When to purge, when to keep, when to store - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

When to purge, when to keep, when to store

Helena

Veteran

Hi there,

I seem to have lost my knack for closet-purging - I am becoming a little clingier and "just in case"-ier, and also a little more guilty-feeling when I make a shopping error (which I do more than I used to, especially with so-called deals and pick-me-ups).

My question is, when do you purge an item, vs. tuck it away for a rainy day (beyong off-season items, of course)? What criteria do you use? Or do you just get rid of things that have not been used in a certain time? What do you see as your personal line between refinement and wastefulness?

Thanks for your thoughts!

General

17 replies

Latest reply was from

Sadie

Torontogirl- I feel your pain! I have been ruthlessly editing my closet for the past year and have reached a state of contentment by doing the following:
1- I only keep things that: a) are in good shape (no holes, stains, etc), b) fit me well (no holding onto the "in case I lose weight" etc), c) fit my CURRENT lifestyle (not a fantasy life of dress balls, office work, etc), and d) work well with the rest of my closet (no items that I will wear if only I could find the right pair of shoes, etc.)
2- The items that don't make test "a" get thanked for their service (tip of the hat to Marie Kondo for this wonderful way of paying tribute to items entering retirement) and then get donated, etc,etc
3- The items that don't make test b,c,d get put away into what I call the "boutique" (thanks to YLF'er Lisa for this idea). This has proven invaluable:
By moving items about which I am unsure into the boutique, I can create a very curated closet of items that fit well and mix well, and that I will likely wear often (because they suit my lifestyle). I track wears and any item not getting worn gets a second look and is considered as a candidate for the boutique, etc.
I look at the boutique items every couple of months: by having them out of my closet (and off my mind), I find I am able to be much more objective about their suitability for me, and it is therefore easier to let them go. When I really get a cohesive, functional closet, I find I am really reluctant to add anything back about which I have any reservations.
The same goes for purchases: an item really has to be worth it for me to add it to my closet now. I keep tags on, track purchases and return policies/return dates, and am quite ready to return (or pass on if worn) any item that doesn't seem to fit in. I've had a few purchasing mistakes since starting the cleanup and tracking, but much less than before, and I try to find a lesson from my mistakes and do a mental recall of my mistakes when I do go shopping again.
Remember: once an item has been worn, it is a sunk cost. No point in spending more time, energy, or money on something that just doesn't work for you (but may work for someone else).

cobalt

Following with interest, as I have more than enough in my closet but have a hard time parting with things unless I feel I've gotten "enough" wear out of them. Slowing the rate of new additions has helped, but I'm still slow to part with those perfectly-good-but-rarely-worn items. I call it my constipated closet.

Anonymous

If I don't have something hanging in my closet, then it's out of sight & out of mind. Because of this, I've adopted the habit of making sure everything that's in my closet really deserves to be there. There's no sense in having unworn and/or unloved items taking up valuable real estate, and donating them gives someone else a chance to use them. I hate it when I have to purge items that I forked out a good amount of $ on, but I remind myself that I'm not $ ahead to keep them.

Staysfit

Veteran

I'm working towards fitting everything into my closet and dresser. I'm not quite there yet, but once I wear out my multiple pairs of surplus jeans I will have the space. 40+ pairs of jeans take up a lot of real estate in a closet, folded or hanging.

Having said that I purge:
1. Items with stains, holes, and that fit poorly.
2. I purge shopping failures, regardless of cost and guilt. Out of sight, out of mind really works for me. I'm a bit toddler like in that respect.
3. Anything not worn in one season unless it is a special occasion item, and then I only keep if it is something I truly believe I can make use of again.
4. Anything not in my color palette. I have become rigid about this because it is working well for me.

I have stopped purchasing items that don't fit my lifestyle, but I would purge those too if I had them.

Anonymous

I hear ya. I base it on how old the piece is. If it hasn't been worn in the past year, it's in the danger zone. Honestly, how many times do we really go back to our holding zones? Of course we all have those few pieces we didn't wish we had gotten rid of, but the number of times that actually happens pretty much dictates my method. There's a reason it didn't get worn - it won't magically change this year or this season. My other trick? I ask myself if I'd buy it right now if I saw it in a store. That pretty much seals the deal for me (I'm a horrible shopper - getting better, but still bad ).

shedev

Veteran

I just did a full closet edit. I took everything out of the closet, 1 catagory at a time. For each item, I asked myself 2 questions. Does this fit in to my aspirational style, and is there anything that bugs me about this? A large garbage bag was filled with items to donate. I do this twice a year.

Anonymous

I will be following this with interest. I've found the idea of a holding zone helpful . Every few weeks a donate some things from that are? I rotate things a lot and am gentle with my clothes, so few things get damaged or worn out. I do try to upgrade favorite types of workhorses and replace tees on a regular basis.

Thistle

Veteran

I purge the following:

- They look worn.

- They look dated

- They are not comfortable

- I just don't like them. No matter the reason. Because if I don't like it, I wont; wear it.

I hold onto clothes that I like, that are current, but that either don't feel like me right now and I still like them or that don't fit at the moment (I just had my second baby, so I am trying to be kind and patient with myself as my body changes.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Following with interest, as I'm a TERRIBLE purger.

Liz

Veteran

I'm intrigued that you feel you're getting worse at it. What do you think might be causing your self-doubt these days, that didn't used to be in play?

The answer to that question might give you some insight into how to begin to gain back some of that old confidence in your purging decisions.

Lyn D.

Veteran

I have a holding area for items that I no longer think I want.
I don't pass them on until they are back in season, so the opportunity to keep them is still there.
I rarely change my mind or have regrets about these items!

DonnaF

Veteran

I am assuming you have eliminated the easy stuff: The worn/faded/ stretched out/shrunken/scratchy/never fit stuff.

I have a number of outerwear jackets that I almost never wear, mostly because I rarely wear true outerwear.

I sometimes wear stuff a lot after passing them over for a year or two, so I hate to put a *wear by* label on stuff.

I sometimes try to assuage my guilt by passing things on to DD, but we're built quite differently so not exactly the same size. This means, however, that she now has an expensive pair of hardly worn Fly London sandals and a few tops that I ultimately decided were too big for me.

Otherwise, I am a terrible purger. I tend to keep stuff other than footwear for decades. I come by this honestly, however. A couple of years ago, I found quite a few NWT Montgomery Ward pants in my mother's closets. The company ceased to exist in 2000 and probably closed in her area well before that.

Glory

Veteran

This is such a hard one. I like the idea of the boutique especially for those rarely worn items.
I have two racks and use the top for rarely worn items - fancier items mostly.
I also keep a bag in the closet (this is recent). everytime I put something on that I don't love I toss it in there. I used to keep hanging it back up thinking it might work but no longer.

Kristin L

Veteran

I think the boutique idea is perfect for those items that you don't want to get rid of yet. If it sits there still unworn after the whole season, then it may be time to pass it on.

Helena

Veteran

Thanks for lots of great ideas! I will try something akin to the boutique idea. It is helpful to hear that I am not the only one who struggles with this!

Liz, your question was very insightful. I'll have to give it some more thought, but I think it's a combination of a few things:

1) I can afford to buy things "just because" so I'm more inclined to buy something as a pick-me-up than every before (although I am getting more conscious of this and thus do it less)
2) I am less confident about my style than I used to be, so I sometimes buy things to try that aren't really me because it seems stylish/it was on some sort of list/it's in a color I think will be flattering but really will be fed up of quickly. I do this a lot with gift cards in particular. I don't think this is actually a bad category of purchasing - rut prevention - but I could be more conscientious about limiting it to one piece per season or something
3) My lifestyle consists of three dressing categories: scruffy jeans, jeans, and dressy jeans, whereas in the past I had corporate wear, casual wear and nights on the town wear. I just have less need of clothing, variation, etc. than ever before - I simply buy more than I have time or need to wear these days.

Thanks everyone for the input!!! You guys continue to be the best

Anonymous

Good to hear I'm not the only one - I could write #'s 1 and 2 for myself too. I am, though, a ruthless and somewhat over-eager purger. I hate having too much stuff, and I tell myself that it's somewhat ok because hopefully someone else can benefit from my consumerism. My latest mind -game is more real though: I'm now at an age where I don't want a million new things every season, especially really costly ones, because i need to be focusing more on other things than my own clothes. (yes, that would be ramping up my savings for retirement) I'm now on the other side of the career curve, and am over it , as the expression goes.

Anonymous

For the most part, I do a one-in one-out for each capsule I have (so a yoga capsule, a Monday to Friday capsule, Christmas party capsule, etc).
I do the purge of summer clothes at the beginning of the summer season, and winter clothes at the beginning of the winter season, which gives me some time to hold on to things though the off season.