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,

I would not throw a whole wardrobe of clothes away to buy new ones just because I fancied a change, no.

I would sell/ donate or throw away a couple of items a year, as most people do.

And to be honest turning things around on me is a pretty cheap tactic for avoiding what is an equally interesting and important discussion around the contribution the fashion industry (and our behaviour as consumers) have on the environment.

I'm not free of blame or guilt, that's the entire point, and I'm not preaching. Most of us need to chage our thinking.

If one person thinks a little differently next time they go to buy a new piece of clothing they don't need then that's a win as far as I'm concerned.

As an aside, if people would like me to stop commenting on this thread I recommend they stop tagging me in comments and pulling me back to it.

In truth, a topic like this (repeated every couple of weeks or so) would not go over 5 pages were it not for @cloudcs contribution. It would have died after 3 pages so I can't fully understand the upset

I, for one, is very interested in the angles brought about by @Floisme and cloudcs, because I, too, have accumulated clothes over time that I don't wear anymore. The silhouettes changed, life moved on, my preferences expanded, etc etc
My question is - do people truly return to wearing things from their previous selves/styles? Provided they fit. I have some items I wore tonnes, they are still in good nick and I wouldn't part with them. But I have not yet managed to come back to an item I wore a lot (I tend to focus on a few at a time and overwear / get tired of certain clothes). I would love to hear if this does happen - maybe I need to wait longer (20 year cycles?)

@yogibutton I do have clothes I've kept and come back to. My weight has been very up and down mostly up over the years snd I've clothes that I've loved and stopped being able to wear. I packed them away and when I have been able to get into them, I've dug them back out. It's mostly things like leather jackets. And I've kept a couple of things with dd in mind, like my gorgeous leather coat and a velvet lbd.
I'm not so fussed about fashion, I like what I like, so if I could get into my lovely plum coloured skinny jeans, I would still wear them.

And to be honest turning things around on me is a pretty cheap tactic for avoiding what is an equally interesting and important discussion around the contribution the fashion industry (and our behaviour as consumers) have on the environment.

So start a fucking conversation of you own on your own thread about that. There's nothing confusing about the OP's question. She clearly wanted to talk to people who have or who are thinking of starting over with their wardrobe. She didn't want to talk to an activist. Hardly anyone on this thread does. You're not wanted here, you're trolling and you know it, causing a total thread derail. I've reported you. I suggest others do the same then maybe this thread can get back to the topic at hand, which is not the environmental impact of fashion.

My question is - do people truly return to wearing things from their previous selves/styles? Provided they fit.
Yes, I do yogibutton. A few examples:

Several vintage jackets dating from 1940s-60s. Over the the last few decades I've put them away and got them out again at regular intervals.

A midi length denim skirt from the early noughties that I revived last summer after about 15 years in the cupboard. I'm amazed it still fits to be honest but it does.

From around the same era, a couple of knitted linen wrap tops from Jigsaw and Toast. I'm wearing them tied very loosely this time around so they feel like a fresh look.

Some Karate trousers in a heavy cotton canvas that I wore for self defence training in the 80s. (They have a very forgiving drawstring waist!) I might go five years without wearing them but they always come out again eventually.

Some silk shirts that had turned a bit yellow with age - re-dyed.

Some lace up ankle boots from the 90s - they came out a few years ago to be fair.

I've worn mainly trousers for the last few years but this autumn I want to wear midi skirts again and I have several that I'll be bringing out (as well as the denim one I've already mentioned.) And I'll wear them with some flat knee high boots that I bought in John Lewis circa 2007.

Just don't ask me about the things I got rid of when I was younger, before I realised that fashion is circular - the linen blazer from M&S or the wool pinstripe oversize blazer from Warehouse or the velvet jacket from La Redoute or the midi corduroy trenchcoat (can't remember where that came from) - because it might make me cry. I'm confident they would still fit (my arse has got wider but I'm roughly the same size across the shoulders) and, although they were all high street, I'll never be able to afford to replicate that kind of quality.

I'm not an activist, I'm a normal person, and good luck with getting my posts deleted because I am simply responding to the question and engaging in discussion.

The question asked was "Has anyone ever binned their entire wardrobe and started again?" My answer is no I haven't because I think that is wasteful.

My contribution is entirely relevant, not rude, and I am only continuing to comment because people keep quoting me, challenging me and asking me to clarify things. That is the whole point of a discussion.

@MariaAshley I would also point out there is more than one person here who has commented to say they found my posts interesting. Just because you did not, does not mean I am trolling.

Sometimes threads don't go the way the OP intended, because they invite a wide range of people to comment on a question or topic. That's the beauty of posting on an open online forum and getting a variety of opinions on a topic.

If people only want to talk within their own echo chambers then they need to seek out groups who agree with them unanimously. Mumsnet is not that, and this thread asked a yes/ no question - my answer is no, and that's entirely valid.

Or the cowboy boots. My god I'd love to have them back in my life again, just for one day.

And for a lot of women (I don't know the op's situation) this isn't just a discussion about fashion. I think that biology and family roles mean that women's lives and wardrobes can be turned upside down pretty much overnight. At the time you think the days of mainly needing clothes that can stand up to finger food and snot and freezing at the touchline on a Sunday morning will never end. But they do, and you move on to the next phase of life which might have completely different wardrobe expectations.

Perfectly reasonable to want to talk about it.

Also in London no one dresses up these days, or at least not in my circle, so if you WFH you can perfectly well spend all your time in jeans and leggings. I am considering if better quality leggings- Lululemon-would be good but I honestly don't think they will make much of a difference. What I would really like to do is go back to the office more often but it's not an option!

I am considering buying a bright pink frivolous coat to go over my jeans, just because all my clothes are 'useful'.

However I really like the leggings, over-sized jumper & cool trainers look, which is surely the same in terms of comfort & practicality?!

@Fishandchipsatthebeach

Could you post a few links / examples of this please ? I am someone who has so many times charity-shopped the tunics and leggings only to buy more as I missed them. Would love to see how to wear this look in a more up to date way.

I think it's fine that @cloudcs has posted. It's a fair point to raise, even if I don't entirely agree with her.

Just looking at the more argumentative discussions on this thread - I would like to say that I appreciate both points of view . I am interested to see how people are going about building their capsule wardrobes, I agree with Floisme's points and I also think that we all need to be aware of the points being made by @cloudcs .

I too have been interested in all angles of this thread!

Yeah I'm a bit at the reporting, but then I've never reported a post on here in my life.

Your subject line is a bit click-baity @BatsHatIsWonky because you aren't binning everything as indeed you say in your post.

I'd not be able to fill 10 bin sacks (excluding coats, boots and shoes.)
Maybe 3 or 4.

Don't have a go at @cloudcs just because she pulled you up on your wastefulness. It's a valid point.

I think most people tend to have an annual clear out (I do) when I take older clothes to the charity shop and sell the better stuff online.

But for me, that's maybe 4 items each season.

Maybe the way for you to go now is only to buy things that suit you, that you love and will wear for ages and won't end up in a landfill.

Have fun 😃

Same but I also wish I hadn’t got rid of the clothes, which were too small. I’m on a healthy eating plan and am already down more than 8kg. I gave a Vintage Laura Ashley coat away that someone wants £350 for! I actually had 2! I do have a similar one as I instantly regretted flinging them out and LA were selling one 15 years ago but the quality wasn’t the same as the late 1980s / early 1990s ones. Am also looking for an early 1990s riding jacket amongst other things, which was delicious.

@ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea

I think these are a more modern take on tunic & leggings

Once but not by choice , psycho ex cut up literally everything I owned including underwear with a pair of nail scissors - I was left with a gap hoodie and some joggers that I had in the laundry basket and the clothes I had on , he thought I was out with another man when infact I was at the hospital having my eye stitched from him head butting me

Thanks @Fishandchipsatthebeach . I actually have a grey jumper pretty much the same as the one in your 3rd pic so must be on the right track !

That is so awful @mrsbyers . I'm glad to hear he is now an ex.

I recently had to replace all the clothing for my bottom half, knickers, leggings, pyjama bottoms/joggers, trousers, and a few close fitting underthings for the upper half too, due to a drastic size change (everything literally fell down if I tried to wear it). I love a lot of the styles around this year, things that are very practical for me to wear, like cargo/parachute type trousers, which have flexible waistbands with both elastic and a drawstring for example, and elastic or cuffs at the bottom so they don't puddle on the floor while using the loo. It's much easier to keep tops because a form fitting top just becomes a baggy top when you are smaller, but bottoms have to fit. I've had a lot of fun with it I must say. 😁

Re fashion coming round.
I had/have so many great clothes I worn in my twenties. Mostly vintage and the 70's silhouette which I feel is always wearable.
Also I'm just am never ever going to be that weight/shape again, I would look ill and have no fat in my face and it would be far to much sacrifice and effort.
I'm not sure why I've hung into them, but it's hard to let go of my stylistic aspirations!

The poster that everyone is going nuts about and insulting is absolutely right and it's despairing that they are being attacked for stating common sense. Horrible how 'debate' is so polarised and issues can't be discussed. MN was a very intelligent part of the internet where knowledge & support was shared, not an excuse to try and turn everything into an argument/bullying fest (I know it wasn't perfect, but that was the overall vibe).
Why aren't people open to hearing different ideas/opinions anymore without being hateful?

Sorry I am dyslexic & tired so my posts are littered with typos!