Holding & Not in Use zones of my closet - YouLookFab Forum

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Holding & Not in Use zones of my closet

Irina

Veteran

Angie suggested I write a post about keeping clothes that fits but not in rotation right now.

Photos 1 to. 3. My holding zone is a place where I store clothes I want to reevaluate later in the year. I’m not in love with camel/caramel color but might take another look in the spring. The style of these items is a bit too classic but in general I like the silhouette.I added light color jeans last fall and want to see if I will go back to this color.

Photos 4 to 8. Not in Use zone holds a few items that are more in a straight cut than I’ve been attracted recently. If I bought them today, I would definitely size up or pass. I put it away for at least a year and am not planning any outfit workshops with them. They are good quality items in a decent condition and I feel I should wait before donating them. I don’t know if I will give up my oversized clothes any time soon but who knows

Do you keep clothes in good condition that is not in your favorite style ATM?

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Dressing

21 replies

Latest reply was from Runcarla

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Irina, thank you for following through! VERY interesting and informative.

The items fit and are beautful - but you don't like them that much at the moment (for plausible reasons). But you might change your mind.....

GOOD CALL KEEPING THEM in a holding zone

#1 looks COS-ish, and I can see that working well over wide crops.

Anonymous

Well those are all beautiful classic pieces that have that modern touch . I had a similar camel long vest that I got rid of - nothing wrong with it but it wasn’t getting worn . I’m hanging on to blazers and leather jackets too - with the intent to reevaluate at the beginning of every season. Unfortunately , most are now sitting there unworn now for the past few years . Hard to know what to do , I agree .

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

To answer your question. I keep these items in my wardrobe but do not wear them:

1. Lace Black Blouse - Fits beautifully and is beautiful. Gorgeous with a pile of pearls. Impeccable quality. I WISH IT WAS NAVY!!! I cannot get rid of it because my sweet late Dad bought it for me 10 years ago.

2. COS tunic - Stunning quality and architectural fit. I want to get rid of the olive in my wardrobe. And each year my dislike for olive on me is stronger. It does not make me happy. But it looks good on! So I keep it......

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Shirt dress with irregular hem

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Top Pick

21

Minaminu

Veteran

very interesting!

I have been thinking a lot about camel and caramel, they would be a great match for my navy pieces but for some reason it is not clicking. Instead of camel/caramel, I am drawn to taupe and grey. Maybe because cold colours/palette seems to be more appealing to me (I am a summer)

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Yes,l keep most of my clothes even if l am not feeling them at the moment .I eventually find a way to wear them or if l never do l come to a point when l can give them away but don’t rush to do that unless they no longer first or are uncomfortable. I am a big fan of the holding zone.Constant wardrobe churn makes me feel uncomfortable.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I like 1-3,5&6 for you, but maybe the others will eventually appeal again too.

Do I keep things I don’t currently want to wear? Why yes, yes I do. Especially now that I’m hoping to be making professional moves over the next few years, but I do it for other things too, like my 501s.

I tend to be very particular about comfort when I buy something, and my tastes don’t change a lot, even if something is so badly out of style I can’t wear it atm.

ETA: Cardiff, high five on this “Constant wardrobe churn makes me feel uncomfortable.” Me too!!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

These are all beautiful items. I can see why you might hold onto them for a while. The might come into their own in a different season and with different complements than you currently own.

cat2

Veteran

+ 1 to what Cardiff Girl said. For example. right now I am not wearing many of my longer toppers because they have too much volume to be worn with my pleated culottes and pants. But when the pant and skirt silhouettes shift again or my mood changes and I want something drapey, I am likely to want to wear them again. In the interim, it doesn’t take much space to store them.

MsMaven

Veteran

I love 1-4, but then I've rediscovered camel and caramel this year. I'm glad I saved two leather jackets I didn't wear for several years until I lost some weight. Some things are worth keeping for a while, others aren't and they get donated, assuming we're talking about items still in good shape.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

The long vest is stunning and all these pieces have potential. Also the jackets are very good. I would probably keep all of these because I go through style mood phases and could imagine going back to any of these quality pieces. But I am undeniably a hoarder as opposed to an editor.

Brooklyn

Veteran

They look like beautiful pieces and I can see why you’d want to hang on to them to re-evaluate later. You think your tastes are not going to change, and then they do. But then of course sometimes they don’t. Sometimes it’s hard to know how long to wait.

I also have a holding zone with colours and silhouettes that have fallen out of favour with me. I’m keeping them for a while in case (a) I return to the office, in which case I will need more business appropriate clothing and I would wear these items and (b) my tastes change.

rachylou

Veteran

These are all lovely. Yes, I keep most things. I usually regret purging anything because I haven’t been feeling it… I’m too moody to go with that. Something needs to be *wrong* to be a successful purge for me.

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

I currently have a holding zone for possible donations & alterations. Since I now live in a relatively mild climate, I can get away with keeping things in my closet year round (winter gets cold but not so much that I need a special puffer & snowboots - a warm jumper layered under a coat is usually enough). So I operate under the assumption that, if I don't reach for an item for X months, it should be safe to get rid of (but I've packed my UK winter specific items in a suitcase, since they're obviously an exception here).

That said, I do hold onto items in the 'long & lean' silhouette because, although I've mostly switched to 'crop/ tucked top + maxi skirt' in recent years, there are just some situations which call for slim trousers instead (mostly practical/ lifestyle-driven reasons). I'd feel a bit exposed wearing those pants with crop tops (!), so I keep a handful of long cardigans & tunics for the job, even though I'd also feel a bit 'dowdy' wearing those over my current maxi skirts/ wider leg trousers.

I've already purged any particularly ill-fitting long toppers (so I know the ones that remain will still work) but am also cautious not to over-edit, since it's currently difficult for me to find more slim long cardigans at retail (seems the trend now is chunky/ shacket?)

Joy

Veteran

Irina, so far I have not held onto anything, even favorites. I do have a few regrets, but very few. I miss my favorite coat. It was a great travel weight coat. I have not yet found a good replacement. I got rid of lots of EF that might have worked now, but it all was given to those who could use it.

slim cat

Veteran

I have a few items sitting in holding zone - black ( with some print ) silk sleeveless blouse that would work with slim/skinny pants ( don't have any ), silk sleeveless dress - barely worn but sad to let it go, some others. I think they are more sentimental things.
Your pieces look lovely and more in classic style - might come back in favor after some time.

Star

Veteran

I always keep things that are out of favour in a holding zone and 9 times out of 10 I want to wear them again at some point. I only purge items that are worn out or I really cannot stand them anymore.

Sal

Veteran

I think with these pieces waiting is a good idea - they are lovely classic items and we can change.

My holding zone pieces are below - a couple are in my closet but I am not wearing and the rest are in storage.

My instinct is to keep the blouse and bright floral shift and pass on the rest. The blouse is timeless, the floral shift is flattering and fun in certain situations. The white midi dress and camel jumper feel off in their fit ( dress too short, jumper too wide and unflattering). The Bailey is sentimental and I think out of fashion so probably not going to be popular so I might hang on longer.

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Jenni NZ

Veteran

I think I keep a lot of things. Those not in my current wardrobe are mostly sentimental (were very loved in the past or belonged to Mum or Dad and I can’t bear to let go). These latter ones that belonged to my parents could mostly still be worn by me with extra thought and styling. Most of the time I can’t be bothered with that so they just sit on a shelf. Luckily I have room and the numbers are not large, I have culled the collection over time. One dress was actually sewn by my grandmother who was a dressmaker, for Mum in about 1960. Mum wore it, then I wore it at about age 20, and my daughter wore it for a dress-up old-fashioned garden party. So that dress has a connection to 4 generations of women! I will save it for my baby granddaughter.
I did quite a big cull in 2021, removed 23 items and only replaced with 15. 22 out of 23 had over 30 wears and so I felt fine about editing out things I was tired of. I feel less comfortable if they have lower wears as like Cardiff girl I dislike the churn, for lots of reasons.
Some of what still hangs in my current wardrobe is probably in more of a holding zone really as few wears happening. But much of that is more dressy and there are not the occasions to wear them to

Helena

Veteran

Yes to what Cardiffgirl said!

This is such a personal one though ... For me, I know I get a bit obsessive about keeping things streamlined, so I tend to edit far too hastily. Thus I keep a holding zone to temper this tendency. DH on the other hand keeps unworn items forever and a day, and I have to push him to donate while things are still current enough to be useful to someone else.

In this case Irina those are stunning pieces that are classic and up to date, so I agree that holding on to them makes a lot of sense! Especially with our seasons, which can really impact what one reaches for ...

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I like your thoughtful approach. Those are nice pieces that seem to still have elements compatible with your style, and these days we all seem to be in a bit of a holding pattern, so I think the holding zone/reevaluation method is wise.

I’m not being hasty either, but I rarely am. I had to empty our basement closet this week to have new flooring installed, and that includes two zipped hanging garment holders that contain some out-of-season stuff and my (currently small) holding zone. I’ve done a good job last year of weeding out things that are just not going to happen again for one reason or another — a dress that’s now a solid two sizes too small, an occasion top that I’m tired of… Now it consists of a few items that are a size too snug, a few that I’m not feeling at the moment but need to reevaluate when wearing opportunities open up, and a handful of sentimental items, including some things from my parents and even my grandmother’s fur coat. I really need to find a way to unload that! I think the sentimental stuff is hardest — I want to rehome it in a way that’s respectful to the memories. I pulled out two teddy-like coats that belonged to my mom (one not my color and the other a bit beat-up so not wearable), and I’m going to have the fabric used for cozy throw pillows — one for each of my nieces, one for my sister, and one for me.

Runcarla

Veteran

I don’t have a physical holding zone. I do have items that I hardly wear, but hold on to. The only things in my closet that I haven’t worn at all in a while are a long ball skirt and a vacation bikini. I have 4 items that I wore once in 2021, and 4 items I wore 4 times or less. They are, for the most part, dressier items and fairly classic.

If something isn’t my style I’m more likely to pass it on.