Paring Down the Closet

I love finding really special pieces for my closet, and also love finding those really good, useful pieces that I wear constantly (case in point). That’s pretty much what I want my closet to be composed of: those special pieces that I love, and those pieces that I love that are workhorses. And I have a lot of both, but I also have a lot of pieces that are just middling – they’re fine, they fit, they’re decent, so I have a hard time getting rid of them, but I hardly ever wear them and they just sit there. I’m all about paring down and editing my belongings (it’s a constant process), so this bugs me. That’s why I was intrigued by this post on Heart of Light yesterday. She put a yellow ribbon on all of those fine-but-don’t-wear-a-lot items to see if eventually (after wearing it and enjoying it), the ribbons would disappear…in which case, she would keep the item. Every time she wore a beribboned item she would use it as an opportunity to evaluate how she felt about the piece, and therefore whether or not she should keep it. I love the idea and am considering trying it. 
Another good idea that I love (and not just for clothing) is to get rid of one thing for every new thing that you bring in. I can’t remember where I first heard that, but I really think it creates a lot of good opportunities for evaluating and editing your belongings. 
Do you guys have any good tips for keeping your wardrobes under control and making sure that you only keep what you love and use? I’m all ears!

Leave a Comment

  1. Patricia wrote:

    I totally agree! Keep everything you absolutely love, good basics and great investment pieces and the rest can go. I regularly (almost weekly!) edit my closet. I find it refreshing and almost therapeutic. "Buy less, choose well" and "less things, more life" are a few mottos I like to live by. Thanks for all the great posts! Love reading your blog!

    Published 8.29.14 · Reply
    • I find it kind of fun too actually! I love getting rid of stuff that I don't need. Thank you so much Patricia, so glad you like the blog! xoxo

      Published 8.31.14 · Reply
  2. cass wrote:

    Similar to the ribbon idea, you can alsonturn all your hangers backwards at the beginning of a season and then as you wear items, turn the hanger forward. At the end of the season yiu can see what clithes you never wore.

    Published 8.29.14 · Reply
  3. Leslie wrote:

    I like the yellow ribbon tip! I have a hard time getting rid of things sometimes too, so sometimes I have my sister help me go through my closet. She gives me an honest opinion and helps me thing critically of what I have. I have heard the one in, one out rule, but I find that hard to keep up with, so I prefer to clean out my closet every few months or so. It's so refreshing to gain a little space, plus it keeps me from wanting to shop!

    Published 8.30.14 · Reply
    • I love going through my closet with my sister! She's totally honest and it really helps to get an outside perspective.

      Published 8.31.14 · Reply