OVER-DRESSED

Clothing Excess

I keep hearing Jennifer Garner tout Capital One's corporate slogan "What's in your wallet?" Beyond the brand, I admit I like having cash leftover in mine. Known for her frugality, I recall my mom's financial advice, "It's not what you make, it's what you keep." Spending less may mean no more retail therapy and window shopping for fast fashion.

The decluttering inspiration started from binge-watching Marie Kondo's Tidying Up Netflix television series, then reading her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Having reduced my book collection to half, it was time for the clothing category. Her Konmari method suggests we question joy as we hold, hang, or fold each item.

In her book Overdressed, Elizabeth L. Cline lamented "I have enough clothing to open a store." Revealing middle-class hyperconsumerism, my overflowing bedroom closet created this embarrassing mountain of clothes. Goodness truth, Elizabeth further suggested an inventory count to account for pieces. Items on the left side of the bed were donated in large plastic bags (picture on the right).

 

CLOTHING	STARTING COUNT	PARED-DOWN KEEP
Dresses	36	20
Tops	52	18
Sweaters	10	4
Coats & Jackets	20	14
Pants & Jeans	26	14
Event & Resort	3	3
Skirt Sets	27	12
Activewear Sets	30	15
Luggage & backpacks	16	8
Swimwear	12	4

What helped weeding-out my inventory was purchasing seventy-five hangers (The Home Edit strategy) and the following guidelines:

• Keep clothing with classic cuts, excellent tailoring, and material. Match items for an outfit onto one hanger.
• Donate items that do not fit my body size, shape nor current lifestyle, but would be valuable to wear-to-work programs like SWC Cares Closet, Dress for Success, and Jails to Jobs.
• Re-purpose clothing that is beyond repair. For example, my daughter took materials to upcycle into her Up☺Design customized sewing business.
• Limit aspirational items to one per special category: resort wear, event gown, etc. Remember that space allows your closet to breathe.

Fast Fashion Rejection

Money saver.  Online shopping has never been easier with expedited shipping most often free. If I ever need an item, the consignment store ThredUp provides a sizing chart, filtering by material, color, and new with tags (NWT) for pre-owned Designer brands available for a fraction of retail cost.

Space saver.  The numbers in the table above show my 48% inventory reduction. According to Kristel Closets, Inc., the continuing challenge for professional women is to pare down even more to a capsule wardrobe: 

Landfill saver.  If I limit purchase to a strictly essential capsule collection, this habit of clothing will be consistent with the cooking one of utilizing ingredients on hand. There is this dark side to fast fashion on a global scale I should no longer ignore.