6 Radical Wardrobe Overhauls To Inspire Your Spring-Cleaning Weekend
I share one, tiny, narrow little closet with Joe, and our organization skills (okay, MY organization skills) are better some days than others. I do take up more space than he does, which he refers to as “the creep” when I start crossing over the imaginary line we have drawn down the center of the closet. In addition to the clothes I have hanging up, I also utilize additional under-the-bed storage bins
However, due to my extreme emotional connection to clothes, I rationalize the decision to keep them. I remind myself that I spent hard-earned money on the item in question, and that I will find SOME way to wear it again. Sometimes, this works and I’ll wear it, but I never feel great in it. It’s like wearing something that an older version of myself chose to buy when I had a totally different approach to style/fashion, and the item no longer expresses who I am/what I like. But, I put it on anyway. Well, 2016 has been a slightly different year for me, and I’m trying to be better about only wearing things I feel great in. I’ve noticed myself wearing less variety because I reach for the same items again and again, but I’m okay with that. I’d rather wear something that really expresses me rather than something I feel “meh” about in, but obliged to wear.
We’ve written about awesome closet purges on TFD before, and I always LOVE getting a inside view into how and why women decided to undergo massive closet purges. I’ve rounded up a few more stories of extreme closet purges below, which take you through a few good ol’ closet purges. Check them out!
1. I Stripped My Closet Down To The Essentials, And I’ll Never Look Back
An empowering story about one woman’s decision to take her superfluous wardrobe extras, and chop them down to the bare essentials. This article was a great read, and it made me see how decluttering and owning less can help you live a more productive life. The author found that when she whittled down the number of decisions she had to make, and removed excess clutter, life become simpler and happier. Definitely worth a read!
2. How I Purged 75% of My Clothes: Capsule Wardrobe Series Part 2
Yes, you read that correctly — 75% of her clothes. The author talks about the valuable way in which she pared down her belongings. She organized clothes by season and activity, and made the decision based on figuring out what she absolutely needed and what she didn’t. Hearing the way she made those choices inspired me to look at my own closet with the same discerning eye.
3. The Minimal Closet : Wardrobe Reality & How To Purge
This article is not only a personal closet purge story, but it also serves as a guide to creating a super minimal closet for yourself by learning the #proper way to purge. The author shares some of her wisdom that she’s learned along the way, saying, “Everything in your closet should be something that makes you smile AND that contributes to your being YOUR BEST SELF.” As I’ve gotten older I, too, have learned to really focus on only wearing items that make me feel super confident — like my best self. I loved reading about how to use that knowledge, and channel it into creating a pared-down wardrobe.
4. How I Purged Half My Wardrobe
This was a great article where one woman talked about how she purged HALF of her closet. Speaking as someone who has difficulty letting go of old four-year-old dance team t-shirts from college, the idea of purging half my belongings seems painful as hell. However, the article did make me realize that the prospect of doing it isn’t impossible, and the story here inspired me to purge more. The author talked about her emotional response to clothes she was holding on to, and shares the valuable questions she asked herself when making the decision to let an item go.
5. How the 50-50 Closet Purge Revolutionized My Style
I, personally, had never heard of the 50-50 closet purge idea, but this article provided great context for the reasons why a smaller wardrobe equals better style. When you ONLY wear the items you feel great in and represent who you are and represent your personal style sense, your style aesthetic is distilled down to the very essentials. This creates a more powerful personal style “languages,” and reduces the choices and legwork of putting together outfit combinations on a daily basis. Winning!
6. My Home // The Great Closet Purge Of 2016
One woman set out to purge her closet, and ring in the new year on a lighter and less-cluttered note. She asked herself very useful questions throughout the process, and she set a couple of parameters on the project in order to complete it within a set amount of time. (Something I totally respect as someone who has the tendency to let projects linger on for too long.) She provides really useful “before” and “after” photos which provide the detail needed to understand what she got rid of and why. Definitely worth checking out! (Btw, her blog is hella beautiful looking too!)
Image via Unsplash
