Our closets can become black holes and hoarded messes of items. That shirt you wore once in 9th grade? Why do you still hold onto it? Those terrible uncomfortable pairs of shoes you can’t part with? Sell them. There are so many options to cleaning our your closet, and I’m about to give you reasons why you should do it right now.
Brace yourself to let go of things.
Some people have a hard time letting go of things in their closet because they hold some sort of sentimental value to them. Or, it’s a “just in case piece”. A rule of thumb to get started with cleaning out your closet is to do the four seasons test. If you haven’t worn something in the last four seasons, you probably won’t wear it again. Oh – live in a region without four seasons? Well have you worn it in last 365 days? If the answer is no, toss it.
*There are exceptions here such as dressy pieces or formal wear
Anything that does not fit.
Take a peek into your wardrobe by sections: tops, jeans, dresses, etc. Try on everything you own and determine whether or not this piece even FITS YOU! If it’s no longer flattering, or “just close enough”, you probably won’t wear it again.
Something that isn’t your style anymore.
Most of us change our style every few years. And for people my age, we are still trying to figure out what our core style is. For example, I wear a lot of textured fabrics with minimal color and design. So the answer is no: I won’t be wearing that bright teal chiffon button up shirt I bought in high school when that was the cool thing to wear. Stick to what you know best, and what looks best on you.
Anything broken or unfixable.
This one is self-explanatory, but get rid of any ripped or tattered pieces of clothing. This is not the yeezy line, people.
Anything that can be updated.
I will keep my favorite pair of black jeans in my closet until I absolutely NEED to buy a new pair. AKA, I wait for my jeans to turn light grey before I buy a new pair of fresh black ones. This isn’t necessary. You can keep your closet small but replacing your favorite staple pieces periodically, and donating the older, more worn out piece!
Clothes you think you “have” to own.
In this day and age, fast fashion is clouding our retail shops and our brains. Short lived fashion trends can be a burden for our wallets and our closets, too. Don’t look at Instagram trends or impractical pieces for a quick buy for a cheap dollar. Instead, spend smart and pay the extra penny for good quality that will never go out of style.
Pieces that make you fidgety.
Always pulling down that skirt? Always fixing the strap on that tank top? Get rid of it. Eventually, you won’t ever wear it again because you will remember how much of a burden it was when you wore it the first time.
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