T&T Closet Edit Tips
You have a closet bursting at the seams (no pun intended), yet nothing brings you joy. Every time you go to get dressed all you see are clothes that are tired, boring, outdated, and no longer fit. It is time to edit! The biggest hurdle we all face when downsizing is guilt. We mentally start tallying the amount we’ve spent and feel foolish and wasteful.
“That Vince sweater was $275!”
“I only wore those $100 shoes once for New Year’s Eve.”
“Those Louboutins kill me, but they were $800.”
“That green cashmere sweater comes in handy on St. Patrick’s Day. I will wear it then!”
“Grandma bought those booties for me, so I can’t give them away.”
“I bought those sunglasses in Barcelona on my honeymoon!”
If you relate to even one of the above, it is time to clean out. Those Louboutins will never be comfortable. You’ll forget to wear that green sweater on the one day of the year you need it, and your grandmother does not want you to be a hoarder. Why did you decide to spend $500 on Dolce & Gabbana aviators in Barcelona? We will never know, but it’s time to get over it and start making money!
So how do you even begin?
You won’t like what I’m about to say, but you have to take everything out of your closet and try each item on.
If that’s too daunting, pick a section of your closet or category. For example, start with your shoes.
Make three piles: Sell, Donate, and Keep
If you’re struggling to let go of clothes, try a trick I use. Make a fourth pile of “maybe” clothes. These are clothes you’re convinced you may need down the road (anything from black tie to old yoga pants you think you may need if you paint your house). Put them in a bag and put a 3 month reminder in your phone. If you haven’t once gone for anything in that bag or even thought of them at the end of the 3 months, it’s time to let them go.
From there, you have to be ruthless. If you half-ass this, you’re wasting your time.
Does it itch?
Is it too big, too small, too short etc.?
Do you feel unattractive in it?
Do you try it on again and again and never actually leave the house in it?
Did you go an entire season and not wear it?
Do you have multiples of this same item ? In other words, is this the tenth black turtleneck you have? If so, you can easily edit it down to your top 2 or 3.
Does it have a sports/sorority/marathon/college/ promotional logo on it? (If you are over 22 you don’t need these; at the very least, you don’t need 45 of them.)
Does your lifestyle still require that type of clothing (i.e. suits and you now work as an artist?)
Sometimes it is helpful to “phone a friend” so feel free to invite a friend over or send photos to consult a friend who will be honest with you!
SELL
List your clothes to sell on Poshmark, Tradesy, Fashionphile, Mercari or Ebay etc.
Reminder that you do not need to try and tackle everything on the same day. Sometimes a closet edit and a few piles is enough for one day. You can take photos another day. Save those photos on your phone to an album called SELLING and you can post to the site(s) of your choice when you’re killing time some other day. Break it up as much as you need to!
BE PATIENT. You cannot expect to sell your Chanel flats for $500 or Old Navy jeans for $20 in a day. Unless you list everything below market, you will have to be patient. Take all the items you list in a plastic bin and put them in your basement, garage, or under your bed. (Don’t be like me and put them in 12 different places. This will result in you tearing your home apart looking for a $20 sweater!) Once you have everything tucked away, prepare for a delight when you are out running errands and get an email that you have made a sale.
My closet is a revolving door. I always say “if it’s not nailed down, I will sell it.” My friends think I am absolutely insane selling things I am still wearing and enjoying. My approach is this: I will list any item at a price that I am willing to part with it. Sometimes I will even list things that I still enjoy above the retail price. I do so knowing it is highly unlikely that someone will buy it, but if they do, I will gladly let it go for that price.
Don’t forget to list your designers boxes, shopping bags, and dust bags. They sell!
DONATE
Take your donate piles and bring the clothes to your local charity/thrift shop. Depending on the organization, they may even come pick up the clothes at your home. Please, please, PLEASE do not throw your things away. There are so many people who need clothes and would gladly take your worn out, 10 year old True Religion Jeans or your high school Talbots sweater.
I also encourage you to look into programs like Dress for Success, Suited for Change etc. and see if any of your business clothes could help women in need as they interview for jobs.
KEEP
For the pieces that make the cut, put them in a place where you’ll easily be able to see everything. I am certainly guilty of wearing the same five things, but try to make a point of wearing pieces that get pushed further back in the closet.
If you have any great investment pieces, family pieces etc. that fit a little funny, find a good local tailor to hem, stitch, shorten etc.
Keep your clothes clean! Unfortunately, moths love cashmere and are attracted to the smell of human body odor (sorry, it’s true!). So be sure to hand wash/dry clean your wools/cashmere and don’t put your dirty jeans back in the closet again and again.
Repeat this process every 3-6 months. I am constantly listing new items for sale, but if it is more daunting for you, you can do this process when you swap out winter-summer clothes. I cannot stress enough how liberating this process will be once you get the hang of it. You will no longer be drowning in things you don’t want and will become hooked on living a more parred down life (with things you truly love). The money you make from selling can be put towards more worthy investments from paying off your student loans, to a dream vacation, to a Chanel bag.
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