Closet Detox
9 years ago by
I have NOTHING to wear!?!
Okay, not really but it’s exactly how I’m feeling right now, and it’s not even fashion week.
I took this as a sign that it was time to really give my closet a good detox.
This translated into making my boyfriend suffer as I pulled out every single piece of clothing I owned that was either on a hanger, folded (a towering stack of jeans) or came in pairs (shoes), holding them up, trying them on and deciding between YES and NO (Similar to that scene in Sex and the City when Carrie cleans out her closet, except there was less champagne. Fine. There wasn’t any champagne).
The result? I sold or donated everything that didn’t fit, was too trendy, too worn out and invested in a new pair of black trousers that I’ve already worn more times than all of the things I got rid of combined.
I’m making it my new mantra to buy quality, simple, classic pieces going forward. I know my morning routine will thank me when I can’t decide what to wear and I remember the perfect black trousers/black dress/white tee/mens button down waving hello from the closet.
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J’ai fait ça récemment aussi, on se retrouvait tous entre amis, du coup j’ai fait un sac de tous les fringues que je ne mettais plus, j’ai montré aux copines, elles ont pris ce qu’elle voulait, plus également montré à ma petite maman (d’ailleurs c’est elle qui en a pris le plus), bref ça fait du bien de vider, sur le boncoin ça partait pas, et ce qu’il me reste part au relais.
Du coup, j’ai regardé mon copain “j’ai rien à me mettre”, niark niark !
i read about somebody recently giving out an item for each item bought. ballsy and possibly efficient! :)
http://littleaesthete.com
I hear you!!! i did that sometime ago.. and still live by that mantra that you have so elocuently worded for us… Though I feel I should give you a fair warning… either it can get a bit boring and temptation might kick in; or (my case at the moment) I can’t even wear navy blue and have taken my closet to the extreme of only warring black and white, and again! I have not enough white shirts, black pants, black shoes, etc to wear.. That said i will give my closet another detox…. Thanks for your post… xxx
Carrie made it look so fun, it is so tedious. And let’s not even talk about where to store all this stuff when you haven’y sold or donated them yet. I currently have a huge trash bag in my bedroom.
xo
PinkSole
Please share this newfound perfect pair of trousers!
I second the request for the perfect black trouser. I need a new pair. Please share!
J’ai aussi fait ça récemment, j’ai un carton “en transition”, à savoir ceux que j’hésite à faire sortir de ma vie d’indécise ^^ J’ai décidé d’investir plus dans les basiques mais je ne pourrais jamais m’habiller uniquement avec eux ;)
Cécile
http://www.maxcebycecilej.com
yes good idea. I moved and was forced to do a major clean out. My old is new again.
Plus shopping just isnt as much fun. I cant seem to find things i like as much as the clothes i already own.
Can you please tell me where you sold the clothes that you didn’t want? I currently cleaned out my closet and i’m looking for a place to sell a few things in New York City.
While online and not in New York, I would highly recommend Twice (www.liketwice.com) for selling clothes. They send you a mailer bag and pay you up front, so it’s super easy. I recently cleaned out my closet (mainly prompted by an upcoming move), and this was the primary way I did it.
http://laurasdailylookbook.blogspot.com/
Hi Savannah! I first go to Tokio 7 and then any remaining items I take to Buffalo Exchange/donate. Neither re-sell shop requires an appointment, which is important for me :) Good luck!
I sell my lightly used clothing to Greene Street Consignment. Although I live in the Philadelphia area, they have an outpost in Soho: http://www.greenestreetconsignment.com/map/soho-new-york/gssoho
I have done this periodically for a few years now, and they are lovely people. You do not need an appointment, and they take things from J. Crew to Prada. Good luck!
Ahah on fait toute ça… Jusqu’au jour où un matin tu te lèves et tu veux mettre LE truc que tu mettais jamais et que tu as donné mais que là, maintenant, tu saurais parfaitement accorder… /+=@#& ;)
Can I have the clothes you want to give away? I will pay you for shipping!
Good work! I need to do this soon, too. I keep thinking I culled the duds (the dud duds…) not so long ago, but it turns out it was at least 3 years ago, and I have a terrible memory.
Makes all the difference to streamline, and inspires discerning future purchases. Key not to forget accessories, too, in the great cleaning out. http://www.theseventhsphinx.com/fashion/accessories-fashion/thoughts-on-a-pile-of-accessories/
I’m going through a bit of the same thing! The driving force behind my closet downsizing is that I’m moving to Seattle in a couple weeks, and just simply CANNOT take anything I don’t truly love. It really does force me to think about what I really love, and what I just bought because it was on sale or on trend.
Best of luck with your own closet purge!
I really need to follow suit and do a closet clean too; I have way too many items that would be better off in the charity shop, and I’m all for investing in quality staples instead!
http://cequisuit.blogspot.com
I NEED to do this. I purged when I graduated from college, but I keep forgetting that that was over three years ago and some of my favorites from then have been untouched for two seasons. Whenever I’ve done it in the past, I’ve enlisted the help of a really honest friend to force me to get rid of things- and then you can actually have that champagne as a bonus!
http://www.gabsessions.com
Hey Brie have you heard of project 333? You narrow down your wardrobe for three months to 33 items, excluding sleepwear, workout wear and if you want shoes/jewellery/accessories. It would be really interesting to see what someone who works in fashion/blogging would chose… Check out the website. Also the blog un-fancy :)
I know exactly what you mean. At present, I’m on a fast fashion cleanse in an effort have fewer, better things. I wrote all about it on kirbeemarie.tumblr.com.
I’ve just cleaned out too! I think ‘A Guide to Elegance’ by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux is good for giving motivation to keep a streamlined, quality wardrobe, plus it has the added interest of having been written a few decades ago ( and i think recently updated). It makes me feel really good about my investment pieces :D
I don’t know. This is something I dream of doing, but, then again, there have been times when !all of a sudden! I have finally acquired the perfect shirt/pant, etc. to make that item in the back of my closet work to great effect. This happened very recently, in fact. How many times have I wished that I had just kept that (fill in the blank)!
Are you in your thirties Brie? :)
Cuz that’s also been my mantra for a couple of years
I am really into detox closet ( I like the expression) for months/years now…I did few “brocantes-flea markets”, vide dressing and I am still selling on ebay and on my blog via tictail.
I also do “troc” with a girlfriend. She created my blog and choose to receive clothes as payment.
I am also keeping in a book a list of everything I am selling and everything I am buying….you can imagine where the list is longer….but I am working on it!
Every few months, I clean up all the closets with everything out and I really thing about each item…to keep or not….sometimes it takes me months, years before to be able to sell something but at the end I am happy to keep only what I am really wearing….
cheers
Nath
http://foinetescarpins.com
Je l’ai fait aussi, un sac avec ce que je jette et un autre avec ce que je ne met pas/ne met plus. J’ai néanmoins gardé une grosse boîte à chaussure avec quelques pièces. Si j’ai une fille plus tard, ça l’amusera de découvrir mes vêtements vintage 2000 :-)
Bon, moi j’ai pris l’option appartement avec une pièce supplémentaire pour garder ma collection de fringues… car même si j’ai des choses que je ne mets jamais, je ne suis pas à l’abri d’avoir envie de les remettre dans 5, 10 ou 15 ans. Je donne des pièces des fois mais juste pour les gens pour qui j’ai beaucoup d’amour (des fois je suis morte de jalousie quand je vois une copine avec une de mes ex-robes qui lui fait une silhouette de folie, mais bon, j’ai beaucoup d’amour donc ça passe ;)
N’acheter et ne porter que des basiques, ça devient vite lassant, il faut mixer !!!
Ca me parle, je fais ça tout le temps !!
Mais après je me sens déprimée, parce que je n’ai VRAIMENT plus rien à me mettre :)
Superbe illustration comme toujours !
http://www.pardonmyobsession.com/
pour évier le prises de tête devant sa penderie “épurée” (“j’en ai marre de porter toujours les mêmes trucs!”), prendre des photos de ses tenues,complètes(oui, avec manteau et bijoux) portées ou étalées sur le lit ou à terre … On réalise après que ça fait plein de combinaisons et qu’ avec deux jeans, on a douze tenues…
Ahhh… every girl´s dilemma! I´ve been thinking about doing this myself but somehow I end up forgetting about it. I guess its a part of me not wanting to let the clothes that I NEVER wear go. :/ lol xx
Marieta
http://www.marietaalvarez.com
I underwent a Closet Detox a few years ago, courtesy of my good friend the Style Therapist who I did a feature on a few months ago. https://www.enduringethereal.com/home/2014/2/24/2247eo6lrgetfomcjk2gx06vewx70e
She set me on the straight and narrow and getting ready in the morning is infinitely more efficient!
http://www.enduringethereal.com
Several years ago, a very wise woman suggested the following to help me get started with a good purge (and to keep it going): ask yourself if you would buy it today. If the answer is “no,” then it goes. I do it all the time now when faced with something I haven’t worn for a while or when changing my closets over with the seasons, and the results are amazing. It’s much more effective than asking yourself if you might wear it again someday.
Je suis du genre à tout virer mais je ne peux plus car je n’ai que des belles choses de belle qualité qui sont invendables car quand je voudrais récupérer un prix correct c’est trop cher pour la moyenne des gens: De nos jours sur eBay ils voudraient tout pour rien.
Je n’ai de choix que de porter mes affaires et de ne rien acheter:
Je n’ai encore RIEN acheté cette année et je fais un marathon, c’est à dire le challenge: arriverai-je à ne rien acheter jusqu’à la fin de l’année?….
An article you wrote about learning the importance of getting dressed and ready quickly stuck a chord with me. It helped when I cleared out my own wardrobe, and likewise minimalist things that did not fit, were too bright or did not go with anything. My friends were happy with their donations, the rest went to charity. I am happy to say that getting ready is much quicker, I am annoying my boyfriend less because I don’t make him wait as long and our wardrobe spaces are equal.
It also helps that everything goes well together, for the most part, so mixing and matching is much more seamless.
Thanks for the suggestion Garance.
xx Jenelle
inspiringwit.com
I can totally relate to Brie. How could I possibly have a closet full of clothes, and yet feel like I have nothing to wear. I wrote about it on http://kirbeemarie.tumblr.com/post/93008517983/fast-fashion-strike
Helen suggested A Guide to Elegance by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux. I’ve always wanted to read this book but it’s so hard to find a copy.
I also checked out http://theproject333.com ,as suggested by Sonya. It’s really interesting. I agree with the site that less is more. Although I love clothes with a fervent passion, having too many of them is really overwhelming. I just finished purging, and what a challenging experience! I knew I had to do it, but it hurt a little bit each and every time I put a dress with the tag still on in a box with a “Donate” label. Post-purging, though, I felt more zen-like, like a better, more stylish person.
Thanks for reminding me Brie! “Have nothing to wear” is driving me crazy!
C’est exactement ce que j’ai envie de faire ! Revenir aux basiques, faire le tri !
Je crois qu’on est toute pareille ;)
Bisous, Manon
http://m-drugstore.blogspot.fr
Again, you are inside my mind… I’m doing exactly that with my closet right now. Yesterday I posted all my things I don’t wear or want anymore online, on a really cute online shop we have in Brazil, of used items (you should check it out http://www.enjoei.com), and I’ve already sold 2 items! In one day! I’m happy. Not happy with the idea of the credit card bill next month with all the clothes I have to pay for… it’s a renewal after all, so I need new things! I’m so exited to start wearing everything though!
It’s http://www.enjoei.com.br sorry!!