Do you hold onto clothing too long or get rid of it too soon? - YouLookFab Forum

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Do you hold onto clothing too long or get rid of it too soon?

April

Veteran

(Or are you one of those overachievers who always gets the timing right and never looks back?)

I think I tend to ditch wardrobe items prematurely because I have a horror of cluttered closets. Then I see someone -- usually on YLF -- styling something similar to the item I gave away, in a way that looks fresh and appealing, and I'm kicking myself for pulling the trigger too quickly.

How about you?

General

39 replies

Latest reply was from April

Diana

Veteran

Too long. I have hoarding tendencies. Working on that.

I usually let something sit in the closet for like a year without wearing before deciding to do something about it. (Or if I run out of hanger space). Then it often goes into a purgatory pile for a while longer. The only time I actually purge something in a timely manner is if it has literally fallen apart.

Sylvie

Veteran

I think I used to hold onto clothing too long. It was just this year that I got rid of the last top I had from middle school! The top was two decades old and it was time for it to go.

I am concerned I got just a little purge-happy as there are a few tops that fit me well but I released into the wild a year or so ago because they were no longer my style. Now of course, I want them back!

I have a red/black skirt that I would have purged if it hadn't been made for me by my mom. I'm glad I have it now, because I think it would be fantastic pattern mixed with the red/orange shirt I have on order.

In general, I think it's better to err on the side of purging. If I'm going to keep something that isn't my style "for the future", it had better fit perfectly, be comfortable and be pristine.

No point in keeping something that doesn't fit and flatter.

JR

Veteran

Generally, I wear my clothes into the ground. I have started to learn to let things go if they are making me unhappy though.

On the other hand, if storage space isn't an issue, setting up a future vintage collection is an idea... LOL!

ManidipaM

Veteran

Too long for me too, though there have been a few too soon regrets over the years --- mostly because I did not give a new style enough of a fighting chance...

Anonymous

There have been very few times that I've regretted getting rid of something. If it doesn't work for me (doesn't fit, doesn't go with other items in my wardrobe, doesn't make me happy or whatever), I get rid of it unless it's something I have to have and I have to wait to replace it. That said, I tend to hold onto things like lingerie and pajamas until they wear out. I'm in the middle about everything else. I have an annual closet purge and keep a mental inventory of what needs to go and what should stay. I make far fewer buying mistakes than I used to, thanks to reading style books and fashion blogs, and the stuff that I get rid of either gets given to charity (if it's still in good shape) or thrown away (if it's worn out).

April

Veteran

Sylvie -- it is so true that there is no point in keeping something that doesn't fit and flatter, yet I can think of a bunch of reasons why people do exactly that:

* It's going to fit me soon

* It was expensive

* It was on sale for an amazing price

* It's not yet hopelessly out of date, so I might still get some wear out of it

* Someone gave it to me and I don't want to hurt their feelings

* The day may come when I can't find anything better to wear and I'll "need" this

* This item is still, as Jerry Seinfeld said, retaining the properties of a solid, and so cannot be thrown out yet

<sigh>

Diana, do you ever watch those programs on hoarding? Five minutes into one of those and I find myself compelled to start getting rid of stuff. (Not sure I've ever made it to ten minutes.)

Sheila

Veteran

I hang on too long...something to do with weight and yo-yoing...and hoping that I'll be able to wear that lovely (dress.blouse.trousers.skirt) some day. I did give away an interesting jacket last year and practically tore up my home looking for it this spring...good thing I had made a list of all the clothing I had donated and yup, it was gone forever! But only once has that happened to me, so I really need to purge more often, I think.

Anonymous

Those hoarding shows are something, aren't they? My parentsgrew up poor and lived through the Great Depression. Like a lot of people from their generation, they held on to a lot of possessions, but they weren't hoarders. I don't know what makes some people hoard.

Funny about the Seinfeld quote. My DH is very much like that when it comes to clothes. He wears them until they're falling apart. Fortunately, he comes to me for fashion advice and color coordination. Otherwise, I'd seriously worry about him, lol!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I used to tend toward hoarding but like to think I'm moving toward thoughtful purging. I have ditched more clothes in the last 3 years than I currently now own. Finally I can say all but maybe 3 or 4 items are from age 35 on (I'm 42). Interestingly, most of those are skirts.
This season I brought cotton sundresses with me to FL that I know are not coming back home to CA at the end of the year. This is big for me, since they still fit and flatter, and are not hopelessly dated. They merely aren't what I'm reaching for anymore.

rachylou

Veteran

Too long, although my bigger problem is I hold on to too much. As proof of too long, though, there are some flatforms in my give away bag. I held onto them so long, they're back in style...

Diana

Veteran

Ha, April, I have already made my fiance promise that we will NEVER have a garage that is so full of junk we can't fit our cars in there. =P

Anonymous

When my mom passed away, my older sisters acted shocked that I had not saved all the dresses she had made for me. Well heck! First of all, it would take another closet to hold them all. Secondly, they no longer fit me. Thirdly, they're old. My sisters also acted surprised when I told them (at this year's family reunion) that my DH and I seem to be the only people I know who actually park their cars in the garage. We don't have very many boxes in the garage, and the garage is used for what it was built for, lol!

I do have the wedding dress my mother made, though. That's a definite keeper no matter what. But other than a wonderful trip down Memory Lane, I see no reason to keep clothing that dates back to the late '70s and early '80s.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I've been thinking a lot along these lines too. I have a drawer full of shorts, yet I find myself only wearing shorts maybe once a week this summer, and last summer was similar. Should I get rid of most of my shorts even though they're perfectly lovely and fit me well? What if my life changes somehow and I suddenly need to wear shorts a lot? The thriftiness my mom brought me up with shudders at the idea of getting rid of something that I might have to turn around and rebuy in the near future. And that has happened to me in the past with certain items.

Regarding the few items that are kept not for sartorial reasons, but for their symbolic and aesthetic value - my wedding dress, a dress that was my mom's when she was young, etc. These get thought of as keepsakes, not as clothing, and are stored in a different area than my clothes.

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

WAY too long. You guys have been instrumental in prying my collection of 90's bias cut floral skirts out of my hands (well, almost all of them) and convincing me to not wear maternity clothes when I'm not pregnant! I am doing much better about purging (almost all of my wardrobe is new in the last year), but I'm still a bit of a sentimental fool sometimes... I know I am going to have a much harder time when I have to start purging my post-YLF purchases!

Anonymous

Here's the way I look at it. Yes, it's good to be thrifty, but if someone else can get a lot of wear out of something that's sitting in your closet unworn, then why not donate to charify? I recently found a great charity that specializes in helping battered women and children. I feel really good knowing that my clothing and the outgrown clothing of my DDs will be used by people in need. We're not giving away stuff that's worn out, either. It's just stuff that we can't or don't wear for whatever reason. Throwing perfectly good clothing away or not wearing it when someone else can, however, is downright wasteful.

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

The recent swap brought home the lesson to me that it's not good to hang onto closet orphans. I even brought recent purchases that I realized just weren't quite right which is why I never wore them. Why were these things just sitting in our closets unused when they look so perfect on someone else? We were all so happy to get our new fabulous goodies! It's the same with donating clothes...think of how it will make someone's day to find it at the thrift store!

Anonymous

You're also making room in your closet for clothing that DOES work for you!

April

Veteran

RG Laura -- your drawer full of shorts is reminding me of the idea of "trusting in abundance." It means you trust that if you need something in the future (that you don't need at the moment), you would be able to find a way to provide it. If you have a better use for that drawer, maybe you could select three pairs of shorts and donate/swap/consign the others?

JennyAnne

(website)

Veteran

A little bit of both but more often hold onto things too long. The few things I've gotten rid of and then regretted hold me back from getting rid of more things. I try, though.

Aida

Veteran

I would say too long for myself, but mainly because I have been a bit slow at replacing and upgrading the pieces in my closet AND on top of that am going through another style change. I do purge items that look dated in proper time, so I think once I have my closet at a decently "well curated" place, I will be a much better judge of when to hold and when to pass on.

Queen Mum

Veteran

I'm definitely a premature purger, not only clothes but other household items that I find a use for exactly one week after setting out to pasture. Oh well. I"d rather regret getting rid of something than deal with overstuffed closets and cupboards.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Too long - as in, a bit of an underachiever. I have a good excuse for this though - I literally ran out of clothes, because I lost about a hundred pounds and I couldn't keep up. At some points during my weight loss journey, I literally only had two pairs of pants, three or four tops and that was pretty much it. At one point, I didn't even have a coat that fit me.

I had more lipsticks, scarves, earrings and other accessories than I did undies or actual clothes.

As a result of letting things get so dire on the clothing front, I have a tendency to hold onto things a bit too long now. I still have quite a few 'too big' clothes hanging around.

It's a fear. A fear of having nothing to wear Not that I wear the too big things I still hang onto all that often (well, around the house) ....but until I have replacements, I keep them.

The even bigger fear is that I'll gain all the weight back and might need some of those 'too big' clothes. It hasn't happened yet (give or take a few pounds that I'm battling with that are making me very nervous and anxious), but I'm still kind of stressed about it.

I would really love to just relax into the situation and get rid of the clothes I don't need any more. I've gotten rid of so many things over the years, but find myself holding onto a few too many items that don't fit me anymore, "just in case." This leaves no room for newer, nicer, better-fitting things. Even worse - having these things hanging around serves to remind me that I can always regain the weight, and they also sort of send a message - a message that things aren't quite right yet.

Yep, I have issues around this. Wish I didn't, but there you have it.

I think I went too far in getting rid of clothes that didn't fit as I was losing weight, leaving myself in a situation where I almost felt like I was almost impoverished or something. Or maybe it's just that I didn't replace clothes fast enough, so that now - I'm having a hard time getting rid of the last of my 'too big' clothes cluttering up my closets. I think about 50% of my closet doesn't fit. And I'm not finished with my weight loss journey yet either.

What a mess!

I should get rid of the too big clothes. But then, I don't want to buy too much, because I'm not finished yet.

I'd like to just go to some deserted island, get the last of the weight loss job done, and then deal with my closet.

April

Veteran

VC -- do you think you might be able to compromise by keeping three or four complete larger-sized outfits (to quiet the "just in case" voices) and clearing out the rest?

Abie

Veteran

Both! In the not so distant past I have both kept things around too long that didn't work for me, and gotten rid of things too soon that I didn't at the time even attempt to style with multiple things. I have gotten soooo much better since coming here the past few months and I really feel like I have purged the right amount and am soooo much more picky about what I keep.

Kari

Veteran

I hold on waaaay too long. When I get to be paranoid that I'm heading towards hoarding-territory, I purge.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Thank you April - I will try that. The clothes in my closet that are too big are actually kind of serving to 'keep me in place' in a weird way. Getting rid of most of them will help me in terms of moving on, and moving forward - getting the last of the job done, so to speak. I'll keep just a few things, as an 'emergency' sort of fund (fund of clothing, so to speak).

I am always telling others to buy the nice things that fit them now, but am not always so great at taking my own advice (embarrassing, but true). Speaking from experience, I can say with 100% certainty that keeping 'too big' clothes around helps you stay in place, and just 'chill' for awhile - take a break. It's when you don't have anything left that you have to decide something - decide to keep going or decide that things are just fine the way they are.

Not clearing the closet means not having to decide. Being able to coast.

I think I've been coasting long enough

Thanks again - I'll just go on ahead and get rid of most of that stuff. I know that by doing so, it'll force my hand.

PS - hope I didn't take this too far off topic. Carry on...moving right along....agggh....don't want to be someone who took the thread too far off topic or caused it to quiet right on down...

anne

Veteran

Interesting thread. I probably err on the side of keeping things too long, but I do have a pretty well curated current wardrobe. I find the holding zone concept very handy. I am very fussy about what I allow to come in (not buying very much) which I think makes it less likely to need to purge a lot. Aer a big clean out in the summer I really like the way my wardrobe looks, and get a bit nervous if there are many more items in it (so after I had done my winter shopping I got rid of a few more
)
But for all that, I have two dresses from the 90's, a couple of boxes of archive clothes, and one skirt that only fits at my very skinniest!

Isabel

Veteran

I tended to hold on too long..but more so the style, I think. I look back now and realize I was very boring with my clothes. I was VERY conservative and basic. Though I have a lot of accessories, my basics were very basic. I am talking the same long sleeve Gap tshirt in 3 or 4 colors and then multiples of colors. No evolution at all.

I have changed in that I will buy cheaper fun things now and have no problem giving them away when I am "done" with them. I also no longer tolerate anything that doesn't fit well or feel good.

Anonymous

I do both. I've gotten rid of things that I then regret and hold onto things too long so that no one gets use out of them.
In the first case it's usually something from a different season that gets purged only to realize later that it was an important part of a capsule. Losing enough weight to have to get rid of everything because nothing fit was both painful and liberating. Nothing was worth holding on to if it was way too big to wear.

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