Why I detox my wardrobe when the seasons change.
Tidying your wardrobe is not keeping it tidy.
Let me explain.
Every year, pretty much at every season’s change, I embark on a mission to listen to and declutter my wardrobe.
Living in South africa, I am fortunate enough to wear my summer clothes a bit longer in the year, but yet, when the colder days arrive, it is nice to have a well organised cupboard with outfits that I enjoy wearing and not just jeans and sweaters.
From a young age, we are taught that tidying is basically keeping things tidy but I think it is much more than that.
For me, tidying it is getting rid of the stuff that weighs me down.
It gives me more space, time and joy in my life.
I am sure you have heard of the “Marie Kondo” decluttering method and how she goes with keeping only the items in your home and in your life that bring you joy.
It can be seen as a bit extremist as I think my printer and my iron don’t really bring me joy but you see the picture, she has a point to which I think we should refer more often when we do declutter .
As for me, a while back, I read a quote saying “everything you own owns you back”, and it got me thinking…It is so true and a lot of it is charged with emotions, so every time I detox my wardrobe, I keep this quote in mind and I ask myself the right questions.
It is vital for me to only surround myself with things that I love and the 4 main reasons being:
1/ It gives me more clarity.
It is easier to choose my outfits and I can focus on what is important in my life.
I know that what I keep in my wardrobe suit my bodyshape, my colours, my style personality and it makes me feel good!
2/ It saves me time when choosing an outfit and I don’t feel overwhelmed with the decision making process.
3/ It gives me more peace of mind; when my wardrobe is decluttered and organised, I have less stuff to look after.
4/ it gives me more space for creativity within my wardrobe, mixing and matching items that I love.
Obviously, nothing is always as easy as it seems… so let’s have a look at the reasons why people discard their clothing.
Researchs show that the main reasons we dispose of our clothings is due to change of size, trend, age, status, design but reality is that we also discard of our clothes because We are Bored..and I plead guilty.
As fast fashion throws at us more limited edition collections and micro trends, we tend to get bored quicker with what we own.
But I must admit, I have found a way to fight this feeling of Boredom. I take the item that I am bored of and force myself to create a new outfit, pairing it with something new or something that I have never worn it before.. If I love what I see, then I keep it. You should maybe try it, it really works.
As much as we have reasons to discard of clothing, we also have many reasons to keep dormant clothing in our wardrobe.
I have identified them for myself as being the following:
1/ I am attached emotionnally to them : the suit I wore at my brother’s wedding decades ago, the cute dress I wore at my daughter’s graduation party 4 years ago, etc ( 1 out of 3 items stay only if I promise myself to wear it again)
2/ It is an investment piece and I am not ready to donate and If I sell it, I will not get my money back..
( most of them are now back in the system and contribute to the circular economy)
3/ I keep it as a tool for weight management control !!I use to have those in my wardrobe for when I would have lost those 3 kilos.. (they are now all out!)
4/ I love the item as aesthetic piece. My vintage Balmain cocktail dress . ( it is a keep)
The same reasons come up when I guide my clients through their own Wardrobe makeover.
And it is ok to have these reasons but they should not become excuses to keep every item of clothing for decades.
To all of the above reasons, I systematically ask myself
“ Do I own my clothing , or does my clothing own me?.”
And believe me it works and it forces you to be truthful to yourself and helps you move on with your life and get rid of stuff.
And in between my “detoxing “sessions, I have a golden rule.
Every time I buy a new item of clothing, one item has to come out of my wardrobe. It seems hard to achieve but it really works and it makes you think twice before you buy more.
To conclude this article, I think that tidying, decluttering, or detoxing your wardrobe (however you want to call it), is more than a quick fix solution,
it is a practice, a daily intention, an approach to sustainable and healthy living.
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Hope you find this article useful, and if you need guidance for your wardrobe makeover, don’t by shy, give me a shout.
Yours in style xx