Clothes decluttering dilemma

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Like many people (I think) I tend to alway reach for the same clothes in my wardrobe - things which are easy tower, go together, etc. This means that I probably wear only about 50% of the things I own.

I hate clutter so I regularly try to get rid of things that I don't I will wear again but there is often a little voice holding me back - "what if you need this item in the future...", "this is actually really nice, you should try wearing it" (but I never will....)

Convince me to apply the 12 month rule - if it hasn't been worn, it should go!!!

No way am I going to try and convince you. I think it's possibly the most stupid rule in the whole history of fashion. And anyone who advises getting rid of clothes then going out to buy more is not to be trusted, in my opinion.

Of course things that are trashed or that no longer suit or fit or that you never really liked to begin with should go. But things that you're just bored with or look dated - there's a fighting chance they'll be around again.

I regularly get things out after 10 or 20 years in the cupboard. Fashion is circular and half the time designers don't even bother to put a fresh spin on things any more (or they're under too much pressure). Look at velvet - when I see the ghastly velour they're trying to fob off on us right now, I think of all the lovely things I got rid of (we moved house) and weep.

Or if you find someone who does alterations you can often get things tweaked to bring them up to date or fit better.

The one thing I do concede us you need to have space for a large cupboard or trunk to store things.

Case by case basis.

I think you have to ask why aren’t you wearing it? If it is dry clean only then perhaps risk a delicate wash. If is tricky to iron but only wearable for casual wear I would get rid but keep something dressier which would only be worn occasionally.

I recently got rid of a mountain of tops and jumpers because although not cropped they are shorter than I like post kids and realistically as I get older I am even less likely to wear a top which shows my stomach if I reach up.

The 12 month rule is stupid. There are all kinds of reasons why you might not wear something in a year and then wear it again later.

I get rid of things if they're worn out, if I realise that it was a mistaken purchase that's just sitting around making me sad, or if I really, strongly feel that for whatever reason I have "finished" with an item (usually because my tastes, body, or lifestyle have fundamentally changed). But I don't throw out items I still like and that suit me but I don't happen to wear at the moment for whatever reason. Non-high-fashion items that really, really suit you and your body shape/colouring will usually get some use again.

To an extent fashion IS cyclical but the original 80s or 90s garments always look of their time. The retro version has a modified addition of some sort which is what makes it look current.

So unless you want to look as if you are wearing old clothes, din’r Expect to be able to wear the clothes in the same way again.

Vintage is different of course.

...don’t expect to...

I don't thnk that's the case any more. You don't wear them quite the same way but you don't have to change that much to make them look current again. Sometimes all that's needed is to tweak the length or change the shoulders - any seamstress worth their salt should be able to do it. And because fabrics from the 80s and even the 90s were so much better, it's worth the outlay.

I do think it partly depends on whether you are the sort of person who likes to be wearing high fashion or not. If you are then probably a large part of your previous wardrobe is made up of items that are really, really obviously "of their moment" and may look dated and out of place. But if not, you probably just own a lot of interesting clothes that suit you, assuming you've worked out what looks good and don't have a wardrobe full of mistakes. I think only a small proportion of clothes truly date. In the real world you see bootcut jeans, ponchos, military-inspired winter coats etc whether or not they are currently on the catwalks, because they're not violently high-fashion items and people wear what suits them and their lifestyle. Many people never gave up on wider-leg jeans because they didn't like skinnies, and now that the silhouette is swinging the other way I expect that skinnies will be here to stay on the street, even if not in magazines.

In general I hate today's fast fashion and much prefer the ethos of decades past where fabrics were better quality, clothes weren't made in sweatshops, and items weren't routinely thrown out after a season. But one thing I do prefer about the current world of clothes is that there is much, much greater variety in what people actually wear, as opposed to like it was in e.g. the 60s with 98% of people having exactly the same coat and skirt length, heel height etc, with the other 2% looking distinctly odd for not fitting in even if their clothes really suited them.

I'm wearing a wool coat from Laura Ashley from the 90s today. There is nothing that dates it, in fact I'm wearing similar shoes, tights and skirt to those I wore with it the first time around.

Admittedly there's nothing else as old in my wardrobe but it was an expensive grown up coat my Mum bought for me as a student. The shoes and tights from the 90s were worn out, the skirt got too tight (but would fit me again now).

Actually, there's an issue. I've lost weight and gone down 2 stones. How long do I keep my fat clothes? I have a beautiful burgundy shift dress that I still love but will be difficult to take in to fit me now (I've had a few pairs of good woolen trousers taken in). How long do I keep it in case I put on weight or do I charity shop it so someone else can love it?

I wish I had kept my teenage, early twenties wardrobe my dds would be in their element, ditto for my wardrobe circa 2009 which I threw out mostly between being pregnant and a house move. I'm all for decluttering but I juse love clothes too much, I donate things I don't love and throw things that are past their best, but that's about it.
I am more of a classic dresser though and maybe buy one or two on trend pieces per season.

Are you sure a good tailor couldn't take in the burgundy dress, CountFosco? I've had shift dresses altered without a problem before now.

It depends what the issue that's stopping you wearing the item is.

Don't like it - get rid
Wrong shape/style for your build - get rid
Marginally too big/small but right shape- keep.

I still have a coat from late 90s and suits from mid 2000s. Jeans don't last more than a year before shredding anyway!

I would add that there's often a reason I don't wear something - slightly scratchy, rides up, falls down, is a fraction too low cut, a bit too big on the waist, you get the picture. Usually, once I've identified something I've not really worn, I make myself wear it and then assess it. There's practically always a reason (other than having too many clothes so it never gets into rotation! ). I then donate it. It's a bonus if I find I love it and I often end up wearing it again.

I would personally donate stuff I didn’t wear. Better to have a wardrobe full of the stuff you enjoy wearing rather than lot’s of ‘should keep it’ items.

My advice is to make room for stuff you actually enjoy wearing and that fits with your lifestyle now and charity shop the rest.

I once had a really pretty beaded evening dress - wore the thing once, it shredded me under the arms with the beads - kept it ages until I saw sense and got rid because it was expensive and I could wear it to formal evening events apart from the fact I knew it was uncomfortable so I bought other dresses without beads on the sides!

Wow - so many replies - thank you! Lots of good advice!

I am not really into "high fashion" but I do love clothes... I think I am seduced by the idea of having only a few things that I love, but that's probably not realistic because then I would end up buying more things to add to my minimalist wardrobe!

A good compromise is to pack away the things you don't wear into storage - under the bed, in a garage, somewhere away. That way you can have your clean, minimalist day-to-day wardrobe, but you can still go back to those old clothes if you change your mind/they come back into fashion.

I did this for many years, but now I live in a small flat I can't spare the storage so I have to be really ruthless about what stays and what goes. But if you have the space for it, there's not really a benefit over getting rid of clothes vs storing them away.

Mismatchedcat - that's a good idea. I have actually done that in the past, so will do so again. I used to also put away out of season clothes (ie put away summer clothes in winter) but I don't do that now as I have realised there is no point doing that in the UK and it's too much work!

I have a few plastic boxes with lids that live in the loft- one has all my size 10 jeans and work clothes in (because maybe just maybe I might fit in them again!), one has all my 'abroad holiday' stuff that i wouldn't use or wear in the uk on holiday, a couple are for things that I just want to keep, another for party wear. Everything else is in current usage. The 12 month rule is a bit off, but I see the sentiment in getting rid of things that you'll just never really wear, plus keeping those things stops me from seeing the stuff I do have and do want to wear. We all buy things that for whatever reason just never get used- for me it's often that I buy something cheap for a night out but usually it's a poor fit or a rubbish colour or I have nothing that goes with it- therefore it won't be worn again. Kondo really changed the way I shop and the things I choose to keep.

Are you sure a good tailor couldn't take in the burgundy dress, CountFosco? I've had shift dresses altered without a problem before now.

It's not a simple shift, it has chiffon pleats on it that I'd think would complicate taking it in.

Best bit of advice I read recently is to wear something you haven't worn for ages before getting rid of it.
It reminds you why it hasn't been worn, annoying armholes, or neckline, too short etc.
Makes getting rid of things easier, and as someone said earlier, could remind you that actually you love it and want to keep it.
I've got rid of things before just because I'd had them for a long time, and then regretted it,

Thanks floisme, you've just reminded me I've got a pair of Katherine Hammett velvet trousers somewhere upstairs. They will till fit but the legs won't be the right shape for now, but you've inspired me to take them to a seamstress to see what they can do.
You're so right about the quality of velvet, the velour stuff is just grim

I think if it fits well, suits you colour and style wise then keep it as you'll probably return to it. If it can be altered to make it more useful then do that. I have had all my maxi dresses chopped into either knee length dresses or skirts and enjoy wearing them all over again when I had got sick if maxis

They sound great, cash I've got some widelegs in proper velvet - from Next rather than Katherine Hamnett but still pretty good! I got them out again last Christmas but decided they weren't quite right because they're a bit flared as well as wide but this year I'm getting them altered. There's a lot of fabric in the leg so I'm pretty sure it'll be doable. I really love velvet but I refuse to pay for the stuff in the shops at the moment. They're taking the piss.

Project 333 is a season based minimalist fashion challenge. 33 items in 3 seasons. (Spring and Autumn are the same).

I've never done it but always mean to. One day.