Anyone ever binned their entire wardrobe and started again?

[BatsHatIsWonky]

I'm in the process of doing just that. Well, the majority of it. I'm keeping ..

My grenson boots
My Gucci trainers
My bostons
My converse
My bird + Wolf camo jacket
Leather jackets
My Levi's jacket
A nice Isabel Marant coat
A Reiss jacket

So basically - my shoes and jackets are being kept!

The rest i can't stand any longer so it's going. 10 bin bags - some selling on eBay, most to charity

I'm guilty of buying for the life I think I should be living and not the life I actually have so it's time to start again,

Hi - it’s a thread in the ‘classic thread’ section of MN - nothing to do with classic clothing. I don’t have or aspire to a trench coat or tan ballet flats either! I found it very inspiring - the slow and methodical way the person built up a wardrobe of pieces to wear for any occasion and all within budget. You don’t have to like her choices just adopting the principles I found helpful. I’m not sure if I’m doing well with my overhaul - ask me in a year whether I’ve been successful with curating a smaller wardrobe of better quality items that all work together - as for wasteful, far from. It’s been a pleasure to donate or sell good quality unworn clothing previously stuck in boxes under my bed to people who enjoy and get wear from them. I’ve had some lovely messages. One person messaged me saying she had been looking for my dress in my size for 4 years. She was delighted. I’ve bought a lot of my new wardrobe from eBay money. Many of my clothing replacements have been bought from eBay/Vinted. The whole project has been more satisfying than I could imagine.

I’ve also hopefully learned from this - stop impulse buying, far fewer mistakes and far fewer purchases going forward.

I would also urge caution re getting rid of all dresses etc, if they still fit you and are good quality/not worn out. You never know how life will change and the need for those items will come around again. I too have regret from ditching clothes that are not easily replaceable.
Maybe keep the nicest/most versatile or flattering - even if it's just a couple of items from each category. Obviously ditch anything that's looking worn, or doesn't suit you.
I'd try to find a way to incorporate the items kept into the life you live. You can still get rid of loads and replace with luxe sportswear but luxe sportswear won't be suitable for all occasions in life. It would be a shame to weed out all smart dresses and then find you need one!

@LuciferRising

I'm also short. Anything I buy that isn't a perfect fit I take straight from the shop to the tailor in the local dry cleaners. If she can't alter it it goes back to the shop.

Luckily she is an absolute genius and nearly always comes up with a solution.

@LadyBird1973 luxe sportswear does sound a bit wanky doesn't it? And you're right - I won't bin all my dresses. I do a consulting type of job twice a month and for this I need to be smart - this is why I had dresses in the first place. I then found myself with about 40 of the damn things and not really loving any of them bar a few.

I'm short at 5 ft 3 and I'm size 12-14 so dresses always tricky for me

In my head I see myself in Mandala yoga leggings, non bulky and not long cashmere hoodies and nice trainers. I've yet to find a t shirt I actually like.

So very casual stuff but made to (hopefully) last

@Noodle421 ooh I bet she was thrilled with her find! And Ive had a lot of pleasure selling on eBay. I don't overprice and just price to sell asap

@Floisme I think I've been guilty of buying the dresses etc when they're categorically not something I'd wear day to day. I put on a dress and I'm all ' ooh god I've got a dress on!!'

@chatchatrabbitrabbit what sort of stuff do you like to wear?

So today for example, I have some of the basic H & M joggers on, a Ganni smiley face t shirt and my comme de garçons converse.

In my head I think 'yes! That'll look great!'

The reality is not quite like the mental image 😀

I'm also replacing my underwear. I wear the same old same old John Lewis knickers that I've had for a few years despite a drawer full of Calvin Klein stuff. Which I actually hate and never reach for

I ordered one pair of stripe and stare knickers which arrived this morning as I just wanted to see what they were like and how the sizing is with them. I can highly recommend as they're very soft and comfortable so I'll buy some of those in bulk now

10 bags is an awful lot of clothing.

I did this in a sense a few years ago - got rid of absolutely anything that didn't fit/wasn't comfortable, anything I hadn't worn and enjoyed in the last year (with the exception of useful items like a waterproof jacket and a pair of wellies), whittled down anything I had similar of and kept just one or two of things I knew I'd wear - eg 2 pairs of blue jeans, 2 black jumpers.

I didn't go out and buy a whole new wardrobe though. I think if I did I'd have just ended up with things I liked short term and that i'd think id wear but wouldn't have worn all of. I filled a few gaps with items that complimented what I kept and essentially kept that up, adding new bits seasonally.

It's essentially a capsule wardrobe. I've got one standard wardrobe with everything of mine in, including coats and then 3 drawers of a chest of drawers for underwear, PJ'S and a few folded jeans and tops.

@BatsHatIsWonky I don't think it's wanky - it sounds very comfortable and practical while still being considerate of style.
Your vision in your head reminds me of when I was pregnant for the first time and thought I was going to waft around like a stylishly dressed Italian model in the mamas & papas pram advert. Sadly I didn't look like an Italian model before getting pregnant and pregnancy certainly didn't improve things

I still haven't learned though - I just bought a OneHundredStars robe so I can waft around the house like an old black and white film star!

Anyway, I like luxe sportswear as an aesthetic, I just think it might not be all you need.

Oh im excited to following you doing this OP!

I'm planning to do this after I finish losing the baby weight and finish BF after DD2. I've been pregnant and/or breastfeeding for nearly 5 years and I have just been wearing what's feeding friendly, fits and is cheap. I have a really decent chunk of money ready to do it, and I'm planning to get my colours done and also do one of the JL sessions. I have no idea what's in style now or what suits me!

I have a folder of screenshots of stuff I like the look of for reference and then also I've tried to think about what I do in reality (rather than an imaginary Pinterest life!) and write a list of what kind of outfits I need.

For example, dog walking - I would like some proper waterproof boots, a few pairs of decent walking leggings, a Barbour coat with a hood, and some walking shoes for summer.

For WFH I can have cheaper stuff that's a kind of uniform and works for quick nips to the shop/nursery pick up but still looks stylish on Teams calls.

For my days in London I want some lovely quality very smart outfits and decent bag.

I have a weekday off with the kids and this needs to be comfy casual stuff that I can climb through soft play in etc which is what I'm struggling with in terms of what type of looks I want to go for.

Sorry if this is boring 😅 it's my current fixation!

I would love too. Can’t afford to though so I’m changing things gradually.

Only 10 bags! I've got more than that in the unused en suite, then I have 2 overflowing wardrobes.

I'm planning a cull in the autumn as I'm too busy at the moment.

I was thinking about doing this at the weekend!

I have so many clothes all in different sizes where I have lost and gained weight, over the years due to steroids and other medications I’ve been on.

Currently nothing really fits or suits my size/shape! I’ve got clothes from 15 years ago which will never fit me again and stuff which I got new and never wore.

I wear the same 8 things over and over again!

I will keep my shoe collection (I love shoes) coats and bags, but the rest is destined to be sold on eBay/vinted and the rest recycled or charity shopped.

I have a habit of buying on vinted and hoping for the best but only 2 out of 15 items have fitted me or looked ok!

off to google about capsule wardrobes…and colours!

I am thinking in the same direction at the moment.

It's more that I wear about 10% of what I own and all the clutter stresses me out. Like you I own tons of dresses but wfh, walk the dogs every day, never go on posh nights out any more.

Ive tried to sort it multiple times but I end up keeping everything that fits and I don't hate, it's not the same thing at all.

Not sure if I'll get rid of it all but try to get it down to a more manageable set of clothes that fit my lifestyle then see if i can identify some gaps to fill.

I am doing this exercise at the moment too (although not quite as drastically).

I have a wardrobe full of stuff in all sorts of sizes (several of which I'm realistically unlikely to see again) and styles that just don't fit my current life where I never see the inside of an office any more.

Add to that, in general I just have too much bloody stuff - so I am also having to be harsh on jettisoning things I do like, but not as much as the other dozen options of that sort of item I own, so they never come to the top of the pile.

Vinted is going well, anything that's not fit for it is going in the clothes bank. I would like to get to a much smaller selection of clothes that I like, fit in to and actually want to wear. Things like decent jeans that don't fit in either direction, I probably will still store.

Am building my 'capsule wardrobe' rules for the future, but am nowhere near strictly implementing them yet. (Off she goes to do the Vinted locker dance LOL.)

Yes! I was going through a lot and to be honest I felt so much more confident and picked items I would wear daily. I love the choice now as I felt my old wardrobe was dated and made me look and feel old. Considering I’m 30 I dressed 40 plus

Was going to say, No this is the stuff of my literal nightmares! But actually I do 'evolve' my wardrobe regularly so in a way I probably only 10-20% of my current stuff was acquired 10 years ago, and the rest is newer. I lack the space to keep stuff I'm not wearing and also a stolid, cheap practical streak that prevents many unrealistic purchases for my lifestyle.
Sounds like you know what you're doing OP, it actually sounds fun to do something so radical!

if you are not wearing 80% of your clothes it is less wasteful to sell or give them to someone who will actually wear them or send them to fabric recycling than have them sitting in your wardrobe unworn or taking up space in a box in the attic. The money is already spent, you are not recouping it by storing them you will only make a fraction make by selling but it's better than the £0 you get from keeping them unworn
if you declutter 50 items and end up regretting 3 is the space you have created by selling or donating the other 47 not worth it, only you can answer. For some it might be the risk of regretting a few makes hanging on to the many even in boxeseven if it takes up too much space is worth it, For most people the sense of freedom of having the extra space, and just clothes you love is worth the risk of maybe regretting a couple out of 50
it is different to getting rid of stuff that doesn't fit because you are pregnant or you are temporarily working from home but will go back to office or you are inactive because of major surgery. but keeping fantasy items like skiing stuff when you last skied in 2004 or gear for hiking Ben Nevis when you only stroll around local lake on ready made path. We move to different seasns of life and like OP she may again need a few dresses but she will never need 40, I have kept a couple of suits and other outfits now I am retired can be worn for weddings / funerals or can use items separately to be smart casual, but even though I'm retired and dress more casually I am not a jeans and t shirt /jumper person

Omg @Cottagecheeseisnotcheese that was an amazing pep talk (and I am not being sarcastic)! I have been storing mine...but now feeling inspired to just get rid of it all!

I also love your UN. It isn't cheese. You are correct 😂

Yes I've fluctuated weight over pregnancies and breastfeeding so I've done it several times. Last time was 2 years ago, I lost 3 stone from breastfeeding, so I threw out everything. I bought 2 pairs of black leggings and some black t shirts and have survived on them since. I want to buy a whole new wardrobe but am just frozen on it. I question every single item I look at and end up putting it back. I just have no idea who I am or what style I want or should have. The mix of being mum on a school run and wfh doesn't help.

If the quality of new clothes wasn't tanking then I don't think there'd be much of an issue. As it is, I know have given away many clothes that I will never be able to afford to replace at a similar level. I had no clue at the time that this might happen and it doesn't feel freeing at all, in fact it makes me feel like a mug.

Also no, I'm afraid I don't take any consolation in knowing that I might have made some people I've never met very happy, but maybe you're all bigger hearted than I am.

This is a lovely thoughtful reply

Thanks for all the insightful and interesting responses.

I've managed to make some decluttering headway today - listed 20 items on eBay and sold 17 of them so far so that's good.

I've now made nearly £800 via eBay selling and I think I can get to the £1000 ish by end of weekend

Can add in a few quid and I'll then be good to go with some replenishing.

I have no idea why I have 3 pairs of Hush harem joggers for example. This is the sort of thing I end up with ... I'm short and although they are very comfortable, I look like MC Hammer in them. I think I bought them in the hope I'd look like the Hush model in them but I didn't.