Halving my wardrobe

[greyinganddecaying]

I'm about to go upstairs, empty the contents of my wardrobe on the bed & only put back in the things I enjoy wearing.

What other rules should I be following to cut it right down? Realistically I need to reduce by half.

I’d suggest putting the things you don’t want into a bag and storing out of sight instead of throwing them away right away.
Been there, done that, still miss some stuff.
Apart from that, I found throwing away anything that needed fixes, adjustments, dry cleaning, very effective. Because I may like them but I’d never actually wear them.

Oh you have such a treat in store, I love a good clear out!!! So, it's things you love, that fit you now, that suit you, that are in good condition, etc.

I'm planning on doing the same, there's so much I just don't wear
I think I could halve it easily

Thanks! I've bought some under bed storage bags, so will put the stuff I'm not sure about in those.

I have so much stuff that I just don't wear, or that don't fit (& not sure if I'd wear them if I lost weight) etc.

If you haven't worn it in the last two years then you aren't likely to again.
Although maybe don't apply that to holiday clothes if you haven't been abroad due to corona

Allow yourself to keep boring but useful layers - eg. the vest tops that arent a nice top alone, but fit under a wrap dress/ shirt to keep cleavage to "work appropriate" levels, or the long sleeved t that stops lovely jumpers from itching etc.

Separates should have 3 other halves they work with. Try different combinations on and see if you can get anything new you haven't thought of before.

I'm not sure what to do about jumpers. I have some really nice ones but am constantly hot at the moment (perimenopause) so never wear them.

Keep good jumpers, anything bobbly or looking out of shape, throw, but anything in good shape and quality, keep as this is a relatively short period of your life and you will feel the cold the other side of it, and will regret having flung perfectly lovely jumpers.

My rule has been to keep and store items that do not currently fit/wear but have some hope of fitting/wearing again only if they are good quality/expensive and I really like them. There have been a few items that I have been glad I kept on this basis.

If some of your jumpers are bobbly, ratty, boring etc then get rid.

In terms of under layers then I say yes keep useful things but only if they're nice. It doesn't make anyone feel good to have a greying vest top in their wardrobe. Replace it with something good quality in that kind of case or just keep a couple of essentials that are in good nick.

@MargosKaftan

Keep good jumpers, anything bobbly or looking out of shape, throw, but anything in good shape and quality, keep as this is a relatively short period of your life and you will feel the cold the other side of it, and will regret having flung perfectly lovely jumpers.

Lol sorry cross post but I see we agree!!

@dudsville

Oh you have such a treat in store, I love a good clear out!!! So, it's things you love, that fit you now, that suit you, that are in good condition, etc.

Me tooo I love a clear out! Don't keep things if they neither fit you nor are loved.

Everything is on the bed. I'm repurposing a couple of drawers for trousers & accessories. I have bin bags and a storage container ready. I must admit I didn't realise quite how much crap I've been storing up.

What's the view on work clothes? I have some nice work dresses (I don't usually do dresses, but these are an exception) but I changed job recently into a much less corporate environment (& mostly work from home too).

Joining, i have 1/2 a wardrobe full of work clothes I don’t really like, but feel I should keep “just in case”. I’ll be going into the office once a month, perhaps a couple of times…. So I don’t see the need to keep it all.

I need a clear out

But I don’t know if I’ll be going back office life yet, so that’s hard…

I think work clothes can be the same - throw anything you dislike wearing or doesn't fit or is worn out and then put the nice items in storage bags for the next year or two. Then you'll be in a better position to decide if you need to keep it. I think the pandemic has made these decisions more difficult than previously as we don't really know what the landscape is

@MargosKaftan

Keep good jumpers, anything bobbly or looking out of shape, throw, but anything in good shape and quality, keep as this is a relatively short period of your life and you will feel the cold the other side of it, and will regret having flung perfectly lovely jumpers.

The advice re jumpers is really good. I am missing a couple I threw out in a June clearout, including an incredibly thick, warm one which would help save on heating bills this winter! We’re trying to throw on a jumper rather than switch on the heating! 😉

It sounds as if you have already been very productive with your wardrobe slim down.

I did this a couple of weeks ago, ahead of the autumn. I was quite harsh and probably also got rid of half.

The feeling of having ordered, unstuffed drawers full of clothes that are wearable was lovely. It also made me realise I had no decent work clothes, since had a nice little spree in the Hobbs clearance section.

I've managed to fill a black bin bag & fill an under bed storage bag with "not sure" items. I've not managed to half it (yet!) but I'm pretty sure that I'll wear everything in there (and I've found some clothes I'd forgotten about, which is always a bonus).

Next stop is sorting out bags - I find this more difficult...

Well done I did this last year. Got rid of 3/4 of wardrobe.

Keep wool and leather if in useable condition- I miss my wool skirt from m and a yeas ago!

Throw anything stained or torn

Donate anything used and cheap but wearable or faded (keep on set of 'scruffs' for dirty jobs)

Sell decent brands in any condition or new with tags items or worn once items on vinted. Jeans sell well on vinted as they are so hit and Miss when you buy them!

Only keep items you will wear 30 times.

Get rid of items that haven't fittwd for more then three years (I got back to my 'slim weight' and all the clothes were slightly wrong - jeans too/low on the waist/hemlines too high/ skirts the wrong shape/ jersey dresss to Clingy unfashionable etc

Bags: All leather- one black cross body day to day bag- one evening bag/ one work tote/ leather rucksack.

Non leather : Small and large rucksacks for trips.

Following for tips…I desperately need to make space in my cupboard/drawers. I have quite a few things that I just don’t wear anymore but cling onto because I think I might wear them in the future. Also coats, I seem to collect lovely coats but the wool ones don’t suit my lifestyle and in reality I end up wearing the most practical ones all the time 🙄

I did this last year, although I possibly went too far with it - I am now left with so little to wear that I am struggling. It wasn't exactly a super-purge, and I hadn't been excessive, but I really wanted to push things to a minimum as I want at all enamoured by many of my clothes.
So, like a reset, if you will.

Unfortunately, in the the intervening months, I have not liked anything in any shop, anywhere. I am jaded with most contemporary clothing, I have had holes appear in expensive cashmere (when gently dressing, not from moths) and most of my White company/brora stuff has bobbled and become shapeless too quickly. I treat things well and am simply tired of accepting horrific quality items for high prices

The down side to this is that I am to prepared to re-buy anything so am utterly stumped for the time being. There literally isn't one store that I cant arsed making a purchase from and nothing on trend excites me.

I have two pairs of leggings, one skirt and 2 dresses. I have barely any tops to go with them, but I do have decent footwear, still. I have one Rab puffer that is too warm, and a thin, summer Barbour raincoat in dark green. Neither are fitting for autumn.

I can afford to buy more clothes but feel paralysed, as like I say, I don't trust the fit or quality of anything, anywhere any more. I think I need an intervention!

Posted a bit soon. I wanted to add @greyinganddecaying that I admired your ‘announcement’ and then you did it.

How has it gone?

Thanks! It's gone ok. I've not completely halved my wardrobe (& at the moment my wardrobe is full of Christmas presents!) but it's a lot clearer, I know exactly what I have so don't feel the need to buy anything new except a few things that are missing to pull outfits together IYKWIM.

It's good to be in a position where I'm happy to wear anything in my wardrobe, I even know where everything is!

Next job is to help DP sort his out...

I read a post on this recently and the advice was excellent and one I’m following although I had already practically Kondo’d my wardrobe).

Take all the things you LOVE to wear, and feel comfortable in. Put these front and centre of your wardrobe and only swear these. Over time remove the other stuff - obviously keep workout clothes etc - and donate to charity.

She said you should wear what you love every day - I’ve done a week of it so far and actually it’s true - you feel better when you are comfy and feel that you look good (this is subjective- my feel good clothes are baggy).

Hope this helps. I also organised my wardrobe this morning after a week of this and the only items on display are my 100% love items. The rest are in my ‘donate if not worn in 6 months’ drawer.

Only wear😂