When we were away on a holiday I realized that many of my clothes were quite worn and I needed to be “gone thru” when I got home. This sounds very simple but for me and many other people it is overwhelming.
In our business I often sorted through clothes with ladies who were moving to a retirement residence or a long term care facility and they really had to downsize their wardrobe. We looked at things that fit and made them feel pretty, were easy to put on, had no stains and usually washable. Recently time was spent with a charming 97 year old and while talking about clothing she said she hadn’t worn a dress in years and just got rid of all of them!
Several days later I opened my closet door and started looking at each piece of clothing. I really didn’t know where to start so after several minutes I returned everything to its overcrowded place and shut the door! “Out of sight…”
As a grown woman, this simple task should have been easy to do. I had helped many people with the process. What is wrong with me? Why is this so difficult? I’m sure many people go through the same roller coaster of emotions when they begin sorting and trying to make decisions.
After some thought, I came up with a solution that worked for me and should work for many others. It got me back to the closet!!
I LOOKED AT MY LIFESTYLE.
What things did I do and what clothes would I need for those activities?
We run a business and I do need some business attire. I had 12 business jackets and felt good about cutting back to 5 and donating the others to women who were going for job interviews. I had made a beginning! Then I looked at pants, shirts and tops that would complement the jackets. Suddenly, I could see my wardrobe taking shape and also I could see the need to buy a couple of things to complete it. Purchasing one new pair of black dress pants would complement everything I was keeping. I had a lot of scarves that I never wore and some I really loved. The unwanted ones were donated for someone else to enjoy.
I love gardening and had eight very worn gardening outfits. It was time to cut back to two.
My cupboard was taking shape.
I could more easily see what I had and now I was actually enjoying the process!
I kept 3 casual outfits in excellent condition.
We enjoy boating so I chose some clothes for boating.
I kept a few “cosy” sweaters for cool days.
I then looked at my coats and jackets. Although this may sound strange each coat was ”special” (there were memories attached to them) but not one was in good shape. It was time to purchase some new ones.
I actually enjoyed what I did, could now easily see what I had and could quickly find what I needed to wear for any activity I’d be doing.
Try this:
List your lifestyle activities
Some suggestions :
work, travel, golf, swimming, boating, yoga, church, tennis, lunch with friends, dancing, dinner “dates”, skiing, gardening, hiking, a cruise, an upcoming wedding or graduation…
Now beside each activity put the number of outfits you would like for each activity.
Begin.
Hope you find it helpful and fun!
p.s.I was in an outlet store to pick up something and saw a pair of jeans in my size. They looked great and were only $9.99 so I tried them on. I knew I had no comfortable jeans I could wear and to my great delight was thrilled with them. The two pairs at home had become too “snug” and were also donated for someone else to enjoy!
