Clothes!
I would really like my wardrobe to look like this….
but if I’m honest, it’s actually more like this….
In my quest for simplicity and order I’ve been tidying up my wardrobe, putting winter clothes to one side and bringing the summer ones to the fore. It ended up being a rather scary undertaking. How on earth did I end up with so many clothes? There may even be more of a problem in the wardrobe than there is with my fabric, yarn and books. This scares the socks off me, if truth be told.
I’ve been consciously not buying anything new and apart from one foray to H&M, where, egged on by the teenagers I did buy several lovely floaty and very inexpensive tunics for the summer, I haven’t actually bought anything new for absolutely ages. So things should be getting better, not worse.
There seem to be several reasons that I’ve got into this pickle…
- I haven’t changed size much for a very long time, so everything still fits.
- I don’t tend to buy anything super-fashionable, so my clothes seldom look too dated to wear.
- I actually like the things I have, so I really don’t want to get rid of them.
- Clothes almost never seem to wear out anymore.
- Things tend to get buried at the bottom of piles and I forget I even have them, so there’s no chance of them being worn and even less of them being worn out.
- Nothing ever seems to wear out. No, I’ll reword that. The only things that ever wear out are the things that have been truly and utterly worn to death because I love them. They are therefore the very things that I don’t want to wear out….
I’m rather caught between a rock and a hard place and when I look at the wardrobe I feel like one of those superficial flibertigibbet women who list their number one hobby as shopping. That is so not me. It really isn’t. But anyone taking a peek in my bedroom would think that I really am like that.
This is not a good situation. I’m pondering what to do next. Other than letting my 12 year old take charge of laundry from now on – which I imagine would rectify the situation PDQ- I am rather stumped.
I now need to live to be 127 in order to wear out all the clothes, use up all the fabric and yarn and read all the backlogged books. On the positive side, I could be snowed in for a very long time without experiencing the slightest inconvenience!
Helen
June 1st, 2011 at 9:53 am
If I can’t decided what to toss out, I take the clothes I haven’t worn for a few month and put them away (in the attic, or somewhere else I don’t see them). Then in another 6 month, I go and take a look and most of the time, I can’t even remember what I’ve put there. The fate of those clothes is then sealed ;). My husband has a very simple method. He has a certain number of everything (e.g. 6 polo shirts, 6 white long arm shirts etc). When he buys something new, he will trow out something old. His wardrobe really look like the one in your fist picture.
PS: Congratulations on keeping the same size for a long time ;)!
June 1st, 2011 at 10:19 am
Oh I know how you feel, Truly. Are there any shirts or skirts that you could bear to recycle into a quilt? It might be fun and you would still have some memories to hold on to. I plan to do this with some of Zaki`s clothes one day. Alternatively, donate to the Red Cross or another charity?
June 1st, 2011 at 1:23 pm
My closet is ridiculous. Nobody needs so many clothes. Moving house will give me the perfect opportunity to get rid of a ton of stuff. Vreni is right in her comment above–I packed up my fall clothes a year ago when we thought we were moving and I did not miss one single thing all fall and winter. By now, I have completely forgotten what all I have in those boxes.
June 1st, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Ah, I know this problem and have been working on it, with some success, though I have to say I can only wish I’d been the same size for a long time, which I certainly haven’t. For now, I’m happy at what I’ve achieved and trying to resist anything new that I really don’t need (says she, who picked up a beach dress at H&M only this afternoon!)…
How about this for inspiration:
http://www.missminimalist.com/2011/03/the-minimalist-wardrobe-aka-the-10-item-wardrobe/ or http://www.everydayminimalist.com/?p=1500
and if you google “capsule wardrobe” and “project 333” you’ll find a lot more ideas that may well induce you to start weeding –
well, it worked for me (and I also only have 2x50cm wardrobes and 3 drawers to play with!)…
Enjoy!!
June 1st, 2011 at 3:47 pm
I identify. I want a decent cupboard too, might I add. The one in my room is SO tiny it barely holds a few things. I mean really tiny. And then there is a chest of drawers and that is it. I don’t have that many clothes, but still too many. I do tend to use old things in quilts if they are special, but I am an expert at filling bags for the charity shop. And the coats…..
June 1st, 2011 at 8:07 pm
I sooooo identify with all those reasons you list for why you have so many clothes– clothes still fit, are classic enough to be still in style (or enough for me since I don’t follow the latest trends), I like them all, etc. etc. And no, I have not bought much in the past few years… Please share with us how you solve this dilemma.
June 2nd, 2011 at 12:09 am
Too much of anything is only a problem if it’s making you unhappy. I don’t buy much new, but I have a closet full of clothes that I like and work for me. To me, simplifying and streamlining doesn’t mean throwing it all out – it means having what you need and love and can use – and no more than that. Are you sure you have too much? Maybe your wardrobe is just right!
June 2nd, 2011 at 5:45 am
Hang onto them Helen! I only chuck stuff out when it gets worn out (which is fairly often given all the farm work and renovating we do). I have clothes I haven’t worn for years and possibly never will but they’re staying. Like you, I haven’t changed size for thirty years – we should be proud! I know you should declutter and whatever, but if you’ve got space for your clothes, keep them. I put our winter stuff in the loft for the summer and vice versa but that’s about as organised as I get. Your floaty tops sound lovely!