Here we are — the start of a brand new school year. My move back to The Dirty Eug consisted of moving into a new house. And while that came with its own excitement and enthusiasm, it also came with the daunting thought of having to choose which clothes to bring. Going through my drawers made me realize I had to get to the nitty gritty and figure out what needed to go with me to school and, more importantly, what I should be getting rid of completely.
My deep closet dissection resulted in the formation of a new process for going through your clothes, one that made it easier to make simple judgments over whether something should stay or go. Taking on the chaos of an overflowing closet can be overwhelming at times, so I realized it’s vital to attack the situation with the right mindset. As you begin to form your wardrobe for your new spot, here are some criteria to have in mind for reasons to keep a certain piece.
It’s an everyday essential
The key to a solid wardrobe is to keep a stock of the pure basics — your go-tos. Whether those are your plain white tees, your best pair of jeans, a simple black hoodie or Air Force 1s, make sure to hold on to your supply of personal essentials.
It’s one of your favorites, a staple piece
This almost goes without saying, but if you have a piece that you know you couldn’t live without, or it’s something you wear all the time, those are your absolute “yes” pile candidates. These are the easy decisions you can get out of the way first.
It serves a specific purpose
Some clothes take space in our closet for the inevitable situations we’ll need them for, even when those circumstances don’t come around every day. Your best rain jacket, a nice blazer for interviews, Oregon jerseys for sports games and other situational pieces might not be taken off the hanger too often, but if they serve a specific role for its useful or utilitarian purpose, it’s important to keep these around for when the time comes.
It brings sentimental value
This category is for the pieces that bring you a nostalgic feeling, like your dad’s old sweatshirt that he gave to you, or a rush week shirt you were given from your sorority or fraternity. A sentimental item might be the one exception for keeping something that might not fit or you wouldn’t necessarily wear every day. Although, if you do want to hold on to a sentimental piece, I would recommend keeping it in a separate place away from your main clothing if you’re not intending to wear it regularly.
To sum it all up into one premise, it all comes down to if it brings you joy. Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant and author recognized globally for her expertise in this space, argues that if you decide to keep something, it must “spark joy.” Above anything, that should be your primary standard for keeping something in your collection.
While it is important to reemphasize why you should keep something, it’s arguably more critical to identify why you need to finally get rid of a specific piece. I have had the tendency to make excuses for why I should hold on to certain items, but when you start to notice an overflow in your closet, you have to get picky with your decision making. Here is my personal criteria list for reasons to finally toss something in the “no” pile.
It’s something you never choose
If its only purpose left is to collect dust in your closet, it probably needs a new home. Nothing may be wrong with it — you just simply never choose it next to your other options. Leigh Anne Tuohy in the 2009 film “The Blind Side” said that “if you don’t absolutely love it in the store, you won’t wear it. The store’s where you like it the best.” The same principle applies in your closet — if it’s hanging on your clothing rack, and you’re on the fence about it even there, you’ll never pick it. Time to go.
It doesn’t fit right
Nothing is worse than putting on a shirt or a pair of pants and discovering you’ve outgrown it or it sits too big. If it doesn’t fit you anymore, and it feels uncomfortable, it’s pretty likely that you will never decide to wear it again, no matter how much you like it. Unfitting clothes should be an automatic toss in the “no” pile. An exception to this rule is if you know you undergo known weight fluctuations, which would allow you to hang on to specific pieces if you think they might fit again later on.
It’s not just old, it’s falling apart
The vintage clothing market continues to grow in mainstream fashion, and if you’ve hopped on this fashion wave, many pieces in your collection might be on the older side. Vintage typically describes clothing from a previous era that abides by stylistic elements relevant to the trends of those times, according to the Vou. So even if it was stylish and trendy in the past, don’t confuse your old, worn down clothing for being “vintage” if they’ve become thrashed and near the point of being unwearable. I don’t see much glamor in something about to fall apart, so if it has reached that point, time to toss it away.
It doesn’t fit your current style
Maybe a piece you’re debating was your style three years ago, but it’s more than likely that your taste has changed or evolved in some way. This idea came up a lot when I went through my closet, and it ended up being the underlying reason why I was on the fence about so many pieces. If you’re debating on an item, ask yourself if it’s still your style or if it used to be. Letting go of pieces you used to love will free up more space for the styles you’re currently feeling.
You don’t feel good wearing it anymore
This principle might be the most important. It’s not a good sign if you look in the mirror with a certain piece on, and you don’t see your most confident self. If it doesn’t express you in the way you want it to, and it doesn’t make you glow in the best possible light, it doesn’t deserve to take up space.
The overarching reason to say goodbye to a piece of clothing is if it simply doesn’t serve you anymore. It might have before, but people change along with their taste. So as you finalize your pile of “nos,” have the Ariana Grande mindset: thank you, next.
No matter what you decide to keep or scrap, the act of going through the hodgepodge of your wardrobe has many benefits. A thorough declutter frees up more space for the things you actually do want or need. It feels so much better to have a smaller, more concise collection consisting of your best outfit selections than a dense, overstuffed heap with many unworn or forgotten pieces.
Going through your closet also gives you a mental inventory of what you currently own. Maybe you’ll find something you love that you haven’t seen or thought about in a long time, or maybe you’ll discover something that you should’ve gotten rid of years ago. Finding your throwaways also allows you to donate them to others. Your excess could be another person’s treasure — the thing that brings another person joy, such as giving your friend a sweatshirt they always borrow from you.
A messy closet can be stressful. The way I see it, a messy closet can be a messy mind. Organizing and decluttering can be the impetus that inspires you to organize and clear out other parts of your life, like your computer desktop or other parts of your physical space. A clean closet can be the refreshing energy you need to spark a clear headspace. Organization is a mind at ease. So as the start of a new school year rolls in, a restored wardrobe might be a great place to start.
