Wardrobe purge: I can do this, right?

[Nicsmom]

I wish I could help you purge your closet in person. That's one of my favorite chores. I am the opposite of a hoarder - I over purge, to the point that DH has forbidden me to clean his side of the closet. I aspire to have a closet (and a home) like the ones you see in magazines, with only a few pieces of clothing, organized by color.

This is my advice: purge as much as possible - if you have not worn it in a year it has to go - because you won't be doing this again anytime soon. And think about the people who will enjoy your clothes, how happy you are making them. Go for it!

[waitingforgrace]

I never regret purging things I've purged.

In fact, I'm probably due for another sort-and-purge session soon.

My biggest problem, though, is "formalwear" - I have 2 black satin strapless dresses from Jessica McClintock (yes, OK, not exactly an uber-chic label, but whatever), 1 white-with-black-embroidery silk dress from WHBM and one chiffon wine-colored dress from Macy's, all of which aren't going to get any use anytime soon, seeing as how I don't have weddings and the like to attend in the near future, but I don't like simply shipping them off to the donation bin.

I also have a bronze satin maternity formal dress, purchased for my brother's wedding last year because the idea of renting something skeeved me out. (I am weird.)

I'll have to figure out how to unload them, because they're taking up room in my closet and it's annoying having things that don't fit hanging there.

I would donate your formalwear to an organization that then gives them to underprivileged girls for prom. The one where I used to live was amazing, they would set up a "store" where the girls could shop for their full outfit for prom. Here's a link to a site to search for one near you:
http://donatemydress.org/donate.html#O

[lizzywednesday]

I would donate your formalwear to an organization that then gives them to underprivileged girls for prom. The one where I used to live was amazing, they would set up a "store" where the girls could shop for their full outfit for prom. Here's a link to a site to search for one near you:
http://donatemydress.org/donate.html#O

THANKS!

I was trying to get an answer from the local food banks and nobody knew where to start looking.

I live in a fairly affluent suburb, but we are not far from areas that would benefit from a program like this.

[sunnyside]

I'm sitting here coughing and gagging after going through my wardrobe and looking for a particular sweater I couldn't even find. And I've decided what I need to do - a massive purge. I have clothes that have been hanging in my wardrobe for over 6 years gathering dust (and mildew) that I don't know I will ever wear again. Many of these are one of a kind type pieces that I picked up when traveling overseas, or bought fabric and had them made to order, so they have some significance to me. But they're part of a more hippie-dippie phase in my life when I wore Mexican embroidered blouses and Indian tunics and Balinese skirts. In my pregnant to nursing to pregnant to nursing universe, they've never really been viable options, but truth be told, even when DD2 weans I'm not sure I'll ever wear them again. I've bought nicer clothes in the years since and am the kind of person who would prefer to wear the same 10 outfits day in and day out, than have a closet full of options to choose from.

And then there are dozens of formal office wear items I just don't wear because I telecommute. And on the rare occasion I have a work meeting, I don't wear the outfits I had from 10 years ago because they're no longer my style (too hip or too wide or something else the matter).

I should just do a massive purge - which would probably eliminate 75% of what's currently in my wardrobe that I haven't worn in 5 years. I can do this, right? What would I do with these clothes? Some of them are Goodwill worthy, some are nicer - shelters, clothing swaps, consignment stores maybe? Benneton sweaters and suits can be consigned, but Indian tunics?

Give me strength to go through with this, ladies! Tell me your stories of wardrobe purges - what you did with the items, whether you regretted it a year later, whether it felt liberating, etc etc. If anyone else wants to join me in the purge, please chime in! Thanks.

I'm thinking of doing the same. I have clothes in boxes from when I moved from SF to Tahoe and moved those same boxes back to SF when I moved back and then back to Tahoe/Reno when I came back here. Luckily Ex helps me when I move, but he has practically cried over those boxes. I have to get rid of stuff too.

If I were in SF, I would probably take the time to do one run to Crossroads on Fillmore with the nicer stuff and maybe one run to Buffalo Exchange with the trendier or hippier stuff, then donate what they don't take.

For me here, when I get around to it, I'll probably give the nicer stuff to my housecleaner in case she wants to ebay it or try to sell it and then I'll donate what she doesn't want.

Thanks for the push, I really need to do this so badly. I had already gone through a zillion clothes phases, then when I got pregnant I gained 65 pounds! EEP! So I definitely "collected' a lot of clothes that aren't going to fit me anytime soon, unless I have another baby, and I'd rather just get other clothes if that happens!

Good luck and keep us posted on how it goes!

[echoesofspring]

I've done a number of purges over the past couple of years and not once have I regretted getting rid of something. In fact, I've never even had a thought like "oh, where's that sweater - oh wait, I got rid of it". They disappear never to be thought of again.

For a long time it was hard for me to get rid of something if it still had 'use' in it, even if I wasn't using it. Especially if I felt like I hadn't gotten enough use out of it to justify having purchased it. Talk about being beholden to your stuff. Then I moved to CA where we have tiny houses with no attics or basements and I had to change. Now, if only I could get my DH to do some purging

One tip I read someplace that has really helped me 'let go' is to get rid of anything that makes you feel bad about yourself - i.e

- this is too small, probably always will be too small and generates a bout of body image issues whenever I consider it
- this reminds me of that boyfriend from 6 years ago
- this reminds me of this tough time in my life when I ....
- I wore this dress to that awful wedding
etc, etc.

I realized I was carrying a lot of 'baggage' in my closet and it was liberating to throw it away. BTW I did the same thing with books in my office a couple years ago. I realized that to get to my desk I had to walk past 10 years of "good intentions" things I had planned reading, books from college I thought I might reread. No wonder I was tired when I started to work.

[CaliMommy]

Bravo on wanting to clear your closet! it definitely will feel liberating!

I just finished purging my closet of old clothes... It's taken me over a yr and many little stages. It all started with us moving and me realizing how much clothing I have that I don't wear! Lots of it were clothes From hs or early college...

Anyway, to help me, DH said I couldn't buy anything new unless I got rid of at least two old things. I did the hanger thing that a PP mentioned. So every two months, I would donate a big shopper bag or two to Goodwill. DS is only 13 mo now, so I didn't have much time to find a consignment store near us or sell my more expensive items online.

Now that it's done, I like my wardrobe a lot better! It really does feel good to see clothes that I do and want to wear.

[lizzywednesday]

...
One tip I read someplace that has really helped me 'let go' is to get rid of anything that makes you feel bad about yourself - i.e

- this is too small, probably always will be too small and generates a bout of body image issues whenever I consider it
- this reminds me of that boyfriend from 6 years ago
- this reminds me of this tough time in my life when I ....
- I wore this dress to that awful wedding
etc, etc.
...

Holy cow, the line I bolded is another guiding principle I use beyond the "I've not worn this in 1 year" and "it's got holes in it/paint on it/mystery stains all over it/smells moldy" principles. (Things that are ratty and stained go into the rag-bag; anything that smells bad gets tossed into the wash & if the stink doesn't wash out, it gets tossed in the trash.)

I have stuff in a bin in my ILs' basement that I've wanted to toss FOR SEVEN YEARS but DH convinced me to hang onto them.

These are pieces such as street fair sundresses (that DH bought for me and I never liked because they were (1) polyester and (2) cut completely wrong for me), Chinese-style dresses from Chinatown (cute, but no way I'll be wearing them anytime soon, if ever), a formal dress from the JUNIORS department (yeah, I think I could fit a boob in there now...) and some random stuff I picked up over the years.

I think one or two of the more modestly styled items can be handed down to my teenage cousins (they're 17 and 15) but everything else needs to GO-GO-GO.

[zag95]

I just purged a huge amount from my closet. Indeed it did feel good and I am not looking back!

I agree with pp post about donating formal dresses to a local prom group for disadvantaged youth. Just be sure that you keep one dress for yourself, if you love it- it doesn't matter the brand!

Another option is to see if there is a woman's shelter or a group that helps women re-enter the workforce something like this- Dress for Success

http://www.dressforsuccess.org/affil...d=53&pageid=22