an immediate candidate for the consignment/goodwill bag. If it had sentimental value, I told myself to enjoy the memory but get rid of the item unless I was prepared to give up something that was on the bed.

Stage three involved taking a long, hard look at what was left in the closet. If the item(s) were duplicates, I told myself to pick the one that I liked best or was in the best condition. The others went into the consignment/goodwill bag. For other items, I asked myself if the garment fit into my current lifestyle-- for example, did I still need a "serious" suit or a dry-clean-only silk shirt? If the answer was probably not, the item was in the goodwill/consignment bag. I told myself that someone else would probably over the moon scoring a bargain on a too large, full-length Burberry trench that was just taking up real estate space in my closet.

Stage four was for what was left in the closet-- things that I had worn, loved, and fit well, but weren't 10s. I told myself that I could pick a few of these items if I really wanted them, but the rest would go into a "holding" bag that I would store for a couple of months. If I really missed an item, or felt that I might have made a mistake in getting rid of it, I could retrieve it in the next month. A sizable number of shoes and handbags went into this "holding" bag. In reality, few items made it out of the "holding" area and back into my closet.

This purging helped me eliminate almost three quarters of my former closet. My husband appreciates having space for his clothes and I like having a smaller, tightly edited wardrobe.

14 years ago

(website)

Veteran

In the far recesses of my mind is the gnawing feeling that I should be doing something quite similar. I've done a good bit over the last year or two but still have those nagging feelings that I have too much.

Let us know how it goes. I like Gaylene's approach of pulling out your 10's and then the pieces that go with them to make them work. Simple, but genius! I imagine the hard part will be in getting rid of things you still like and are in fine shape. That's where the sissies like me start to waver!

14 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I would start with weeding out the things that you don't absolutely love.

14 years ago

Vildy

Veteran

Here are some excellent wardrobe management posts by Bridgette Raes, who does address the problem of having too many good choices.

http://blog.bridgetteraes.com/.....anagement/

14 years ago

amyreh

(website)

Veteran

When I moved in with my now husband, I had a friend come over and help me let go of the stuff that I just needed an extra yes to getting rid of. Slimline hangers help a ton in saving space, I got some shoe container things for under the bed, and we have a storage unit that I keep out of season clothes in. Good luck!

14 years ago

Joha

Active Member

if you are thinking about a capsule wardrobe - this site has a lot of inspiration:
http://theviviennefiles.blogspot.com/

14 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I share a very small walk-in wardrobe with Greg and we live in a tiny city house. ALL our clothes/ footwear are in it (apart from the coats which are downstairs in the coat closet).

Auburn, effective closet organization is a *must* first of all. You will be surprised how much more you can fit into a closet with the right fixtures in place.

Second, it's the one in one out wardrobe rule from now on.

You can swap out your seasons if you like. Vacuum pack. Although in SF you never really pack away your Autumn stuff, right? Same as Seattle.

Get a pretty armoire for some of your things.

Display your jackets and coats on a rolling rack. It can look very attractive!

As far as the advanced purging goes, get rid of stuff that you haven't worn in a while and don't absolutely LOVE.

14 years ago

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

I know what you mean. I keep looking longingly at some summer stuff that I just didn't have a chance to wear this summer...and I hardly repeated an outfit, I think. If you like MOST of it I'd start with editing out the stuff you don't feel really compelled by (unless it's a work horse item you wear all the time). I hesitate to say start with frequency of wear because if you're like me sometimes I get in bad ruts, so frequency of wear doen't necessarily reflect what I want to wear...

14 years ago

Kate

Veteran

I want to second trying EVERYTHING on. There's already a ton of great advice here, so I'm just adding a few more.

- Don't push yourself to clean out too much too fast. You don't want to be left with a lot of regrets. You need to continually assess and reassess until you're in a good place. This could take weeks or months.

- Each morning, find an item that you haven't worn in a while and is appropriate to wear that day, and wear it. Make an outfit with it. When I did my wear everything challenge (final post here, with links to earlier posts: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....east-twice) I had some items that I just couldn't get myself to wear. I would grab a skirt I hadn't worn and start to make an outfit, and then discover I had other skirts that would work so much better. I realized that if I couldn't create a fab outfit, and then actually wear it, the item was not a keeper no matter how new, expensive, or cute on the hanger it was.

- Think long and hard about any items that don't "play well with others," especially if they are in colors that don't fit with the bulk of your items.

- Try on duplicates and see which is best. For example, if you have five black skirts, wear all of them on a different day during one week. They may have different strengths and all be worth keeping. But more likely than not you'll find that you have favorites and least favorites, and wearing them close together will allow you to better remember what makes them different from each other. Plus, consider how often you want to wear similar items.

- A somewhat risky option is to ask your boyfriend what he doesn't like. But I would recommend only giving him the option to choose items you aren't completely in love with. For better or worse, I show all of my purchases to my guy before I cut the tags because I know that if he doesn't like something he'll tell me about it and then I won't wear it as often as I would otherwise, no matter how fab it is. (It goes both ways, I have been given the authority to toss his underwear and socks when they are no longer up to my standards!)

- Finally, allow yourself to be absurdly picky. If there's something small that bothers you about an item, donate it. If you find you're wasting any energy at all worrying about an item - a skirt that rides up or spins around when you walk, a blouse with fussy details that have to be readjusted throughout the day, a knit that has to be de-pilled after each wear, an item with any bad memories attached, etc - you have my permission to let it go.

ETA: Jenava brings up a great point about getting into ruts. If there's an item that you don't love, but wear all the time, let it go! Don't let yourself stay in the rut. You probably have a lot of other, better items that can take its place.

14 years ago

rosee

Veteran

really good advice above.

I would also add that if you have secondary storage space, maybe keep a few of the items that are really good pieces (classic, quality, special memories, etc) in that second space if not directly in your closet. I have at times purged out things but later could have used them (makes replacing a good item easier than shopping again).

Here's a great link about simplifying your wardrobe (and storing some stuff too):

http://smallnotebook.org/2011/.....mon-sense/

14 years ago

Laurinda

Veteran

To eke out a little bit more space, I'm a convert to those slimline 'velvet' hangers. They really do take 1/2 the space of plastic tubular hangers. If you have a CostCo nearby they are often available for $15 for 50. I've also seen them at TJMaxx.

14 years ago

Kate

Veteran

Oh, and if you need more drawer space, start folding clothes the way that this (kinda crazy) lady does: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJAYRXjZoMY It's amazing how much more you can fit in, plus you can see everything!

14 years ago

Scarlet

Veteran

When I moved to Germany I could only take my luggage on the plane. I basically did what Gaylene said and picked out my treasures first and then saw what else still fit. Maybe you can pretend you are moving to a land far, far away. It really clears your mind.

14 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Wow, Gaylene, what helpful advice! I love the idea of starting with what you absolutely love and weeding things out from there. As I switch from my spring/summer wardrobe to the fall/winter, I am going to do this.

14 years ago

Laurinda

Veteran

@Kate: That video has good info, but I see what you mean...

14 years ago

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

I posted this in another thread but I'll repost here:

I just donated a bunch of clothes and shoes yesterday to Goodwill. Goodbye mom jeans! And I'm being a lot stricter...there's stuff that still fits me and looks OK, but I don't wear it very often...that all goes. If you don't love it, get rid of it! I got rid of several crew-neck cardigan twinsets that I bought to match my skirts years ago...I hope I don't regret it, because they were perfect color matches (baby blue, purple, brown, etc). But whenever I saw them I was reminded of my old style and felt kind of frumpy, even though I did use the pieces separately. It was a huge step for me, I have had those for over 10 years and they were a major part of my old wardrobe (I had at least five or six in all different colors). It was more of an emotional thing...freeing myself to go in a new style direction. Making room for the new me!

14 years ago

BridgetteRaes

(website)

Active Member

Hey, thanks so much for linking to my blog post!!!

12 years ago

DonnaF

Veteran

I use the kind of hangers that can be hooked on to each other in a stack (far left ones): http://www.bedbathandbeyond.co.....SKU=101693
This means that skirts, pants/jeans, and shorts take up far less room.

12 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

So a few years ago I downsized in a major way. I picked out a "capsule" and put the rest in storage. Then, well, I waited to see what I went and got out of storage. Now I'm working on just getting rid of the rest.

12 years ago

BridgetteRaes

(website)

Active Member

Speaking of purging, have of guys heard of FashionProject? I blogged about it a few months ago but don't want to break any rules by posting a link here, However, if you want to check out their site it is http://www.fashionproject.com. Basically, you donate your clothes to them and any sales on your clothes go to your charity of choice. it's a great way for the clothing in yoyr closet to go towards a cause that is meaningful to you. In addition, as a shopper, you can purchase designer clothes at an amazing discount, while knowing that a percentage of what you are spending goes to the donor's charity of choice.

Anyway, thought it would be a resource to consider given the nature of this thread.

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

@BridgetRaes - Love your blog (even though that childbirth tee still gives me nightmares)! Thanks for the fashionproject suggestion, that's a great idea.

12 years ago

BridgetteRaes

(website)

Active Member

I just watched that lady fold clothes. Aside from the fact that she sort of creeped me out handling the thong...I have a few issues with her tips. First, how can folding to the width of the neckline guarantee that all the shirts will be the same width? All t-shirts have different necklines and widths, so I don't get how they will be uniform in size. Next back to the thong folding...does anyone fold a thong that is the equivalent to a pirate's eye patch in size? I mean, come on! I will say that I do like the drawer dividers because no matter how many times I fold, once I go rummaging around for something my drawers get messy.

Anyway, enlightening...and a little funny.

12 years ago

Marley

Veteran

Hahahaha Bridgette - I watched that video last night too and I had the same thought! My shirts have all different sizes of necklines - so that is just not going to work, unless you own a bunch of shirts that are all the same style. Also - folding a thong - really? Mine are tossed in my "thong" drawer and I have no trouble finding the one I want - nor does the "ball of thong" look bother me in the least!

12 years ago

Helena

Veteran

I can't add much to these great suggestions, except to say, rather than start with the question "What can I get rid of?" start with "What do I either really love or really need?". Anything after that is expendable. Good luck - and congrats on the move!

12 years ago

BridgetteRaes

(website)

Active Member

"Ball of thong" Heehee, priceless!

12 years ago

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