This was one of my not-resolutions this year

[owl]

As the weather has been so spring-like lately (I've been considering digging out my sunglasses, if I didn't think I'd look stupid wearing sunglasses in March), I had a go at cleaning out my winter wardrobe.

I only found a couple of shirts that I haven't worn at some point in the last six months. I have now donated them to the thrift shop down the road. It's not that I have a particularly small or well-organised wardrobe, it's just that I tend to procrastinate my ironing until there is nothing left to wear to work, and so work through it. Admittedly some of my interchangeable black work trousers or white shirts may not have been worn in the last six months, but I can't actually tell.

Probably I should tackle my shoes next. Need to make room for more, after all ;)

What's your criteria for getting rid of superfluous clothes? What do you think of the six-month rule?

Comments

[marymac]

Mostly I go with if I haven't worn it for a year and haven't missed it it goes (or goes in the bag, actual delivery to charity shop is somewhat erratic).

But things I spent a lot of money on, things I am attached to and skirts generally stick, I go round to them in cycles. And band shirts. Band shirts stay.

And what is this getting rid of shoes? How does that work?

[annalee]

I've been steadily overhauling my wardrobe via the guidelines in Tim Gunn's Guide To Style, which is kind of an all-out method--donate everything you don't absolutely LOVE and replace with things that fit your "look" (after determining what your "look" is). I didn't have the money for a shopping spree, but I did have a very Uni-Girl wardrobe, which didn't work so well on Capitol Hill (which may be the only workplace in America where "business attire" still means what it's always meant, as opposed to "make sure your jeans are clean").

So I've been replacing pieces on an "as possible" basis, paying more attention to how appropriate they are for the office than how long ago I last wore them (because some days I've just had to make due with the suit trousers that are two inches too short...).

[owl]

Oh, band shirts don't count. They are artefact rather than clothing.

I hear tell that one can somehow dispose of shoes before they actually come apart. Anyway, I need more room under my bed (for more shoes) and I can think of a couple of pairs that I never liked much, so...

[marymac]

*clings to Frames shirt with unfortunately placed hand*

I think I only have one pair of shoes I actively dislike - the kitten heel sandals bought under duress for my undergrad, the straps of which are actually made of cheese-wire. There was woe and sitting down on the tree outside Methody and demanding my dad fetch the car, and shortly thereafter they were donated to the cause of Claire having more ridiculous shoes.

Everything else has to actually disintegrate on my feet.

[cynthia_black]

Mine (or rather, my husband's) is the one year rule, due to seasonal variations :)

[azurelunatic]

My wardrobe's been weeded after The Great Move, and about 2/3 of my closet are things that I don't wear due to them not being in regular circulation. It isn't that they're something I'd never wear, it's just that I'm beating the hell out of the ones I do wear first. I have found my Look, and given that it's sometimes difficult to find inexpensive black clothing in the desired style in my size, when I do find some on sale, I will stock up.

As my closet's not actually overcrowded at the moment, and I am not currently actively in need of replacing things, I may not weed the closet for another year or so.

Now, socks and underwear, that's another story. I should get rid of any of them that are ill-fitting or otherwise uncomfortable or beat-up, and I should probably do that on an every-six-months basis.

Since I don't Dress Up often, there are dressy and costume things that I'd not wear for Quite Some Time, but be glad of when the time came.

[highlander_ii]

I love the 6-month rule... but I have such a hard time letting things go. I have this fear of 'what if I need that someday?' Usually I don't end up needing it, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to hang on to stuff.

So, my criteria for getting rid of things is when I decide I can't stand it anymore. Not a good set of criteria, but I haven't gone on a 'toss things out' rampage lately either.

[nineveh_uk]

I don't have enough space to store all my clothes in my wardrobe, so the "off-season" ones go in suitcases under my bed and I perform switch-rounds at various times of the year and during these consider everything from the point of view of "do I still like it, have I worn it, will I wear it when I get it out again?" It is fair to say that a winter jumper that hasn't been worn in winter is likely to go. Summer clothes are more tricky because of weather dependence - if I chucked everything that didn't get worn last summer, then I'd have no hot weather things left! I do keep some things that I particularly like even if I am unlikely to wear them, just because I want the option and the garment itself, but e.g. unworn jumpers/T-shirts/trousers go.

[owl]

I have a pretty distinct set of warm weather and cold weather clothing for work (linen trousers/short-sleeved shirts vs wool or cotton blend trousers/woollen jerseys), so it works ok splitting it up.

[owl]

Oh, yes, if they actually cause pain, the shoes must go. I have a pair of boots with a bit of a heel that started to hurt me last winter, but because in other ways there is a lot of wear still in them I have been loath to get rid of them. I must steel myself.

[owl]

I had to get a whole new wardrobe a year or two ago when I first came under business casual dress code. I made a few false buys, but mostly I've settled on black/grey/brown bootcut trousers, with a jersey or a cardigan over a white shirt for winter, and brightly coloured plain cotton tops for summer.

[owl]

I know just what you mean about stocking up. I have difficulty getting work trousers that fit and aren't horrid polyester that messing with my sensory issues, so whenever the Gap was doing black cotton blend bootcut trouser last year, I bought them in bulk, in a couple of lengths and sizes. So now I have a lot of interchangeable trousers -- it's great.

I wasn't including dress-up clothing in the cull either. It generally only get one outing a year per item anyway.

[owl]

I used to have that fear as well, but know I'm able to say "Okay, buying that was a mistake, let's pass it on and hope someone else can use it better."

[owl]

I used to not have enough space in my wardrobe, so I bought a chest of drawers, into which I placed everything that could be folded. I'm now sort of running out of room in there too; hence the cull.

[highlander_ii]

Ha! My problem is more of the 'oh, I really liked wearing this and... what if I need it in the future... ' and then it gets stuffed somewhere and I forget about it for months. Which doesn't always mean that I don't like or want to wear the article of clothing, just that I don't always remember things I have in the closet.

I also have a strong tendency to go through spells of wearing something, then not wearing it, then wanting to wear it again. So I have to 'not' wear something for a really long time before I can officially decide that 'yes, I am getting rid of this'.

[skywalker-child.livejournal.com]

(I've been considering digging out my sunglasses, if I didn't think I'd look stupid wearing sunglasses in March)

I wear sunglasses year round; my baby-blues are my excuse, but I think it actually makes sense to wear them. Even winter sun can damage the eyes.

[sunnyskywalker]

If it no longer fits halfway decently, has holes, is inexplicably hideous even though it wasn't when I bought it, or otherwise just isn't worth wearing in public, it either goes or becomes pajamas (depending on what it is). The climate here means I can wear my winter and summer clothes for six months each (because we really only have two seasons, plus a few weeks in between them which might be considered "spring" or "fall" I suppose), so I go more by a one-year rule. Plus an "I'm moving and might as well get rid of things I don't want to haul to the new place" rule for any time that applies.

[lilliburlero.livejournal.com]

Low winter sun excuses sunglasses.

I am cautious, and say a year, but also if I have started to resent the item for its unwearability and consequent reparoach of my not wearing it it has to go. I have recently become ruthless about getting rid of "good" clothes and shoes that don't fit properly or don't suit me. I have only once ever regretted chucking something, and that was a rather natty orange suit-skirt that I got rid of because I'm 29 and I'll never be that size again whereupon I promptly lost two stone and was slightly smaller than that size. I kept the jacket, which is a reminder...

[owl]

Mine are grey/hazel; very few Irish people have dark eyes, even though they often have dark hair.

[owl]

My end-of-life for t-shirts and sweaters is 'running clothes'. I have a multitude of tatty cotton t-shirts that will. not. wear. out.

[owl]

I think it's a law that as soon as you chuck something for size-related reasons, you will instantly become that size again. Inconsistent sizing of the clothes doesn't help. I generally end up being somewhere between 10/12 or somewhere between 12/14 depending on manufacturer, so I generally buy one in both sizes to allow for fluctuations.

[sunnyskywalker]

I have a pair of pajamas that actually started as pajamas from when I was ten. I haven't outgrown them and they haven't fallen to pieces.