Perhaps it was the 70+ degree weather today that inspired me to finally give my closet a good "spring" cleaning, or maybe it was that little voice inside my head saying "you have WAY too many clothes and if you want to continue to add to your collection, get rid of stuff!" Grace has been encouraging me to post about a good purge so as to stay true to my charter to keep my clothing consumption in check. For those who don't know, I spent most of 2010 not shopping and going through my closet item by item, wearing each one until I exhausted it...it took me 8 months to go through everything! Yikes! Anyway, I have finally gotten around to picking out a good stack of items that are going to 1) the Goodwill, 2) a consignment shop, or 3) the trash!
Now, compare that with the items I've acquired since returning to shopping on February 7th, 2011 (EEK!). I didn't say that I've completely stricken a perfect balance between shopping and getting rid of stuff, did I? But, it's certainly something to aspire to. Note: being part of the fashion blogging community is certainly not helping with my shopping addiction - but it is a reality and something that will just require me to strengthen my willpower.
A word about consignment shops - in my experience, the non-couture consignment shops (such as Plato's Closet, Clothes Mentor, etc.) have strict policies about buying clothes that are over 2 years old. The way they are able to tell is by the label. In case you haven't noticed, popular brands often revamp their labels after a couple of years. Why they do this is completely a mystery to me (perhaps you readers can enlighten me?). My guess would be that it has something to do with their branding, or a way to track really archaic items vs. those that were only from a few seasons ago. To illustrate this point, I've taken a few pictures of labels from different years...
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| The newer Ann Taylor tags have an "EST. 1954" tag line added. |
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| Not much difference on the LOFT tags, so you might be able to get away with bringing in something a little older. The tag on the top is from a cardigan I purchased back in 2003. |
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| Big difference on the BR tags - not just in the font but also in the spacing between the letters. |
Readers, how often do you purge? What criteria do you use to decide what to get rid of and what to keep?
I "purge" my closet every season but I don' do a good enough job! And I completely agree that blogging only fuels preexisting shopping inclinations...And thanks for the comparison photos of the tags.
ReplyDelete@Elle - seasonal cleaning is the best! I once heard a tip about turning the hanger so that the shorter side of the hook faces out when you return an item to your closet so you could keep track of which items you haven't worn in a while - then they become prime candidates for "THE PURGE." I may try that!
ReplyDeleteI reassess my closet on a bi-weekly basis and I do bigger purges every 3 months and donate things about 4 times a year. I probably take things to the consignment stores every month or so, but lately I don't have much do give away (which is good). So I think my schedule will shift a bit because of that.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest thing is multiples, for some reason, I don't really like more than one style or one exact shade of an item (unless it's black or a cami). So that really turns me away from a lot of potential purchases. LOL. We each have our own little quirks and that's mine. It really pushes me to find something "new" instead of buying the same similar item every season but in a different color. =)
Sigh, again, I wrote up a huge comment, only to get an error when I "post comment" :(:( I should learn to copy before I press that ominous button.
ReplyDeleteLily! I've been avoiding reading clothes/style blogs lately and it's really helped me go back to my non-clothes-shopping-grace personality :P Which is good since I went a bit crazy in the past few months as well. Plus, since I want to get a tablet, I really don't need to be purchasing anything else.
I purge as often as I can, often on weekends (too tired on the weekdays), and that includes everything, not just clothes and shoes. (I'm addicted to cleaning i think, and attaining the beauty of an organized area and work space).
I tend to get rid of anything I dislike, I don't wear often enough, or no longer fits me (though I did this crazy thing last year where I stored 7 fairly new jeans away that were too big for me in case I ever gained weight...just a couple months ago I thought this wasn't too smart of me and have since packed them away to donate because it's just a waste of space despite how new they were.)
You're inspiring to get me on my own program :P
@Stylepint - I am the same as you when it comes to multiples - in the past year, I must have donated at least 20 black items (dresses, pants, shirts) as I felt that my closet was getting a bit too monochromatic (I see that you, too, are venturing into the colorful side). You have so many unique pieces in your wardrobe - a good thing for me to think of next time I try reaching for another black item!
ReplyDelete@Grace - you're so funny! Sorry that you keep getting that error - let me know if there's something I can do to make it easier for you! I'm so proud of you for controlling your shopping lately! Big pay-offs like technological gadgets are a good way to stick to the program! I am totally with you when it comes to trying to keep a clean closet - unfortunately, I share mine with a very messy husband, so I guess I've just come to terms with clutter ;)
I basically never purge... hahaha I need to. I'll get on that. *slaps wrist*
ReplyDeleteI still have to mail you that *thing*... Must remember to do that this week!
I just learned that BR, Gap and old navy actually have the season the item is from on the tag that is on the side of the item. It's on the small white tag behind the tag with the care instructions.
ReplyDelete