Challenge: Wardrobe cleaning

[yvi]

For those of us living in areas of the world with seasons, this is the time where the really big weather changes happen, whether from cold to warm or from warm to cold. With that comes a pretty big switch in what to wear when outside. That's also the perfect time to get rid of stuff you aren't wearing anymore, whether because they are broken or don't fit or just aren't your taste anymore.

I am declaring this a two-week challenge for getting your wardrobe into shape!

Of course, how this is done is very different depending on your living situation. You might want to do a few of the following things:

* going through the clothes and diving them into things that need to be thrown out / things that can be donated or sold / things that need to go into storage (provided you have any way of doing that - I don't) / things that can go back into the wardrobe

* buying new things that fit your style better

* tossing out the clothes that you haven't worn in a few months

* going for much less clothes and reducing your wardrobe to only clothes you really wear and that fit and suit you well

* take pictures of you wearing the clothes in certain combinations to help with getting a feel for what fits together

* organize your wardrobe by color or type of clothes

A few maybe helpful links (haven't yet read them, I am quite exhausted from my own clothes shopping right now):

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/organizing/tips-for-spring-cleaning-your-wardrobe-049739
http://www.linkroll.com/Home-Improvement--83104-Tips-For-Cleaning-Out-Your-Wardrobe.html
http://www.melange4women.com/fashiontrends.html
http://www.flylady.net/pages/wardrobe_slimdown.asp
http://www.ehow.com/how_4764724_spring-clean-wardrobe.html
http://www.blogher.com/wardrobe-spring-cleaning-tips-and-tricks-trenches
http://sweetpealovesgreen.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/spring-cleaning-how-to-clearsort-out-your-wardrobe/
http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/fashion-beauty/holly-white-road-testswardrobe-spring-cleaning-2132835.html

Comments

[sophinisba]

Thanks, this post is very well timed as I was just starting to fold some laundry when I saw that. Clearing some heavy winter stuff out of the closet will be really helpful for me as I'm trying to fit in the stuff I've just folded. :)

[ladysunflow]

Great idea and just in time, seeing as I'm moving next week. Although I'll have much more space available than ever before, with a separate walk-in closet, over the years I've accumulated so many clothes that I now never wear. I want a freash start, so I estimate I need to get rid of perhaps a third of my wardrobe. Thanks for the links!

[yvi]

I may have just thrown out about one third of my wardrobe, including half of my trousers. I should probably post pictures of this tomorrow or so. So much happier with the way it is now.

[recessional]

*g!* I sort of beat you to this one - I did this all two weeks ago, when classes let out and I found my skin crawling at the state of my wardrobe.

[alphaviolet]

I'm working on this right now...but it's going to take me more than 2 weeks to get it done, since I need new work clothes, am looking for them secondhand, and have also changed sizes. (I expect it'll be more like 2 months.)

[alphaviolet]

I just finished this! Yay.

I pulled out everything and put it in one of the following piles:
1. Doesn't fit; give away.
2. Doesn't fit; keep (this was only for special occasion/memory box stuff).
3. Don't like; give away.
4. Keep; for work.
5. Keep; casual.
6. Keep; nightlife.

I'm donating the clothes to the Swap Team city-wide clothing swap:
http://theswapteam.org/
(They host clothing swaps in the eastern U.S. and Canada. You get credits for whatever you donate.)

[yvi]

Whee, this sounds great! Congrats!

[alphaviolet]

Thanks! It's good to have more space...

[marymac]

I came home today and went on a wee bit of a tear. Well, I fell over my still-packed suitcase and snapped, more accurately.

So despite the epic pile of things I need to do quite urgently, I took myself over to Dunnes, bought a laundry basket (necessity) and new bedclothes (bribery), had an excellent chat with the taxi driver on the way back, and stuck in to the giant piles of clothing taking over my room.

I stripped the bed, binned a bunch of elderly bedlinen, bunged the rest in the wash, and emptied my wardrobe on the bed. Then emptied the drawers on the bed. Then the sofa.

This resulted in a bag of things fit only for rags - white vest-tops, elderly tshirts, cardigans bought when I started university, elderly trousers of dubious provenance. And a bad for the charity shop - things I do not now and will never wear again. Followed by a short but vicious cleaning spree.

And now the only things on my sofa are the jeans I'm wearing tomorrow. And I have a large glass of wine.

[yvi]

Awesome, go you!