How do you clear wardrobe space?

[squizita]

I'm always either too cautious and then feel guilty shopping as I have perfectly good faded threadbare blouses or whatever still at home, or I cull like mad following some "declutter rules ", sell some/give loads to charity then realise that dress I ditched cause I don't wear often is my prom/ball gown, I've just made an expensive error.

I'm hopeless at throwing clothes away. Perhaps we should get someone else to do it.
Faints at the thought!

Remove anything that doesn't spark joy a la Marie Kondo way. Anything that you wouldn't buy again today. Anything that doesn't make you feel good. You can keep your ball gown, just not in the space reserved for everyday stuff. Bag it and put it somewhere else. My 26 year old wedding dress still sparks joy so it lives in a blue bag under the spare bed.

If anything is faded or pilled just chuck it. Charity shops won't be able to sell them.

Forgot to add, I've decluttered too far in the past and it caused scarcity issues so I went on a spending binge. Don't go too mad :)

You can still donate faded or pilled clothes to charity, they will be recycled instead of sold on. Oxfam has its own textile recycling plant: www.oxfam.org.uk/donate/donate-goods/what-happens-to-your-donation/wastesaver

Yes, charity shops can still recycle anything they can't sell!

I don't throw clothes away unless they're worn out.
I have ahem, a clothing archive. I bung anything I won't wear again into those bags you vacuum small and store them in the attic. It's stuff like my 21st birthday outfit, my summer ball dress. My first suit. What once was really trendy stuff. I'm glad I do this. When all the palazzo pants came in I went into the attic and dragged out mine from a few years ago.
When dd is big enough she can sift through it all. If nothing else it will make the most amazing dressing up cache.
I also have a steamer trunk full of accessories

I am the most ardent declutterer, except with clothes.

Oh yes I recycle raggedy stuff. Sally Army is my nearest recycling centre.

I'm very into chazzas and know all the ins and outs of the 2nd hand game.

Euphemia where do you get your vacuum bags? Mine always inflate after a month or two. I would love to save some stuff as it could come back in and I kind of know what might sell as retro in a decade!

I'm really bad at this; I have the perennial fear that I'll throw something out that I'll really want to wear.

I have a huge rail in the loft for stuff that I am not wearing at the moment. A sort of "holding pen" for stuff on the way out. Some is just out of season, or special occasion stuff, but most of it really should go. I do need to do a Marie Kondo on it all and list it on eBay.