Impossible task!

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Started 2 years ago by shetats
Latest reply from trillie
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shetats
Member

I have too many clothes and yet nothing to wear.

About two years ago, due to health reasons, I put on 2 stone (14kilos, 8lbs) in about 10 months. Knowing this to be a somewhat temporary issue that will eventually be solved, I've bought new clothes and kept a lot of the better clothes that I love in the smaller size.

Of course now I have far too many. I have a huge wardrobe and drawers and I tend to stuff them full. I've tried to declutter and have a box stored away of some of the better stuff that nolonger fits. I also moved a few years back and in that process purged almost everything.

So the problems I tend to face on a shop-to-shop basis, using a black skirt to represent any generic piece of clothing

- forget totally that I've ever had a black skirt (for example) so buy a new one
- forget where the black skirt is, try to find it, fail, so buy a new one
- forget whether or not the black skirt I know I have fits or not, so buy a new one
- decide I have a black skirt so don't buy one then find myself in a spot of bother because I HAVE to have a black skirt which it turns out I don;t in the right size, so go and buy one at an expensive store
- decide that the black skirt I have is for teh wrong season, so buy another for the current season
- find the black skirt needs ironing, shove it back in the closet and end up buying a new one in the hopes that it does not need to be ironed

From time to time I decide to do something about it, pull out masses of clothes and try to sort into keep or not keep or store, get myself totally overwhelmed and give up, stuff it all back in the closet (which resembles Becky's from Confessions of a Shopaholic) and feel a complete failure.

I've tried getting friends/family to give me critiques on my clothes as a way of culling, that honestly does not work at all.

I have dreams of the perfect capsule wardrobe, but by day 3 I'm so over whatever colour that I'll be out buying anything to change it!

So, what to do? How do I decide what to keep and what to throw? What do I need versus what is excess? I work in an office, have to wear "neat business" most days but live in a cold and wet place.

I know that everyone is different, what I need is realistic approaches and if possible examples!

Posted 2 years ago #
skywisenight
Member

First thing I would do it remove and store elsewhere all the clothes you are still holding on to but haven't packed and put them somewhere else in plastic containers.

My first rule of thumb when culling, and I do this often, is to pick a closet, drawer, space and do it and only it for that given day to prevent overwhelming. Perhaps instead of looking at the whole wardrobe/dresser, go drawer by drawer. Once on that route, I look at it and if I haven't worn it in X number of months, it goes! Regardless of if I *might* wear it or not, because if I haven't in X months, then I'm not going to.

The idea is small victories to keep motivation going.

I apply this same principle to my 5-year old daughters clothes too, with good success. My personal X months = 4 months.

[edit]

Also, with regard to the wrinkled clothing: once the clothes are down to a manageable amount where you don't need to stuff your drawers, you won't be stuffing and given everything is folded shortly after drying, that won't be a problem either. I try to keep my dresser drawers at 70% capacity if possible.

Posted 2 years ago #
jsights
Member

To build on skywisenight's comment about "if I haven't worn it in x months I'm not going to" I add another safety layer to this. Once an item of clothing gets to this point in my closet, I pack it away in a rubbermaid tub. I let it sit there for another 6 months(ish). I go through this tub every 6 months or so (sometimes longer) and anything I haven't thought about (which is usually most of it) gets tossed. Every once in a while something goes into the tub, and comes back out and is worn again. It doesn't happen often, but it's often enough that I'm glad I didn't just throw it out right from the closet.

Jen

Posted 2 years ago #
Mrs.Mack
Member

First, 2 stone is more like 12 kg or 28 lbs, just for those who are wondering why the big deal over just 8 lbs.

I agree with the others: The clothes you have in the wrong size need to be put away somewhere else. They don't belong in your closet or dressers right now. Until you're back to that size, act as if they don't exist.

As for your current size, anything you haven't worn in the past season goes into an "outbox" (for example, if it's winter now, anything you didn't wear during summer goes into the outbox, even if you might wear it in the future or you are attached to it). The outbox is what jsights is talking about—a place to put things out of mind but is not thrown out. If that same season (continuing with our example of summer) comes and goes and you STILL haven't pulled it out of the box, off to a thrift store it goes. If you haven't worn it in two seasons, you're never going to wear it. But if you thought of it, pulled it out, and wore it during that second season, you don't have to get rid of it.

Now, that's on a rather long schedule (don't allow yourself to go any longer than that). I like skywisenight's shorter time frame, but it can be hard to let go of something that quickly when you're not used to getting rid of stuff. Aim to work toward the shorter time frame (even two or three months) as you are able.

Something that could be useful to you, but would take a lot of work up front, is to make a list of all the clothing you have in your current size. Like: 3 black skirts, 6 blouses (2 green, 1 red, 3 black), 3 jeans (1 dark wash, 2 light wash)... etc. Keep that list with you when you shop so you don't buy multiples, and add new clothing to your list as you buy things (up keep will be easy). Also, if you find you accidentally bought a multiple anyway, RETURN IT! You don't have to keep it!

Finally, buying something because you don't want to iron it is lazy. Sorry to be blunt, but it needs to be said. If you hate ironing, you can stick the offending item with a damp towel in the dryer for a few minutes and the wrinkles will come out. If you don't have a dryer or it's dry clean only, get a spray bottle and fill it with water. Hang the offending item on a hanger (use a skirt hanger for pants or a skirt) and spray the wrinkles (more water the deeper the wrinkle) before you go to bed. By morning the wrinkles will be gone and it'll be dry. I do this all the time.

Posted 2 years ago #
Laetitia in Australia
Member

I haven't seen the movie so I assume from context that your wardrobe is disorganised. You could try arranging your clothes according to the rainbow to get a better sense of whether you own a "black skirt". Do this after putting away all your old sized clothes though or you'll keep falling into the trap of thinking that you have a "black skirt" in the current size when you're really remembering the one in the old size.

The other thing to consider is whether you will still love those items in the old size when you return to that point. You may end up going, "Why on earth did I EVER keep THIS?!" because fashions and personal tastes change and wish you'd tossed it sooner. And besides, if you like clothes shopping, it will be a good reason to go shopping.

Posted 2 years ago #
shetats
Member

Thanks for fixing my appalling maths Mrs Mack!

Yes, ironing is my most hated chore and I know I'm lazy about it. I hate that fact too. I'll give those tips a try.

This weekend I'm going to pick a drawer to go through and hide away the don't fit clothes. To be honest it's so totally depressing - I had the full persona shopping experience and splurged on a designer suit about 2 months before the health crisis, haven't been able to wear it since :(

Posted 2 years ago #
badkitti
Member

I recently got rid of 99% of my clothes that don't fit anymore - if I lose weight and stick to it I can always enjoy buying more. It felt so good actually and I could see better what I had. I store clothes by groups - so i can see what skirts I already have etc.

If I went for a capsule wardrobe I would but basics in coordinating colours - e.g. suits, trousers and skirts. I would then buy accesories and tops in cheaper fashionable up todate colours and change them when I got bored.

Mind you I shop occasionally in charity shops too so that saves money and I canswap more often.

Posted 2 years ago #
MsDasha
Member

Do you have a good friend who can come over and help you do this? It sounds like its a big job, and personally, I find doing it all at once best.

If you like the idea of a capsule wardrobe, I have a plan for you! Think about how many outfits you need for work, for weekends, for going out, etc. If you work in an office five days a week, I would say you need 12 outfits per season (Summer, Winter, Fall/Spring). That way you never repeat an outfit in a two week period, plus two extras. Write this down!

Then start pulling out all your favorite clothes, and put them on the bed. Put out only the things you love, and that fit you currently. Everything left in the closet/dresser will be "eh." Then start putting the stuff you love into outfits, with each piece in no more than two outfits (per season!). Try to make outfits that you will make you feel great! Count how many you get. If certain pieces are missing a partner or two, pick some out from your left over "eh" clothes to make outfits. Do this until you have the number of outfits that you wrote down. Take digital pictures of the outfits laid out on the bed (or try them on!) and take notes, so you don't forget or lose track. Have fun with this!

I like this approach because you are focusing on what you are keeping and how it all works together, rather than on what you are getting rid of! Its more like "creating" a wardrobe rather than "getting rid of stuff."

So, when you are done, take a look at whats left in you closet and drawers. Pick out any favorites that no longer fit (but only favorites!) and store them in a plastic bin and label it. Of the leftover clothes, if some are duplicates in good shape (like black skirts! :)) put them in another bin, and label it. Everything else gets donated! Make a master list of all the outfits you made up and keep it in or near your closet, so that you can remind yourself of your great outfit ideas. But you aren't married to the outfits you made and can mix and match to your heart's content!

Once you've got everything cleared out of the closet and drawers, put your selected wardrobe back neatly. If anything needs to be cleaned, ironed, or mended, do it immediately. This is also a good time to go through your "unmentionables" and make sure that you have enough and that everything is in good shape.

From now on, its one in-one out rule for clothes. You buy one new outfit/piece, another one goes out. But check the second bin to make sure you didn't save a duplicate of what you are about to replace! Eventually that bin will empty out. And each piece of clothing should always have at least one mate that it can be worn with.

And your closet lived happily ever after!

Posted 2 years ago #
globug
Member

@shetats: I know what it is like to have weight fluctuations that affect your wardrobe due to health issues. Its frustrating! However, a good friend of mine (who helps people find wardrobes that work for them) gave me some fantastic advice. If it doesnt fit, and you've not worn it in 3 months - its time to go. The only caveat is seasonal wear - but if at the end of the season you never wore it - its time to go.

Clothes are something that should make you feel proud to wear, not ashamed you can't. My advice is to toss out the stuff that doesnt work for you now. Keep the stuff that makes you feel good. Feeling good will help you focus on your health and allow healing to occur more quickly. And when you loose the weight, reward yourself with a new item (or several) to compliment that new body as the changes occur.

My friend is a big proponent of having a complete mental image of all your clothing items. Which for the majority of us means we can't have a large inventory - as our memories are just not that great! So pare it back to have some great basics and learn how to change them up with accessories or sweaters, etc. Take the stress out of trying to remember and make it simple.

Posted 2 years ago #
trillie
Member

There is some fantastic advice here! I admire people who manage to clean out their stuff every 3 months, or can keep a mental image of their wardrobe. Also, I am always too lazy to switch summer/winter clothing (a lot of my t-shirts are worn under sweaters in the winter anyway). Wow :o)

So yes, I struggle with this, too. Just a few months ago I put all the clothes that didn't fit anymore into a box, and getting dressed is so much easier and less depressing (!) when you just KNOW that everything that is in the closet fits you right now. That box is labelled with a date, so when I will find it again in the future I can make a quick decision like "you didn't miss these for 2 years, just throw it out". I also wrote the kind of clothes and their sizes on the box (like: "2 black dresses sizes 40 and 42, 3 pairs of pants size 42", and so on -- not too precise), so I don't have to open it to know what's inside. I also try to think about "Can I wear this with/Does it match two items of clothing I already own?" when buying new clothes.

Here are three links for Closet Purges I bookmarked some time ago, maybe they are also helpful to you:
* http://www.missussmartypantsmall.com/closet_purge.html -- What I really liked here was that you are supposed to try on everything (and not just look). There are also organizing tips. They also recommend making a list of clothing items that are missing in your wardrobe, so when you go shopping and your list does not say "black skirt", you don't need to buy one.
* http://www.fashionstylebeauty.com/2009/08/breakover-diaries-cleaning-out-closet.html -- A good step-by-step guide, telling you what exactly to throw out and why. What I liked here was that you are only supposed to keep clothes where you get compliments whenever you are wearing them (wow, right?).
* http://shanelyang.com/2008/04/20/how-to-organize-your-closet-in-5-simple-steps/ -- Similar, of course, to other closet purge guides, except that they recommend to have two rounds of trying things on: One for a quick decision, and a second one for the "maybe" pile from the first round-- that really worked well for me (less cowardly decisions when you're doing it the second time).

PS/Edit: There is also a little forum thread with a link to Basic Wardrobe Pieces (by Tim Gunn), here: http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/closet-uncluttering-from-another-perspective

Posted 2 years ago #

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