Shop your wardrobe!!! Digging out neglected items…a thread to share successes!

[MakemineaGandT]

Since Christmas I’ve been trying to ‘shop my wardrobe’ and wear things that have been neglected for far too long. The plan is that if I wear them for a day and they don’t feel good, I’ll ruthlessly get rid. So far I’ve ended up falling back in love with things I haven’t worn in a long time and haven’t got rid of anything! Today’s success was a blouse I’ve had at least ten years which I stopped wearing as it is a bit see-through and ‘difficult’, though I’ve always liked the neckline on it (high, lace edge). I layered it under a crew neck jumper today and it looked great - so it’ll be on rotation again!

Similarly I’ve worn some long suede boots recently which must be at least 15 years old. Through all the skinny jeans years I stopped wearing them as they felt like wellies over the skinny jeans, but I put them with a midi-length dress the other day and they looked right again.

I love clothes but am trying to reduce new purchases by getting more pleasure from the ones I already own. Anyone else managing to do this? I definitely couldn’t do the ‘no buy 2024’ thing, so this is my compromise effort!

Love this and commenting so I can come back later!

Yes I keep all the best loved clothes and archive them in suitcases in the loft .. I love it when I can discover & wear them again. I'm now 55 and am planning to wear a black satin long 'Warehouse' skirt with red & cream roses tomorrow that I bought when I was 21!! It's so well made compared with many of the high street clothes today. I also love a eau de nil Oasis lace knee length spaghetti strap dress ( when I manage to shift a few pounds) which I bought for a wedding 27 years ago 😅 my husband despairs of me but I just love revisiting old favourites

Love this! I've started getting a lot of use out of a terracotta coloured Boden cardi I almost took the the charity shop as i thought it didn't go with anything and I never wore it. Turns out it goes with loads of things and is really useful! (And yeah, old-style Boden quality too!)

placemarking. I wrote messages on post it’s for my wardrobe inviting me in for a good look. Ive lost my favourite skirt, so it’s a good reason for an audit of my current clothes. I rarely wear skirts because of bare legs in winter, but I bought some cotton tights in shades of browny beige and I need to see what footwear works. Also I start every day with a muddy dog walk, so practicality reigns, but maybe I need to throw those clothes on, then get dressed properly afterwards. Either way. I need to stop trying to cure my dissatisfaction by buying more things.

I've been ditching things that I don't feel happy wearing and storing clothes that I might come back to one day. I have clothes that I'd completely forgotten about, so the sorting process does help with shopping my own wardrobe.
Like a pp I've rediscovered some boots and a couple of jumpers - one was a subtly sparkly 'Christmas' one, which has turned out to be surprisingly versatile.

@MakemineaGandT for you slightly see through blouse look in Primark for the little thin vest tops. For me they are a must as they go under slightly see through or low neck line tops as well as under wrap dresses that are low cut. I know it’s a little bit of a spend but it does add versatility to your wardrobe.

I'm going to start this as well - i
might post pictures!

I'm pretty ruthless with my wardrobe and don't really have pieces that are lurking. So my challenge is kind of the reverse. What 1 or 2 pieces can I add to make fuller use of my existing wardrobe.

Ive been sorting through my clothes and rediscovered items that I’d forgotten about and started wearing again. No need to break my no/ low shop in 2024.

Glad to have some company on this 😁. @ChilliPanda How’s the skirt looking?! I love that you still have it!

I have a new ‘success’ to report - a silk dress which I’d stopped wearing as it’s thin and I felt a bit too naked in it. I’ve now layered it over a fine polo neck jumper with thick tights and chunky boots and it’s great!

Thinking about it, it seems I just need to be more experimental about putting outfits together and not just sticking to wearing things in the same way all the time. Layering things seems to be the way forward.

Thank you! Good tip - yes I do have a couple of M&S ‘cool comfort’ vests which I use like this, though sometimes the straps showing through make the whole effect a bit messy. I’ll have a look for the best tops you mention - thanks 👍

I shamelessly rewear things from 20 years ago. The quality is impossible to find these days . I have two denim waistcoats that were my mums in the 70s and I used to borrow them in my teens . I found them in her wardrobe when she died and they're fabulous.

I am 3 stone heavier than pre children (youngest is 8mo) so I have so little that fits. I found a stretchy dress, and whilst it fits more like a tunic than the svelte dress I imagined I actually think it looks better than it did when I was slimmer. Winner.

Excellent thread. Op please post some pictures to give inspiration to the rest of us!!

The skirt looks amazing still.. i may have to reinforce the back seam at some point. I wear it differently now as used to wear it in the evening with pretty vest tops but now wear in the winter with a longer jumper and boots 😄

Ive been shopping my wardrobe this past year, mostly cos Ive lost a good bit of weight

Best wears at the moment are a couple of corduroy skirts, the youngest being 15 years old, cheap when bought but actually lined, with hidden zipps and buttons. I get completed on the colours and asked where did I get them :)

Even cheap ( think primark cheap ) jeans are of better quality and fit. Im wearing a pair for work at the moment , at least 15 years old and they fit like a glove and I can run around in them all day ( waitress ) and they dont sag anywhere . Newer cheap jeans ( for work ) tend to start drooping around the knees and bum within a couple of hours

My favourite is a back turtle neck half sleeved top. Its got to be 30 years old and it looks fab with anything and is as still as black as the day I bought it. It pops up in many photos through the decades

Love this thread, one of my favourite things to do, as well as shopping in my mum and sisters wardrobes!

Oh, how I wish I had read this thread a few years ago when DH started getting into Marie Kondo and I cleared a lot of things out 😥

Where are you now, burnt-orange silk shirt, velvet overshirt, corduroy skirt, and black/red ankle boots? And the hand knitted jumper made by my late nan? And that jacket with the gorgeous lining?

Totally with you fernsandlilies, I have got rid of so many things I now regret! My wardrobe really needs a good sort out but instead of the charity shop I'm tempted to put any good condition items in a bag in the loft so I can revisit them in future. Clothes from Next/Dorothy Perkins/Oasis from 25 years ago were so well made with so many nice touches compared with the same today and I gave them all away wish I still had them!

I have regret for the beautiful things I just went off and ditched. Now I just ditch anything scruffy or that makes me feel bad when I wear it. The rest I store and check as the weather and my weight changes!

Oh @fernsandlilies 😭 I feel your pain! My mourned given-away items include a black leather Furla bag and a cream linen blazer with fine pin stripe - I got rid of it because longline styles had gone out of fashion and been replaced by shorter ‘nipped in’ styles. But if course longline masculine is ‘in’ again and I’d love to have that jacket back! Boohoo!!!!

Regrets. A pair of chestnut shoe boots, a Maxmara silk shirt. A silk dress handmade for me. A fabulous dark brown floor length wool and cashmere coat.

I just think it's really sad the way the quality of reasonably priced clothes has gone and fast fashion throwaway stuff everywhere. Even more expensive clothes aren't always any good. I've bought two cashmere jumper investments from Hush and both look sad post careful handwashing . Really don't know where to turn to invest in decent long lasting clothes these days. I desperation I bought a couple of wool skirts from Hobbs and have managed to pack the pink on into a suitcase with a ink pen minus lid

I did a lot of shopping my wardrobe around Christmas time as I lost a lot of weight last year. I found a fab red, black and beige tartan short skirt and wore it with lots of different tops.

Ohh love the sound of the skirt ! I need to lose weight. I managed to shift two stone first ever diet as I approached 50 and it needs to come off again ..