How do you go about 'culling' your wardrobe?

[milkyman]

it's that time of the year again when I fancy revamping whats in my wardrobe but I don't know where to start. how do u go about it?

I had a mega clear out last week and it was so therapeutic! Two huge black bin bags (one full of rappy, misshapen Primark stuff for the clothes collection van and another with reasonable stuff for the charity shop) plus about a dozen things, mainly still with tags for eBay.

My criteria were:
anything in poor condition or scruffy looking (goodbye bobbly cardigans and faded tshirts)
Anything that didn't fit
Anything that wasn't my style anymore (got rid of lots of baggy tops from when I was BF Dd2)
Anything that hadn't been worn for over a year was carefully reviewed on a case by case basis

I now have some space in my wardrobe and am planning my A/W buys.

I think it is great advice above to wear your nice stuff everyday.. pregnancy was a great excuse for me to clear out.

I was fairly ruthless.. sandals, summer gear, old shirts. etc. I am trying to get a new style after the baby as I dress too conservative I think and I love the outfits girls I work with wear.. tea dresses etc. I have learned so much from MN.

Get a box and leave it at the bottom of your wardrobe and everyday select an item to wear at random.. if you don't feel like wearing it that day... you might not feel good it in another day and if you know that.. dump.

I also invested in good wooden hangers - so everything keeps well.

I'm terrible at getting rid of clothes but recently forced myself to be ruthless and gave 4 bin bags full to charity. I bet I won't even miss them! Also 2 bin bags went, full of tatty old bits of underwear! No more saggy bras and holey socks for me!

A tip I saw on Pinterest is to put the clothes in your wardrobe with all the hangers facing one way, and then each time you use an item, put it back on the hanger the opposite way. Then after 6 months or a year, any item left the original way has not been used and can be got rid of (or in my case re-assessed and deliberated over, then squirreled away somewhere else!) Just don't forget which way round you're hanging them so you don't get rid of your regularly used items.

I've still got to downsize a lot more as I'm simultaneously decluttering and redecorating my bedroom.

Separate out all the stuff you rarely or never wear, and go through the pile and ask yourself why it doesn't get worn. If you love it but the weather isn't often right for it, or it's perfect for a particular occasion that doesn't come around often, I think you're justified in keeping it. If the real reason is that it isn't comfortable, or it doesn't fit properly, or doesn't make you feel good for whatever reason, get rid.

Just to note, the tatty underwear got binned, I didn't give that to charity!!

I'm having my colours done next week in the hope that I can begin to curb my excessive shopping habit. I have 4 double wardrobes rammed full of clothes it's just soooo overwhelming, I don't know where to begin. I've recently lost weight so think I'll start with the ones which no longer fit as I'm determined not to put it back on

Can't be arsed to EBay, I'm bad enough for not sending on-line orders back, so it will all go to charity with maybe a few higher end items to a dress agency, like last years KM and Ted baker stuff which is all too big.

I have put it off all summer.

Oh and of course that hanger method doesn't include particular rarely used but needed items. I always have a pair of funeral/interview trousers somewhere. and a couple of rarely used but staple dresses suitable for a variety of formal events. Not afraid of being tagged in the same outfit twice.

I do a cull at least three times a year. I also have only one and a half rails, 2 tiny shelves and one drawer, so I have to be utterly ruthless.

On the half rail I put things that are not appropriate for the time of year (big jumpers and tweed skirts etc in summer and sundresses in winter) but that I still want. I also put things I'm not sure if I want or not. If I'm still not sure after two culls maximum, they go.

Jeans and jumpers live on the 2 shelves. If the two shelves are full and I want to buy jeans or a jumper, something has to go from the shelf to facilitate a purchase.

In the drawer I keep pyjamas, thermals, swimwear and any t-shirts/vests that a) I only wear on summer holidays or b) that are for layering in winter.

So that leaves the main rail for normal day to day stuff. This is divided into sections for jackets, dresses, skirts, tops. If tops get a bit shapeless they first of all get relegated to the winter layering drawer. If they don't then prove their worth in there, out they go.

If anything is too big, too small, or not good enough quality - it goes. I don't keep anything in the hope it might fit one day. If it doesn't fit at cull time - it's gone. Tbh though, my size (although maybe not shape) doesn't change much and hasn't in 6 or 7 years.

I don't have many clothes, but I do like to try to make sure that anything I own at any point is earning its place. That way, my few clothes are more use to me than lots of clothes that are not quite right.

"earning its place" is a good mantra.
I bought some Goldsign jeans last year at £245 but they have been worn at least 3 times a week .....they went away for the summer but will be coming out with boots shortly. Mint condition.

I am going to Selfridges Denim dept shortly to get some new jeans.

I think I have a lot of stuff that is not quite right. Ds off to uni this year and dp and I are planning on living it up a bit lots of weekends away etc and I feel like a complete over haul. I have too much and wear the same stuff over and over

I always thought you'd have the perfect wardrobe noddy

I agree with the above tips. One thing I would add is that I keep my wardrobe for "live" use but struggle to get rid of things if they are great quality or something so I also keep one (large) suitcase in storage. Once a year I add to it and throw some things out and get excited over reintroducing something back into my wardrobe.

MrsDB I think I have gone off lots of stuff and feel a bit at a crossroads in what suits me. I think I will sell it this time though as I have given a lot to the charity shop over the years becasue I am too lazy to list it!

I cull regularly,

Clothes have to be comfortable or flattering (ideally both) if neither it goes.

Don't believe in colour counselling as I am olive-tanned on summer and pale with pink cheeks in winter, so different colours suit me in different seasons!

I cull often due to lack of space.

Anything that is stained in any way, goes. Anything that is 'past it' goes ( except for a couple of Ts and trousers for gardening and decorating in.)
Anything that I don't like or will never fit- Ebay or charity depending on condition.

I go through it all twice a year at least when I buy for the new 'season'.

I don't have space to hoard clothes- have half of a built in wardrobe which gives me around 6 feet of hanging space, 2 high shelves above for T shirts, jumpers and handbags, and 3 drawers in a smallish chest of drawers for undies, nightwear, jumpers.

Inspired by style and beauty and a couple of blogs, on holiday I gathered digital images of my favourite clothes and shoes on my ipad (offline, just in photos section), to help see what goes with what.

Have a separate folder with stuff I might buy or really like.

Have written down stuff in my wardrobe that i really like, but don't wear, and tried to come up with ideas so can wear it.

The idea is to avoid impulse-buying stuff that's nice but won't go with anything or require additional purchases like shoes, coat.

Each season I vacuum away stuff that's too warm/cold and clear out then, stuff am not sure about I keep til it comes out again for a try-on. Also use two vacuum bags for a few favourite "fatter" and "if I ever get slim again" clothes!

I've been going through some if my clothes this afternoon, inspired by this thread and others on here. What a genius idea to organise things by categories. After drastic culling I discovered I still have 25 skirts. Everything now had its own hanger so no chance of forgetting about it. There'll be more culling when I actually try them on.

I chucked everything stained, shapeless, bobbled, worn.
Charity bagged everything I wore when fatter (I think if I'd kept my 14/16 clothes where's the motivation to stay a 10/12? Anyway they were frumpy and sad looking, mostly and the few pretty things I still didn't really like because I didn't like having a bulging, bloated belly and an unhealthy, exhausted body when I wore them).
That left just basic skirts, blouses, dresses, tops, shorts and trousers/jeans. Tried them all on. Put out any that looked crap.
All got ironed and put on own hanger.
Jeans, trousers, dresses. skirts all hung up graded dark - light - patterned.
Tops then arranged by colour. As a rainbow.
It looks lovely and neat.
I realised I tend to start the day feeling like I want to wear a colour - so I can now think - what colour top? Select it and choose a dark or light skirt/trousers/jeans to match. Then it's necklace shoes and go.

I am a complete beginner at this but this way has made me feel happy every morning.

Having lost weight, a lot of my clothes don't fit anymore but because I don't have a lot of clothes to begin with, I am still wearing them.

I would love to cull my clothes but I seriously can't afford to buy any more clothes, just don't have the money. Does anyone else have this problem or is it just me?

Most of my clothes are old not new. I kept the smaller sizes when I was overweight. Now they fit again.

I can't afford new wardrobe. I bought 2 new bras. Jeans. And half a dozen tops. The rest is old.

All my knickers are falling down!

I need to do my twice annual cull, just because (and this is awful) - I physically don't have space to put stuff, and DH needs to be able to store his clothes as well.

One of the best MN tips I received is that if you feel rubbish wearing it, ditch it. It's such a relief! I now try to only buy things that I love. Not stuff I think is okay, or want to buy purely because it's on sale but I love. It's quite difficult to implement actuallly

NotasTired I am in exactly the same boat. I have lost some weight and I'm now able to get my jeans on and off without undoing the zip or button.
But I have no money to buy any new ones so I will have to carry on wearing thsse even though they aren't paeticularly flattering anymore.

trucks I threw my "skinny" clothes out as it was too depressing to look at at the time. I was not sensible like you.

Totally get the jeans thing, INeed.

I've got a pair of jeans like that INeed.
Very old, faded. Need a belt to keep them up or after an hour I have the vaire vaire attractive teenage boy jean/ builders' arse look.
But it does feel good to be able to slide them off done up