When do you get rid of things? - YouLookFab Forum

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When do you get rid of things?

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

We've probably talked about this before, but if you switch out your wardrobe seasonally, do you cull at the end of the season or the beginning? Do you wait until you have a replacement for an item, or do you get rid of it anyway so you're not tempted to wear it again?

I'm thinking about preparing for fall and I've got several summer items that are marginal - not horribly worn out or ill-fitting where they'd instantly get thrown away, but I'd like to stop wearing them. Do I get rid of them now? Do I pack them away and plan to get rid of them next spring assuming I've found replacements?

General

25 replies

Latest reply was from kerlyn

Anonymous

I do both, but most of my editing is done at season's end. I culled a lot from my summer wardrobe as I put it away last weekend. However there's one workhorse item that's past its prime but I held onto because it will be hard to replace and I don't want a gap until I find something else.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I leave everything out year-round and I have a tendency to over-cull, so my rule right now is not to get rid of anything until I have a replacement (in the same category, if not a direct replacement).

Anonymous

I operate the same way as Aliona. I got this idea in my head that storing things you don't need or want is a waste of space and time, so I try not to do it. I got rid of all the summer clothes I didn't wear and know I won't again. I usually cull again at the beginning of the season when bringing things out from storage. don't you find that sometimes , things put away for a few months all of a sudden look horrible and you can't imagine why you even saved them? I do

Alassë

Veteran

If you don't want to wear it again, remove it. (Caveat: if it's an important building block in your wardrobe, keep it till you find a replacement.)

carter

Veteran

Based on recent experience, I tend to keep things a good couple of decades (sometimes 3) after I'm done wearing them;-).

Ultimately, I hope to get to the point where I am culling for wear and tear and low happiness factor at the end of a season, and culling for fit and style at the beginning of the season.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

All of the above. I do most of my culling at season's end. If there's a piece that is past its prime yet I'm not sure I can replace/ update/ upgrade, I might hang onto it until its next season as a kind of reminder/ placeholder. And when I bring out the new season's clothes, I do a bit more culling then.

Amy

(website)

Veteran

Mine is out all year round and I cull periodically, depending on mood...or if I start to feel claustrophobic in my closet. Moving recently gave me the motive to clear out a lot of stuff, so my wardrobe is pretty well pared down. It's much easier to find things!

unfrumped

Veteran

I do any time I can really tell it's not right and will not/ should not wear again. That's the biggest hurdle. If I can " see" it needs to go, I'll toss it any time.
I actually like to do more review at beginning because of that-- if it doesn't Fit, for example. At end of season or packing away I'll try to understand why I didn't wear something much, but if I can't tell and it seems I still like it, I'll tend to keep it until something clicks.
Therefore I usually keep things too long!

Astrid

Veteran

I get rid of things that don't work at all anymore or that I know I definitely wouldn't wear again (wrong size, super unflattering, so not my style anymore...) as soon as I notice, but I keep everything else until I have a replacement or until the piece is completely unwearable (rips, broken zippers and so on). I often wear those pieces around the home for a while or when I need something I wouldn't mind ruining with dirt, paint or whatever.

Leighways

(website)

I tend to cull mid-season. Why? Because that's when the best stocktake sales happen, plus by then you know what stuff you do and don't use, won't fit or has worn through and must be replaced.

Penny

Veteran

Definitely year round, since I also have all my items out, but I think the end of the season is a great time to take stock of what got the most wear and whether you're ready to pass on something. I just passed on two casual summer dresses that had a good run, but I decided I was happiest with my other casual dresses for next year. It's actually a huge relief having pared down so much over the last few years - usually I'm trying to wear summer dresses for as long as possible because I haven't worn some at all or enough, but finally, I have few enough that they have all been in regular rotation.

Kirstjen

Veteran

I edit constantly. If I ever put an article of clothing on & it just doesn't fit right, it goes. If it just pisses me off in the moment, it goes. No second chances... No need to get cranky about the same thing multiple times. At least that's my motto.

Dee

Veteran

I tend to do a big try-on of my wardrobe at the beginning of the season and anything that I no longer fit, love, need or isn't is good condition gets purged. I also edit throughout the season if I'm not reaching for certain pieces.

I'm willing to get rid of items without having a replacement on hand, but my wardrobe is moderate sized and I probably have another piece that can fulfill the same need (in terms of event and dressiness) so I am not completely out of luck if I don't find an exact replacement soon.

Lyn D.

Veteran

End of season seems to be a good time to cull, as I am more aware of what I am not wearing, and hopefully the reason for it.
Also at any time that I am not happy with fit or function, and when I am considering a new item. I follow the 1-in-1-out rule!

Anonymous

I do it at the beginning of the next season so that I can see the item with fresh eyes. Sometimes something I was sick of last season is pretty good the next season. Also, I don't know how much I'll want to spend the next season, so I hang on to things in case I'm not in the mood for buying clothes.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Ashleighdw, that's an interesting approach; I can see the sense in a mid-season restock. I sometimes feel like it's a waste to buy things for the season when the season is half or more over, like I won't get enough wear out of them before I'll have to put them away. But if it's something I like and isn't horribly trendy, I'll probably be happy seeing it again next year.

I was rereading Into Mind last night and it got me thinking about wardrobe planning, the retail cycle, and replacement rates. Angie and YLF got me buying more in season or right ahead of the season, but part of me misses the volume of items I was able to buy with out of season discount prices...

Carla

Veteran

Everything out all year. With a small wardrobe I cull mostly for wear and tear year round. Summer stuff is edited at the beginning of season more so then the end. I take a late winter break when I head for warmer climes and I need something to wear. Since there isn't much in the stores at that time (March) I depend on the previous year's items.

FWIW, black items are the ones that shame me the most with their fadedness.

E

Veteran

I cull at the end of a season (or if a piece made me uncomfortable while wearing it, at the end of that day!), because that's when I know which pieces I didn't reach for & am confident I don't need them to add more variety, since I got through three months without touching them. The beginning of a season is mending/altering time for me instead!

Karie

(website)

Veteran

I purge things both at the beginning and end of each season. I will wait until I have a replacement for something only if I've been wearing it. For example, I have white short sleeved button-down that I'd like to replace. The one I have is of such crappy poly fabrication (why I bought it in the first place I don't know) that I don't even wear it at all. I'm not waiting for a replacement - I don't wear it, so out it goes.

I also have a "holding closet" in the basement for all "iffy" items (items I'm not sure if I want to keep or not). If they remain unworn by the end of the season, out they go.

Summer

Veteran

I throw out anything worn out or damaged straight away, but otherwise I prefer to reassess everything at the beginning of a new season. If I know that something will need replacing, I tend to hold on to it until I find an item to take its place; I'd rather have a piece that's not quite perfect than a gaping hole in my wardrobe.

Windchime

Veteran

Mostly at the end of each season, when I still remember what did and didn't work so well. I'm fortunate to have an extra closet in this house where I put a few items I'm not sure about. It used to be that after they stayed there for a year or two, I'd move them on, but I'm more hesitant now because I've regretted getting rid of some things that later came back into style.

Yes to your question of getting rid of items so I'm not tempted to wear them again, lol! If something looks or feels awful all day, out it goes, regardless of cost or how long I've had it.

shiny

Veteran

I tend to hold on to summer items longer than I should because you never know when we might take a mid-winter trip to the beach. It's frustrating to need summer clothes in the middle of winter, and you don't have any because you ruthlessly decluttered them all, and can't find any in the stores either.

I keep my summer stash separate from everything else, in its own storage box. It includes beach bag and hat and swim suits and flip flops. All I have to do is grab that storage box if we get sick and tired of the snow and decide to escape to points South.

This past year I started building out the summer wardrobe early -- in I think it was May. Because we had occasions to go south to the beach early in the season. That worked well this year so I will plan to refresh again next May, and snap up all the better petite options while I can. At that time I will also do a thorough cull of anything that's gotten too pill-y and faded. I'll hold on to those items for now, since it'd be very depressing to have to turn down a winter beach vacation option because I literally have nothing to wear.

Anonymous

Hi Laura -- I wanted to comment on this post some time ago. The thing is I couldn't put find the words. I just know when it is time to purge something. It is like that item is a "weight" around my neck and I want it gone.

There could be any number of reasons why an item is purged: changing life style, itchiness, too loose, too tight, bad color, too short, too long, neckline wrong, sleeves wrong. Once I consciously (or unconsciously) decide I don't like something I will never wear it again. I could store it away hoping I will change my mind, but history has shown me that I never change my mind. I only pay to have something cleaned and I store it away for what a season? a year? two years? The timeframe doesn't matter. When I come across that item again, I dislike it as much as when it was first put away. Then I always ask myself why I paid to have it cleaned/pressed just to get rid of it. Crazy.

Now, the issues of "money spent" and/or "in perfectly good condition" and/or "I might regret getting rid of this" are considerations I had to overcome in purging. It took me a while to make peace with the "money spent." Mistakes happen. Why keep something I don't like or wear just because I already bought it? Why wear something that is uncomfortable when I have so many other comfortable "me" pieces in the house?

"In perfectly good condition" just means that someone at the Goodwill will get a great deal on something I hope they will enjoy much more than me.

"I might regret getting rid of this" is a bit harder for me. I find things that are on sale (SCORE) and the perfect color, but they are a bit too short or a bit boxy. They hang in my closet because I just might one day want to wear it to some unnamed event. And the color really is so perfect, I may never in a million years find this exact color again. I have a few of these items in my closet (unworn, cleaned, and pressed).

I purge throughout the year. I do major purges at the end of each season as I evaluate and pack away for the new season. Then I bring out all the items that had been packed away. This is usually when I feel the most frustration. WHY did I keep this piece? I hated it when I put it away. I hate it just as much today? I immediately purge it regardless of whether I have found a replacement. The truth is that I probably don't want a replacement of that item or it is such a common item that it can easily be replaced. I speak specifically of black knit tops.

Some people would say I am a ruthless purger.

Elly

Veteran

At the beginning and end of a season or when a replacement is had. I mostly toss at the end of the season, but will hold onto workhorses that are essentials until I find a replacement. The beginning of the season sort is mostly to check things fit the way they did last year and get a shopping list of replacements going!

kerlyn

Veteran

I edit constantly. If I wear something and find myself fussing with it all day, it goes in the donate box. That's not to say it won't get pulled back out and find its way into my closet again! I do hold on to some not quite perfect items just in case. I've had an ill-fitting pair of dress pants in the back of my closet for years. I just recently found a much nicer fitting pair, so the old ones are outta here!