Monday, December 27, 2010

Closets ... still ...

I'm still working on step 7, cleaning out my closets and liquidating.  But I'm having some real issues letting any of my clothing go.

I can't find anything in this!
 Does anyone else have this problem?  My closet full of stuff that I never wear, but can't bear to get rid of because I am sentimentally attached to it.  Several years ago, in an effort to break myself of this habit, I gave away (1) the outfit I wore to my wedding reception (4 sizes too big), (2) the outfit I wore to senior prom (I was a 34 B then, I'm a 36D now), and (3) every other thing in my closet that I had not worn for at least a year.  I vowed that never again would I get so attached to my clothing that I kept it beyond all reason and usefulness.

Today, the front third of my closet is full of clothing that I wear all the time and enjoy.  The back two thirds, and my off-season storage closet, are so crammed full of stuff that I have no opportunity to even try to wear any of it.  There are two categories of clothing (1) things that I happily remember the occasion that I purchased/received them every time I look at them, and (2) things that I purchased and have barely ever worn (sometimes never) but which are nonetheless quite cute and still fit, and which I am convinced that I will wear someday, as soon as I have something that coordinates with it.  Anything that is the wrong size or was worn out got purged in my last closet clean. 

So now I am stymied.  In general, I am ready to get rid of things.  I must pare my closet down, so that I can actually get to wearing some of this stuff.  But, in the specific,  I can't seem to let any individual item go.

Does anyone else have this problem?  How do you decide what to let go and/or make yourself do it?

4 comments:

  1. I tend to wear the same handful of things all the time but I still have trouble letting go of some clothes, especially coats.

    I don't have a ton of clothing so perhaps that is why I hold onto things. I should just ditch a few sweaters though. You may have just inspired me to go to goodwill.

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  2. I've already gone through my closet several times, clearing out the items that no longer fits / I don't like anymore. But somehow... my closets are still full! I really want to put together a nice, well-edited wardrobe, but that takes style and discipline. Once I am further along in my career, I may hire a personal stylist / shopper to help me get a foundational wardrobe together.

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  3. I am working through the same issue. I find something, realize I haven't worn it for some time, but can't part with it because I remember what I paid for it! My daughter, ever so much smarter than I, called it guilt induced hoarding. Once she said the word hoarding, it was so much easier for me to let go. I still have a long way to go, but let your other commentators, I would love to have someone come and help me put together a true professional wardrobe.

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  4. I have the same problem! I got rid of most things that didn't fit/were worn out, but I have a lot of clothes that I just don't wear anymore. I have a hard time parting with things that fit (especially if they flatter, too), but I have a goal of cleaning out my closet this month...

    If I haven't worn something since we moved, and if I don't have a specific event in mind that I will wear it to, I'm getting rid of it. I'm going to try to make it easier by thinking about what I DID wear it to, and imagine some poor college student coming across it at Goodwill (or wherever I donate to, haven't decided yet) and wearing it to the same kind of event.

    I think part of the difficulty for me is that I don't feel I have a full "adult" wardrobe yet, and I feel like I might need these things at any moment. I can afford to replace things now, which I couldn't before, so I'm going to keep that in mind as well.

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