If you’ve been finding yourself wearing the same outfit configuration day in and day out as 2021 came to an end, it may be time to consider a closet cleanse to start your 2022 off with a bang. You may attribute your predilection to wearing the same baggy sweater and yoga pants to a season of brazen laziness, but it’s usually connected to a deeper disenchantment with and subsequent lack of awareness of what resides in your closet.
A closet cleanse is an opportunity to re-calibrate and re-evaluate what’s important to you when it comes to your personal style. We are constantly evolving as people - it only makes sense that our closet should join in that journey. Maybe you loved form-fitting dresses in 2021, but perhaps classic comfort is taking center stage in 2022 – or the other way around! At its best, a closet cleanse can bring you into alignment with living more purposefully and not holding onto material that no longer serves you.
If you have ever watched Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up or any kind of reality show that incorporates a closet detox, you may find yourself too intimidated before your ever begin. Don’t be! With these 3 guiding principles, a free Saturday afternoon, and perhaps a personal charcuterie board to snack on in between sorting, you too can give yourself this essential act of self-love.
Who Is Your Partner In Crime?
Barring formal wear, if there is an item in your wardrobe that cannot play nice with at least 2 other pieces in your closet to form a cohesive outfit, it’s time to reconsider. Often these rogue items that don’t have a partner in crime function as closet display pieces that are to be admired but serve no practical wearability. Think of that pair of brightly colored yellow pants you bought that seemed oh-so-cute at the time but that you’ve likely never worn more than once, or my ridiculous multi-colored jumpsuit pictured above. Your closet will forgive you once you’ve banished them and replaced them with a more wearable neutral pant that can pair well with virtually anything in your wardrobe.
Do You Feel Beautiful In It?
Does the clothing item in question make you feel like the best version of yourself? Let’s face it - life is short and there is no room for “someday” logic. Perhaps you have uttered some version of this logic to yourself before: “Someday when I lose 10 pounds,” or “Someday when I feel more comfortable with my arms, I’ll wear this.” The reality is that “someday” is a hopeful excuse that robs you of experiencing an intentional wardrobe in the present. If the clothing doesn’t make you feel like the best version of yourself now and you find yourself leaning on “someday” logic to keep it, it’s time to move on.
Would You Gift It To A Friend?
No, I am not suggesting that you divvy away your beloved wardrobe to a band of millennials. However, armpit stains and small crotch holes in your day-to-day wardrobe can sometimes creep into the realm of “acceptable” provided the items are clean - but you would never think to gift these same items to a dear friend. When sorting through your closet, the rule is simple: if it’s not good enough to re-gift to your friend, it is not good enough to keep for yourself. Fraying, strange discolorations, and aggressive pilling would never make the cut for a gift, and nor should they make the cut as a permanent resident in your closet.
The Year Of The Cleanse
I recently moved at the end of 2021, and I was naturally prompted to do a closet cleanse on my own to adjust to my new space. It still surprised me how many things I was holding onto that just weren’t doing me any favors. After pillaging my closet and donating bag after bag to Goodwill, my closet and my life just feels so much freer. Even though 2022 certainly is starting out with plenty of challenges in our world, I’m that much more ready.
If you are looking for help with starting off your 2022 right, schedule a free consultation with me and let’s cleanse that closet together!
