That was a big question for me when we moved 3 years ago. There are a few categories I tossed that I’m regretful about—2 pr of high waisted mom jeans, a bunch of blazers & jackets. I’ve never worn them a lot, but they were occasionally useful. When I got here I saw that a lot of women do wear them. This summer I also thought a few times about little tops with spaghetti straps that I lived in in the Florida heat. They would’ve been nice a couple times. But for the most part I have no regrets about what I tossed and what I hung onto.
Weeding through my closet, I realized I had way more torn, stained, or otherwise damaged things than I had thought. They all went out.
On fit, there’s no way I’d want to chase down new items every time I put on or take off an inch! But there are some things that can fit me just right, according to guidelines, but somehow never feel right. Maybe the collar curls or the skirt is stiff. I can’t quite explain it, but in some things I feel like I need to move unnaturally (even though I actually don’t & the fit is fine). They go out.
Sometimes I don’t realize there is a real fit issue until I’ve worn the thing a couple times. This sweater got cheers on the forum, but wouldn’t stay up on my shoulders. I consigned it.
Right now I store my off-season wardrobe in my luggage. It’s a pain during transitional seasons and when we travel, but otherwise that seems ok, until I get more closet space.
Keeping things a long time begins when I buy them. My mom discovered when I was little that I refused to wear low natural fiber content. I also remember her telling me I should “suffer for your beauty” in exasperation. Nope! So the comments people on ylf make about learning not to settle or learning to be picky surprised me at first. I’ve really always been very insistent that things have to be comfortable for me to wear them. That probably leads to them having longevity in my closet.
I rarely buy things that are super-trendy, partially because less extreme versions have more staying power, but mostly because I’d feel kooky in the most pronounced version of whatever the current trend is. Your festival wear sounds like fun, but I doubt I’d really wear it, so I don’t get that kind of thing. I have my Gap baby boot cuts from the early 90s that I’m wearing now. I’ve also bought 2 pairs of flare pants that are a bit more extreme. It has crossed my mind that if fashion goes in 20 year cycles, I’ll be a septuagenerian the next time flares come around so hmmm.
Besides comfort, I’m pretty persnickety about things “looking like me”. Sometimes I get tripped up by trying to be someone else, but generally I yam what I yam, and my clothes show it.
This is going to be a fun thread to watch. Thanks for starting it.
Eta I agree with Ginger on taking a long time to decide to get rid of something. At the end of a season, I note what I haven’t worn, and pay attention the next time round to why not. If I’m just sick of it, but still like it (the way I don’t always feel like talking to my kid), I hang onto it. Sometimes I just need to figure out other things to wear it with, or maybe I haven’t been doing the activities where I usually wore it. During Covid, I figure normal life is suspended, so it doesn’t make any sense to remove things we’d normally wear. One day it will be normal again, and we’ll be glad to have those things to wear.
