For the Inaugural Ten Tips Tuesday post idea, I thank my friend Sarah!
1) Get rid of anything that doesn't fit. Whether you've gained or lost weight, don't keep things around in hopes (or discouragement) that they might fit again.
2) If you haven't worn it in a year, you probably won't wear it. Save for something special or sentimental like a wedding dress or graduation cap & gown (which you could vacuum seal and put under your bed to save closet space), clothes that are forgotten for a year are usually forgotten forever.
3) You don't need more than 2 pairs of black pants and *at most* 3 pairs of jeans. Get black pants in lengths that work with both heels and flats and jeans that work with both heels and flats. The only reason you'd need 3 pairs of jeans is if you have them in different washes. Getting all of your jeans in dark washes assures that they are both professional and dressy and therefore more versatile.
4) T-shirts. Downsize your t-shirts to just the ones that are from that special concert or the one that is finally broken-in and oh-so-soft. You don't need "Team Building Exercise '99".
See Flight of the Conchords below. You won't regret it.5) Invest in a good blazer. One good blazer can replace 3 ill-fitting blazers, jackets, hoodies (yes, blazers should be comfy) and some of your bulky sweaters.
6) Rid yourself of anything that you haven't had time to take to the tailor/cobbler in the past month. If it doesn't fit/is falling apart and you haven't tried to fix it yet, you're not gonna. I can't tell you through how many moves I've lugged these broken shoes around and it's not worth it.
7) Yellow pit stains (or any stain for that matter)? Don't deny 'em, chuck 'em!
8) We've all got some slippers, jewelry, sweater that is just not quite our style and we keep it around because it's not polite to re-gift. Now is the time to let it be someone else's style. Liberate it!
9) Special occasion dresses. Some girls like to go out and buy a new dress for every wedding/bar mitzvah/company outting anyway. If you buy new for every occasion, then cycle out the old. If you like to recycle (I do), then limit yourself to the perfect LBD (little black dress) and revamp it with accessories and bright heels to switch it up. Guys: pick your one suit or one jacket/pants combo.
10) Keep one purse/shoulder bag at a time. If you're like me, you ditch the old bag when the new one comes along. Either you cycle through your bags seasonally, or you never return to that old one. Either keep 4 seasonal bags in an appropriate size for your lifestyle or just keep the one you currently use until you buy a new one. Promptly toss the old one.
Sometimes we get attached to our stuff. Remember, it's just stuff.
And don't forget to donate your gently used clothes and accessories to a
Salvation Army or a
Goodwill store to help support organizations that employ people in your community and work towards good causes.
Some other things to do with stuff from your purged closet? Host a
clothing swap (my favorite idea!). Give them away to friends. Sell them on eBay or Craigslist.
Picture
via. I love that there is someone sitting in a purple dress in the right side of this photo... gotta play dress-up before you through out that bridesmaid dress! And get pictures. Then send them to me. I will blog them. You will be famous. It's that simple!
