I read this great article that legit changed my life. When I tell you what it said, you’re going to think I’m being dramatic, because it has to do with getting dressed, but honestly, when you think about how much time we spend/waste looking for something to wear, trying stuff on, picking out outfits, etc., this advice really could dramatically improve your life, or at least your mornings. (Btw, that whole what-to-wear struggle is why I started this blog in the first place and my Instagram too.) Stay with me though. I promise you’re going to want to hear this pearl of wisdom on why you can never find anything to wear.
So basically this woman spoke to an organizing expert and found that the real reason she can never find anything to wear in the morning and she hates everything in her closet is because most of us only wear about 20 percent of our closet (if that) and we’re forced to weed through 80 percent of our closet that is for an old us. It holds value to us as a memory or as a different version of ourselves but doesn’t work for the person and life we have now. So we hate everything in our closets because most of it is just not representative of who we are and where we’re at in our lives right now.
That really resonated with me.
We hate everything in our closets because most of it is just not representative of who we are and where we’re at in our lives right now.
I may not have a good reason for getting rid of something. I may have spent a lot on it. It may still be in style. But I’m not excited to wear it, and it’s taking up room in my closet, making it hard to find things I do want to wear. That in turn, makes me feel like I don’t love anything in my closet. After reading that, I decided I’m cleaning out my entire closet. It might be something I loved once or a no longer currently in style DVF wrap dress that I hope one day my daughter will love. But I’m getting rid of it all to make space for the new me and the clothes that match.
The truth is, we are constantly evolving. I’m a total different person than I was even a year ago. My style has changed, I’ve changed. My priorities have changed. And I want my wardrobe to reflect that. I shouldn’t feel bad that I no longer love the clothes I once did. I also shouldn’t not buy things because my closet is overflowing with things that don’t fit me, or hold onto things because of the memories they hold (that’s what pics/insta is for, right?).
Plus, my style evolves. One season I’m all about grand millenial style than during my pregnancies, I had a romantic streak and then more streamlined take, and then recently, I’ve been moving away from my dress phase and leaning more into streamlined neutrals and playing with proportions. Maybe it’s the resurgence of 90s minimalism that I’m loving, a nod to my forever style icon, CBK, or maybe it’s just that I’m getting older and as a busy executive and mom, it just makes more sense. Or that my job is in fashion and so it’s fun to mix it up and try different trends and personas? I don’t know. But a friend once said to me that our clothes are like our armor for the world, and I do think how I dress impacts how I feel and therefore, act. At different times, we require different looks and clothes, and I think our wardrobes should be more fluid to reflect that. But ushering in the new requires clearing out the old, or getting dressed becomes an overwhelming struggle.
So I’m putting together a big old box of clothes to sell, donate, store and I’m going to start repopulating my wardrobe with clothes that feel “me” — that I love and am excited to wear right now, that feel reflective of where I’m at in my life right now, and of who I am and who I want to be. I know it’s trite and perhaps cheesy, but I really believe in dressing for the life you want, and that includes getting rid of anything that doesn’t fit that bill. Plus, it seems I will have lots of extra time to work on this clean-out.
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