Wardrobe Essentials
Wardrobe essentials is something I’ve been meaning to do this for awhile now, and given my week off it seemed like the perfect time to tackle my overflowing closet. Now, if you follow me on Instagram you would have already seen through Insta stories what the situation looked like prior to the declutter, so you know it was a hot mess. If you don’t, I can assure you it was a hot mess. The back of my closet has always been a place I ignored, you can’t see it whilst looking straight on so I figured its the perfect hiding place for every piece of clothing that I didn’t love. Fast forward a few years it became a cluttered mess dating back to my early twenties, a change had to be made.
Five overflowing garbage bags later I was well on my way to a more minimal closet, first things first though the clothes within those garbage bags can’t simply be thrown away or shoved into a donate bin. You really need to think about where you dispose of your unwanted clothing because where do you think they’re going? Its wonderful want to help people less fortunate than yourself, or give a thrift store a bunch of new merch, but the reality is a lot of the time those thrift stores don’t need your donation and your clothes don’t end up where you think they do.
Read more about that here as I’m not an expert, but I have been doing my research:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/clothes-recycling-marketplace-1.4493490
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/06/second-hand-clothing-donations-kenya
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/clothing-donation-problem_us_57d85975e4b09d7a68803d90
https://globalnews.ca/news/3412511/how-to-donate-used-clothing-and-items-responsibly/
Consumer culture is creating a huge issue when it comes to disposing of what we don’t want anymore, third world countries are suffering, your neighbourhood thrift store is suffering, and your clothing quality is suffering. Fast fashion is contributing to a global crisis (as we all know and have known this for EVER) and so many of us ignore it-myself included. But as I get older the need to have the latest trend or to do “hauls” is diminishing. Rater, the inspiration to create a small wardrobe full of pieces I adore is increasing. I have been thrifting lately, and have had a lot of success and the point is the pieces I have found won’t be going anywhere for a LONG time. i.e.. I bought core items, a black coat (never goes out of style) denim jeans (also never goes out of style) and a blazer (completely classic).
How Do I Plan on Disposing My Clothes
1. I have friends/ family/ kids who I am giving pieces to
2. My local women’s shelter which I know ALWAYS needs donations as I recently went to a fundraiser for the organization and that was one key takeaway
3. Sell online (through Depop)
4. Give thrift stores items they NEED, most thrift stores will tell you what they are low on if you ask
5. Pack the rest up for future kids/ friends kids/ re-purposing
Tips to Avoid Over Purchasing/ Closet Clutter
1. Stick to a colour theme, if you have all neutrals for example you won’t feel the need to buy new very often because your items will always match, and pair well together
2. Only buy what you actually wear. Try and avoid that super unique piece you might wear to a party one day, or a piece that would be perfect for one event and then your left wondering when you’ll ever wear it again
3. Do clothing swaps with friends. This might be difficult if you don’t live close to friends or you’re a different size. But, in some instances it might actually be useful
4. Purchase solid colour items! You are much less likely to get sick of solid colours than crazy patterns (unless you always wear crazy patterns, then girl do your thing)
5. Pick classic styles and make sure the pieces fit you well. A lot of the time especially with fast fashion items don’t fit all that great, leaving you hating how they look on you resulting in its disposal
6. Purchase more expensive items. This might sound insane but its true, if you purchase $40 jeans they most likely aren’t made very well and you’ll want a new pair in no time. Whereas, purchasing $100 Levis means better quality made to last. A lot of people can definitely argue this point as I’m sure there are decent quality items purchased for cheaper, but in the end better quality a lot of the time means it will be more expensive. I would rather invest in good quality pieces and have less of them than buy more quantity in lesser quality. It might take you longer to save up to invest and you might want a new pair of jeans STAT, but it will be worth the wait
In essence, I cleaned out my closet and left the essentials to combat fast fashion, make my choices better choices, and make it SO much easier to get dressed every day. I know this isn’t the end of my declutter as it is definitely a process, and something that needs to be an implementation-evaluation learning curve. But I already love how empty my closet looks, and can visualize outfits already which was never a possibility before.
I am SO inspired by bloggers like Caroline of Un-Fancy.com who kill the minimalist game and have the most amazing capsule wardrobe. Check out this post on her tips to decluttering, she even partnered in creating an app that helps you outfit plan! Total inspo.
If you have any tips for me or bloggers you know who are killing the minimal wardrobe game, please comment and let me know!
And as always, thank you for stopping by!
Emma.
