Last week I shared with you a ton of articles (sorry!) about different ways people have adapted Minimalism to their life, with the focus being on the closet. (Read my post here.) Fired up by these articles, I attacked my closet with guns blazing!
Step One: Figure Out Which Clothes Are Your Favorites
To do this, I cleared off my bed so that I could lay out these favorite pieces. Then I started thinking about my favorite pieces while not in my closet looking at them! (I think this is an important piece missing from my previous clean-outs, because you are forced to really remember your closet, and therefore the most memorable pieces are the pieces you love the most.) I grouped similar styles into categories, so I could really see what I loved. In the process, I tried on each piece, and I actually came up with a couple outfits just with my favorites that I hadn't thought of before!
I ended up with 40 pieces: 3 sweaters, 3 dresses, jackets, 13 tops, 4 basic tanks, 2 skirts, 4 shorts, 3 jeans, 1 pant, and 1 romper.
Then, I examined what was similar about these pieces, so I could determine my "style":
-classic shapes
-main colors: white, black, nudes, grays, blues
-occasional pops of color: greens, pinks, reds
-simple patterns (stripes & dots primarily)
Now when I'm buying new things that don't necessarily fall into this category, I can really think about if they work with my favorites. (I strongly suggest this evaluation step, even if you think you know your style. That way you know what you are always working with!)
Some observations I made during this step:
-99% of the things that made it into this category were bought in-person (or tried on a similar size and ordered correct size).
-Many were unplanned buys that I immediately fell in love with in-store.
-I knew I was done when I walked into my closet and didn't know what to grab next! This is so important!
Step Two: Figure Out Your "Need to Keeps"
After squishing all my clothes to one side and putting my favorites front and center, I sorted out what I needed to keep. For me this was winter coats & jackets, formal dresses for sorority rituals and functions, and anything I knew I would need for recruitment in the fall. For you, this might mean your job uniform, business suits (only if you 100% love them!), etc.
Step 3: Attack the Rest & Get Rid of What You Don't Love
By grouping the questionable items together, and making my favorites front-and-center, I was more able to evaluate if something I decided to keep was going to work with everything else I had. For this step, it's extremely crucial to try on everything. If I tried something on and I didn't 100% love it, then out it goes! For me, the things that automatically went were items that require a bandeau or tank (I hate having to wear extra things underneath), items that didn't end up washing well, and items that attract kitty hair like a magnet.
I also found it helpful (or at a minimum interesting) to take note of some of the things I added into my "loves" first:
-jean jacket (I wear it a lot, guess I forgot about it in the first step!)
-3 sleeveless blouses that can go from casual to dressy easily (filled a void in my "loves"!)
-colorful maxidress I recently got (perfect for spring and summer!)
I divided up the items I was getting rid of into 3 bags: donate, sell on eBay, and take to a local consignment store. (I prefer Plato's Closet--they pay cash on the spot! Find a location near you here.)
Also important to note: I did this step over two days. Sometimes you just get burnt out and take the easy way out (keep everything), which is not what you want when trying to really be minimal. So I made some decisions the first day, then I slept on it and reevaluated the next morning.
Step 4: Purgatory
I put every item that I wasn't sure about into a "purgatory" of sorts, in the back of my closet. The pieces that made it here are not favorites, but I do really like them and wasn't ready to get rid of them. When trying to really pare down your wardrobe, you do need to be hard on yourself, but sometimes that's hard! I ended up with 15 items in purgatory, and I'm going to see if I pull anything out in the next month or so (the end of the semester). If I don't then out they go! The key here is sticking to this--don't slack!
Step 5: Deal With the Rejects
Take the time to properly deal with your rejects. Kitty Boy helped me take pictures for my eBay items, and then I loaded up my car to take the items to Plato's. (They took some stuff but not everything, so I'll be adding the rest to my donate bag!). Whatever you do, do not change your mind once you've committed to getting rid of an item. If you wanted to get rid of it for even five minute, it's obviously not worth keeping!
In the end, I went from 92 tops/dresses and 13 pants/skirts to 61 tops/dresses and 8 skirts/pants! That is hanging items only, so my jeans and shorts that are in my dresser don't count in those figures. I am planning on evaluating the remaining dresser drawers (my workout clothes, underwear, and pj's) but that is not nearly as exciting! Overall I am really really proud of myself! Since I've been getting dressed in only my loves, it's been a lot easier to get dressed in the morning, which is always nice. I'm also enjoying my closet rods being less crowded!
Stay tuned for updates on my purgatory items, as well as updates on my fight to be as minimal as possible. On my list to really go through are my school items, and my large beauty product collection... yikes!
--Caroline
