6 Steps for Weeding Out Your Closet

I don't know about you but I have way too much clothing just hanging in my closet. I only brought about half my wardrobe to Alaska with me and have only worn maybe a third of what I brought. That's roughly one sixth of my entire wardrobe! I forgot I even owned some of the clothes I shipped up here before the move...like the 5 winter coats I sent (and I bought yet another thanks to that lack of memory). It's clearly time to do some "spring cleaning." I'm so excited to spend time weeding out what needs to go and to build a wardrobe based on pieces that really speak to me. Especially as I step out and start blogging. What better time to start revamping my wardrobe than now?

Just thinking about going through all the clothes hanging in my closet makes me tired. So, since lists are strangely soothing to me, I made one! I have followed this process for every "closet purge" I've ever done and it has never failed me.

Step 1: TAKE IT ALL OUT. Yes I mean every shirt, scarf, pair of boots, necklace, and jacket comes out of the closet and/or dresser. Sounds a little overwhelming doesn't it? Don't worry, I promise I have a system.

Step2: SORT IT. As I take each item from the closet it gets sorted into a specific, hopefully somewhat contained, pile. My first (and probably smallest) pile is made up of the items that I absolutely love. These are the pieces that I find myself pulling out of the closet when I just don't want to put the effort in to finding a new outfit. They are the pieces that make me feel confident and comfortable every time. The next pile is things I haven't worn in the last 12 months. I am amazed by the amount of clothing I forget I own sometimes. Another pile consists of special occasions attire (e.g. gowns, costly jewelry, ugly Christmas sweaters, etc.). My last pile is all the clothes that I'm just plain done with. If you have small hoarder tendencies like me take this advice: don't talk yourself into keeping that shirt with the giant hole in the armpit just because it's comfy. Chances are you have other, just as comfortable and more appealing t-shirts.

Step 3: HANG IT UP. This might be my favorite step. That "absolutely love" pile I made? That gets hung right back up. I already know I'm keeping these pieces and they help me set a standard for my new wardrobe. Now that I have a sense of how much closet space is actually available it's time to do the hard work. (I find sorting and organizing oddly relaxing so I actually LOVE these next few steps!)

Step 4: TO KEEP OR NOT TO KEEP. This is another sorting step (weeding out your wardrobe can be hard work but it is soooo worth it!). I like to start with my "haven't worn in 12 months" pile. I start pulling pieces out and ask myself "why don't I wear this?" Is it because it doesn't fit well? It's getting donated. Is it damaged? Time to toss it. Is it super dated? Probably time to let go then. Do I have nothing to go with it? If I'm super honest the reality is that if I didn't find the right outfit for it last year I'm not going to this year so out the door it goes. Am I just bored of it? Definitely needs to find a new home. If something passes each of these questions with flying colors then I put it back in my closet. If I have any doubts about it though it doesn't make the cut.

Step 5: MEMORIES OR CLUTTER? Next I like to take a look at the "special occasion" pile. What's in it? If it's a work uniform of some kind (or a wedding dress) it gets hung back up! Those types of things are usually important. After I establish what absolutely HAS to stay I go through the rest of the pile with a fine tooth comb. This pile is fairly small for me usually. I only have 4 bridesmaid/evening gowns and I tend to get rid of most everything else that would fall into this category. If yours is much larger though take a look at those bridesmaid dresses, costumes, or the shoes you wore to that one concert that one time. If you're really, truly going to wear something in this pile again keep it but if you're just hanging on to it because it was expensive or has memories, it's time to think about letting go. If it's that important of memory to you then you'll probably remember it without that piece of clothing that's shoved in the back of your closet. If it was just too expensive to simply "get rid of" consider selling it (OfferUp, Facebook groups, and Poshmark for certain brands are great ways to go about that). I'm generally a sentimental person so I understand it can be hard to get rid of things in this pile but sometimes it just needs to be done. Same goes for prom dresses, event-specific accessories, and some of those holiday outfits (shout out to the absurd amount of ugly Christmas sweaters that get collected over the years...)

Step 6: PACK IT UP. The last step! This is where I decide what should be donated, sold, and thrown and then do it! I just spent a lot of time sorting through everything and weeding out my ENTIRE wardrobe. I'm too deep in to quit now! I spend time getting items posted on the right sites, tossing the ones that can't be donated, and folding up the donations and getting them out of the house. The donations are the first thing to go because I don't want to be surrounded by clutter or temptation to keep something I'm not 100% in love with.

It's done! The closet has been weeded out. The clothes have been placed where they should and now there is a wardrobe hanging up that I can get excited about. I used to go through this process once a year but once I left home for college I quit because I always had my wardrobe split between my parents' house and college. Now it's split between my parents' house and Alaska. No more excuses though. I have collected too much clothing since college. A change in wardrobe means a change person! I'm done with college meaning it's time to set up a more purposeful wardrobe. Having a closet full of only items that make me feel confident is so refreshing and exciting.

I know it can be intimidating to sort through everything we own but if it doesn't happen then the task becomes more and more daunting with each item that is added to our closets. So throw on a killer playlist, grab a friend or two for company/another set of eyes, and dive in!

Keep in touch to see what can be done with a new, improved, and smaller wardrobe.

Much love

-Millie

P.S. I posted these beauties on Instagram. I bought them last year so they are currently not stocked by Steve Madden but the photo's linked to a similar pair by Guess via DSW

#organize #closet #wardrobe