These posts are so helpful. To answer your questions, I am usually tired of even my once favorite clothes after 3 seasons. They no longer seem fresh and make me as happy as they once did. I usually keep a donation bag handy and donate to thrift stores, sometimes to someone I know who would like them.
If there are several similar things, I pick one and donate the rest. I had to do this over and over when getting ready to move like black checked shirts, I had 4 and moved one. I did keep more than one pair of white, black and blue jeans because I wear them so much.
I also love chocolate brown but have few pieces left. Those often get worn with black for a more modern look. I also hope taupe comes back soon. All those chocolate brown shoes. See if you can cull a pair or two. For example, do you really need two pair of chocolate sandals or ballet flats?
I have a bad record of getting rid of things just before they become trendy. Sadly new versions are usually not better. The quality is poor. Otherwise one could look forward to getting the new version. This is true of everything, not just clothing. Old Hot Wheels toy cars were better made with metal rather than so much plastic, and with more features.
I am not sentimental about clothes and even purged my wedding dress. They are just clothes and need to serve you. Think of happiness factor, though, or you may regret getting rid of something. So far I have no regrets but more purging needs to be done. This time I plan to stash some things in a basement holding zone to see if I miss them.

For me, I keep only items that fit, items that are not dated, and items that I enjoy (unless the item needs to be kept for practical purposes). As Lisap pointed out, when a trend comes back, it is almost always tweaked in some way. I think of seventies-style clothing. If a person were to wear clothing that was truly from the seventies, they would probably look dated, not fab--because there is a bit of a modern twist on the contemporary seventies-style clothing.

I feel like holding on to a lot of old clothing creates stagnancy in our lives. We are always changing and growing in our emotional lives, and our wardrobes should keep pace with that. It's okay to keep some older pieces that we truly love and that work well for us, but I feel that holding on to a lot of old clothing keeps us stuck in the past and makes it hard for us to move forward.

I let go of my clothing as I realize I no longer want it. We have drop off places close by so it is convenient. It takes me too long to take items to consignment, however.

I also go through clothing as my weight changes, and often at the beginning or end of a season.

I have a lot of sentimental clothing in a closet in the garage. I just showed my mom I have the dresses my grandmothers and the dress my MIL wore to my wedding, along with the one my maternal grandmother wore to my parents’ wedding. My mom is most likely wearing the dress she wore to my wedding to DS1&2’s weddings. I have lots of other memory clothing in the garage.

I am willing to keep clothing a long time because I tire of clothes and then rediscover them. Often I realize what is wrong with something and then wear it differently and often. Case in point-I didn’t like how’ve my v-neck sweaters fit. I realized I didn’t like them over shirts, I tried them as a top or with a sleeveless tank for additional warmth and that really worked. I wore the sweaters most days this winter.

As a result of the scarf challenge I will be going through them soon.

I rarely miss something I’ve let go of. But I often keep items I’m unsure of for a while until I gain clarity.

Let me know when I should pick you up at the airport, lisa p! I happily volunteer to be the first client for your closet editing service! It will be 82 F here today, so pack accordingly.
Seriously, as someone else, I think LaP, shared, I do find old pants fit again fairly frequently. And good well-fitting pants are SO hard to find.
It sounds like you made some great progress on your shoes, Staysfit! I completely understand the concern about giving up chocolate brown items - they are so seldom available! Look forward to hearing about your next clearing out success, whenever it occurs.

Most items - two to five years. Many items three years. That said, I also have several items past the seven year mark. Some almsot TEN years, and one item approaching 25 years.

Ryce - where do I book my ticket to?

One of the things (both good and bad) about having a larger wardrobe is that things generally don't wear out so much as they simply fall out of favor -- or out of fashion. In general, I get tired of an item before it actually shows bad wear. That always makes it harder to let go, because the practical side of me balks at tossing something possibly useful.

It depends—fashion mistakes, fairly quickly, but those are infrequent. Like Janet, I tire of my items before they’ve shown substantial wear (except for jeans, which I wear long past their prime). Although my wardrobe is on the smaller side relative to forum members, meaning that the average item gets more wear, I tend to spend a lot more on individual garments. When I’m weight stable (I’m heavy atm and have resorted to polyester), I’m very picky about fabrics, and prefer to wear silk, linen, cashmere, and merino wool. My garments hold up extremely well, but it makes it more difficult to let them go because of their cost, and the time and energy it took to find them. I’ll be doing a purge in late summer, which is when I last did one, Kondo-style—everything on the floor, touching and trying things on, measuring joy and practicality, etc.

There are so many interesting and wonderful responses here, I am having a hard time figuring out how to respond. I don’t have time to give the type of responses to everyone that I would like. I read each response with great care, and as always am thinking about all the wonderful ideas provided by our forum members.

I did want to respond to a couple tonight before I head off to do some work to prepare for my day tomorrow:

Cardiff Girl, I love your positive perspective! Viewing my wardrobe as a lovely collection put together by a fortunate, hard working, mid-fifties professional woman, makes it look different than something that should be showcased on the next episode of Hoarders!

Krishnidoux, I can relate to so much of what you say. I believe you identify something Important. Old clothing contains a repository of memories and emotion, both good and bad. Your words reminded me of another situation from my experience which perhaps others can also relate to, or maybe not? I recall returning home from college with my emerging “adult” habits and routines. Somehow, as soon as I walked into my parents house, I instantly regressed to “child” status, and no longer behaved like a competent adult. I hated that feeling. To me, this is what you describe so nicely. Clothing that has gone past its due date, so to speak, can have the same powerful effect, or the effect may be subtle, but it’s still likely to have some sort of emotionally cumbersome impact. I found your thinking very insightful.

With all the helpful comments, I think I am prepared to start another closet edit. I am ready to get rid of the Eddie Bauer jacket. I am ready to toss most of the mid rise jeans into a donation bin. I may keep two pairs only, just because it is hard for me to find jeans that fit, but, I don’t need 10 pairs laying around!

Good questions! Going back 20 years or so when I first started working and had the disposable income to spend on me, me, me I had 2 distinct sets of clothes. A work wardrobe full of suits, skirts, blouses and heels and a casual wardrobe complete with going out clubbing clothes. I purged when I got bored with things. I look back and sometimes regret getting rid of things. I didn't appreciate the quality of clothes in the early 90s and how much that quality would change. I occasionally wish I'd kept certain items but those items would be 2 sizes too small and useless to me now.

2 years ago I had very little space to store things and very little money to spend on clothes so I was replacing cheap items frequently because they were simply worn out. Things didn't hang around long enough to go out of style.

I've changed tack over the last 2 years, not coincidentally around the time I started reading this forum. I realised things were wearing out too quickly and made a conscious decision to bump up wardrobe numbers. I think I've now gone too far in the opposite direction. Things are not wearing out quickly enough for my liking. I do like to feel I've worn something out before I get rid of it. It feels wasteful otherwise.

Still trying to hit the balance where things wear out just as they go out of style!

There are a number of people who have commented about how having large wardrobes causes less wear and tear on their clothing and perhaps also their clothes stay in better shape for a longer time period because they are used less. I am one with a larger wardrobe, and I have been tracking wears, and wondered if I wear some items very frequently and others not so frequently. It turns out that this is the case. I wear certain shoes repetitively. Even though I have a very large shoe collection, I wear maybe only 8-10 pairs in a season. That would leave the majority sitting around for special occasions. How many special occasion shoes does a person need? Certainly 60 seems excessive even for the most social among us. Is it possible that I am not wearing more than 40 of my 100 pairs. How do Idecide which to get rid of? I am not certain. Some may be part of a specific outfit. I need to think on this.

Another thought triggered by all these wonderful responses, some of the clothes in my closet are classic, well made, high end items. I expect that they may last a very long time. Many people say that when a style comes around again it is dated and that there are revisions that make wearing the old version look out of touch. There is another group that says that the older version of clothing is possibly higher quality, better made, and should therefore possibly be saved and reused. Which of these makes more sense?

Finally, My mother managed to keep and wear some of her cashmere sweaters for years and gave some of them to my daughter recently, and she is now enjoying them. My mom also kept a poodle skirt which I wore periodically for fun. How did she decide to keep these particular items and not others? They turned out to be relevant and useful. She didn’t keep lots of things, so how did she know? She’s on vacation in Costa Rica so I cant ask her right now, but I bet her answer would be the same as the way I’m deciding which items I am keeping. She loved them.

I'm more relaxed tonight and more able to answer. Certainly my wardrobe is on the larger side but nothing like yours, it was also overflowing my house when I started with YLF 15 months ago and it is slowly whittling down. It was around 200 items of clothing/shoes with clothing being about 150 items and shoes about 50. These have decreased to clothing 135 items and shoes 45. Obviously in that 15 months I've bought about 25 things so must have got rid of about 45 things to whittle down by 20. That's major progress for me. I still have the issue of more items meaning fewer wears and that things are not all wearing out. Also I'm stubborn about my mistakes ( see them as a waste if not worn) so try to force at least some wears out of them. And the thing of not understanding why I don't wear some things when I still believe I like or even love them? What's that about?
My lists are helping me to vary the wears just by glancing down them and I'm actually quite enjoying that even though Angie feels that tracking wears and getting to a certain number of wears would take the fun out of it for her. I don't think it is,for me.

Staysfit - I totally relate to those feelings and questions. I am not sure that there is a universal answer though.

My grandmothers both kept some clothes (my Paternal Grandmother mostly my Aunt's clothes, mostly handmade) and my Maternal Grandmother, her clothes and things she loved. My cousins and I had a lot of fun borrowing and dressing up in these clothes over the years. I think you keep the particularly sentimental or the particularly beautiful ones - or the coat that is so well made and warm that it is always useful.

As to whether you can wear older pieces, I think it very much depends on your style - someone with an eclectic style or a strong individual style can definitely do so. But even the best well made coat might be worn a different way 20 years later.

I have about 25 pairs of shoes I think, but I do have three or four pairs that have not been worn for 12 months....(all occasion wear). I removed one pair late last year after some forum feedback and was set to remove another pair but could not do it - I was too sentimental and they still appeal to me. Each season I seem to wear 4-5 pairs intensively and have another 2 pairs that only get worn lightly.

I think Lisa nailed it - it's the "why" that's most important. I'm reading a great book right now called "Soulful Simplicity", and in it, she notes that everything we owns, owns us right back - in terms of money, energy, space, time, etc. So really, I think Lisa's question 'why' is right, and if the answer is not "I love it", or "I need/use it", really think whether it's worth the ongoing cost of it owning you.

Sometimes I think we hold onto stuff for the wrong reasons, but they usually don't make much sense - if it's guilt about money wasted, well, the money was wasted once the purchase was made, we only add to the 'cost' by clinging ... if it's that someone gave it to you, the gift was in the giving, not in the storing ... usually the 'wrong' reasons come down to guilt, and guilt in this case is unproductive, although it can guide us to be smarter in purchasing in the future.

Now, on the other hand, I've often been guilty of over-purging, where I get on a minimalist kick and get rid of a ton of stuff that was perfectly good, flattering, etc. because I was after a particular number, or really pared down palette, only to regret it ... so another practical suggestion is to create a 'holding' area for items you're unsure of, or just sort of bored of but still like ... then this can become a fun 'shop' for you to visit when you need something new and different. You can revisit it after a time (say 6 months later or whatever), pull out what appeals to you, and let go of the rest - it's easier once you've proven to yourself you won't miss it.

Well that was long and navel-gazey!!! Sorry!

This is a wonderful post Staysfit, thank you for bringing this up!
I have a large wardrobe (although, all is relative, right?). I have been dealing with this issue for years. In periods, I tried to become more "minimalistic", reduced the size, but that state never lasted. The wardrobe grew again... Lately, I embraced my large wardrobe. I realized, that if I want to keep the size, I have to allocate more space, meaning giving up the space of something else. And so I did. I am content with that decision. I love shopping my closet, creating many new combinations and having the possibility to do that. Seasonally though, my colder weather wardrobe is a lot larger than my warm weather wardrobe - but it makes sense in my climate.
Do I keep my things many years? Generally, yes. I prefer to buy better quality items, do not crave change so much (happy when I can play and combine things from my closet). As I have many things, they will not get worn out so quickly either (except for some essentials such as black trousers which I buy in multiples). I am not a trendy person, often do not have the need to wear the latest trends.
What I think is important is to embrace who we are and what we really want. I know by now that I want my things to last a long time. The reason is that if I really like something, I like it for a long time. It is kind of a loyalty For me, that is the reason why I have difficulties to let go... I kind of like it all LOL I am ok with some items not being worn much a certain season waiting for their turn. To me, it is not necessarily the reason to let them go. So, if there is space and it works - why not? But it took me a long time to learn this about myself, to accept it and to adjust (i.e. to organize my home accordingly). In the past, I tried to be like most of my friends who have smaller, well coordinated and updated, effective wardrobes. I like that a lot and admire that. But it is not who I am.
IMO, it is quite possible to wear an old version of an item (a second time around). The important is the personal style and styling. IMO, there should to be something new and current in the mix to make the outfit feel fresh and modern, but there can be several really old pieces combined into an outfit too and that often makes an outfit interesting. What about vintage and thrift shop finds? They make often great and unique additions to current outfits.

I love the discussion here. I did a mini edit last night while packing for TX, and had to stop myself from getting into a huge project that would have kept me up til 3am! But I have about 20 empty hangers that I didn’t have before (they get hidden in the guest room so I won’t be tempted to fill them), and a big donate bag, and a big bag for my niece to look through. Thank you for getting my wheels turning!

Staysfit, I think you and I are similar in this regard - I have a large wardrobe and keep some things for a long, LONG time. In fact, YOU are the one that helped me not feel guilty about the large size of my wardrobe on a closet purge post I had years ago - I still remember your comment as being kind, honest and practical. Thank you Since then, like Katerina, I have come to terms with having a larger wardrobe and keeping things - I don't wear my clothes a lot and I buy for quality, like you, so it makes sense to hang on to things. Also, I don't get rid of my clothes when I am bored with them as I tend to remix endlessly and wear seldom, so I don't get bored easily. I keep things when:
- I love them and they are good quality
- they have a timeless or vintage air to them
- they are unique or luxe
- my instincts tell me to.
I do purge quite a bit, and I think you should other the minute you are overwhelmed with the size of your wardrobe. I find I purge best ifI do it all at once, and I get rid of things if:
- they are dated (I have a poison eye for dated things in my style)
- they are not luxe or original
- they are worn.

I tend to trust my instincts, and they serve me pretty well. I bought two designer jackets 5 years ago and never wore them, but hung on to them - and pulled out both this year quite a bit as my colour palette changed (they are taupe and chocolate brown, colours I didn't wear before.) Though I am trying to not do this in the future and only buy what works with my wardrobe at the time.

I will say that holding on to things for a long time had taught me that, on the flip side, I can not buy as much - I have to be very discriminating on this as I hang on to things long after others let them go. I am not good at this as I LOVE to shop! But I am learning.

Really great food for thought here. I keep clothing way too long. I have done several major edits over the past eight years, with the help of YLF, and made huge clothing donations but I've got more to do. I'm guilty of doing an edit and dumping the cast offs in my basement storage area. Then I get a bug and go rifling through it and not only make a mess but end up with more back in my closet adding to my daily struggle to get dressed. I definitely could use a visit from lisa p's ruthless editing service!

This conversation is so relevant to my life right now. I just bought a short black trench coat with removable hood that is almost an exact duplicate of a jacket I bought in 2003 and wore as my main spring jacket for probably 5 years, then donated because I was tired of it. I seriously wish I had just shoved the original coat in one of the many closets in this house until I was ready for it again. Similarly, I can think of two to three pairs of shoes I wish I had hung onto from years past because I've been looking at almost-dupes of them.

Yes I know Andrea! I kept my black snakeskin pumps from 1984 through several moves and finally must have donated them in maybe early 2000s? I don't remember doing it. Then not that many years after that the style came back. I turned the place upside down but they seemed to be gone. Never seen any I liked as much again and feel they would have fitted as my feet have not changed size in over 30 years and 3 children since.
I'm also so happy I kept my 1986 Mondi jersey since I still love it over 30 years later.

I have really appreciated all the responses here. DD is visiting for a few days, and we have been cleaning out closets including hers and mine. I eliminated three bags of clothing and shoes. I looked at my winter tracking calendar and realized there were some items I never wore and am unlikely to wear, so I pulled them out. Sometimes, I think I will regret removing them, but then I think I haven’t used them in over a year, so it’s time for them to go to someone else who will enjoy them. Many of the items removed were well used, and could not be put in the giveaway pile. They went into the rag pile. Some will need to be recycled.

DD and I had a long conversation about whether clothes should be saved. Her thought was that all items in a closet should be things that were loved at the moment, and therefore used all the time. Nothing should be held for future use.

Staysfit - Great thread.

Purging used to be hard for me but it's gotten easier over the years. I think that's because my style has pretty much stayed the same and the only things I feel the need to purge are worn out clothes, things that don't fit, and trends that I sampled and didn't suit me. If it didn't feel right for me, it's easy to purge. If I add a trend to my wardrobe, it's because I like it and I don't give a fig if it goes out of style. I think it works for me because I tend to gravitate toward classic pieces. The only recent trend I can think of that I've really latched onto are raw hem jeans and since I'm short and hate to hem jeans, I'm not letting that trend go. I did try a cold shoulder top that I love but it's pretty basic and even if the cold shoulder look goes out of fashion I would still wear that sweater. I'm not really a huge fan of cold shoulder tops, in general, and am not looking to add that trend to my wardrobe but I really love that sweater.

Sentimental pieces are a little harder but I only have a few. It doesn't make it easier that my sentimental pieces are complete garbage, either. For example, I had no problem sending my wedding dress straight to the Goodwill right after my wedding BUT I have a 20 year old threadbare maternity sweatshirt (you can literally see through it in spots) that has paint on it that I can't bear to part with - that blue splotch is from when I leaned against the nursery wall when my husband was painting and the rip on the hem is from when I got into a particularly rough play session with my dog who, btw, recently passed away at 17. That awful sweatshirt has become a joke in our family (I still put it on occasionally) but it holds so many wonderful memories for me that I can't part with it. I told my kids that if they didn't want it, they could have me cremated in it but the thought of it going in the garbage breaks my heart and I'll haunt them if they just throw it away.

For sentimental items, I suggest taking photos of them before letting them go.

I recently purged a beautiful hand-knitted and embroidered Norwegian sweater that my mother made to me in 1974. I used it a lot in the 70s and 80s and sometimes in the 90s. But I don't hink I have used it after 2002 , and a close inspection showed that it was distressed some places and also felt too small now. I normally don't keep items that long. I edit and purge at least four times a year, so this was a very rare exception. This beautiful sweater was associated with plenty of happy memories and much gratefulness and admiration for my mother's efforts and skills. But a few weeks ago, I finally let it go, after ensuring that I had pics of it from the 70s when I wore it so well. In addition, I cut off and saved the beautiful tin buttons, which I may reuse later.

Oh boy, I am guilty of hanging on to clothes "just in case " it's totally taking over my closet. Reading all the responses I've decided once the weather here in PA is finally settled I'm going to try on all my summer items and am determined to free up space in my drawers and closet .I may need Lisap to be on my "phone a friend" list haha

The vast majority I purge after not wearing for a year/ season. Generally speaking, if I do not wear something during the season where it is intended to be worn, then I do not like it or have some other impediment to wearing it. I can accept that I make mistakes and have orphans that would do better in another closet, but I hope that everytime I purchase (or return!) I am getting better.

As I said in another thread, Angie's advice has me buying only what I find amazing, and not just good enough. And knowing that flat (comfortable) shoes can be stylish, I have been purchasing a lot more shoes that have been workhorses!

I have to say that my overall way of managing my closet is a lot like Rachy’s which has caused DD to criticize my practice. She firmly believes I should have an all season wardrobe rather than having what is for practical purposes two wardrobes, one for warmer seasons and one for cold seasons. She thinks my wardrobe is too large. I found myself thinking that my love for variety and quality are unlikely to change even when we downsize in the future. When that happens, it will be advantageous to have a wardrobe that is more compact but still made up of the same sorts of items I love. The one material I don’t wear year round is Linen. I am thinking maybe I shouldn’t spend a lot on linen items.....and they can be easily purged. (Thanks DD!)

I hang onto too much “just in case”...

Just in case I lose 10 lbs (getting better at letting those go)

Just in case my lifestyle changes again and I need dressier, more professional outfits (is this really likely?)

Just in case a beloved past-trend item comes back into fashion

Just in case I figure out how to style this

I need to face reality when I’ve tried an item several times and always end up wearing something different. I could probably give up a quarter to a third of my wardrobe that way, which feels kind of wasteful and the idea pains me. But is it really wasteful if I’m not using it? I know the whole sunk costs fallacy. It’s just not the easiest thing for me to do. I wish I were a more ruthless editor!

I charge $50 an hour. Supply your own bins or bags, and please have coffee brewed and ready.

May need something stronger than coffee for my closet haha.

I thought the same thing, Gail!