As a shopaholic myself, I can’t begin to explain how fast my wardrobe fills up every month whether it be
through clothes, handbags or even shoes. Unlike Safa from Dubai Bling, I cannot demand for a new
house or bigger wardrobe just to accommodate every impulse purchase of mine. So, the big question is,
until I continue to work on my little shopping addiction, what do I do? Declutter every 3 months.
Decluttering is important for many reasons. The most important one would be to get better use out of
your clothes. If you rummage through your wardrobe, how many pieces of clothing would you find with
the tags still intact? I have learnt that having a capsule wardrobe and limiting your outfit choices would
not only get you better use out of all the items you own but would also define your style statement and
develop a better fashion sense. Taking the time to declutter would also finally solve the age old
universal question of, “What do I wear?”
If I was given the choice to save one thing in the case of a house fire, it would most definitely be my
wardrobe. That’s to say, I am not the best at decluttering my wardrobe mainly due to my need to hoard
anything and everything regardless of if I have worn it in the past year or not. With experience, what I
can say is one has to be in a right frame of mind to start the process of clearing out the excess. Play
some music, have some snacks at your fingertips to avoid getting bored mid process. If you are anything like me, ruthless decluttering is the way to go. This is when you stick to a certain idea of what you want to get rid of and follow through with it.
While most clothes we own accentuate the best of our features and bring out the bombshell version of
us, there are some clothes that we’ve bought in a rush, to keep up with a trend or simply received as a
gift which either fits wrong, aren’t appropriate anymore or emphasize on certain insecurities we’d
rather keep well hidden. Set those pieces aside with either the intention to donate to someone in need
or make a quick buck by selling it online.
Another efficient method to declutter would be to decide on a limit of clothing you’ll own from each
category. Ensure to own versatile pieces that will capsulate your wardrobe in each category.
For example: A black and white t-shirt or shirt is important to own along with formal pants. Remember
not to get rid of those as 2 pieces of clothing equals to 6-7 outfits. In the world of fashion, while more is
more. Less is also more.
We all have certain clothes that belong in the ‘maybe’ pile. The easiest way to turn that maybe into a
definite YES or NO in terms of styling is to imagine if you bumped into someone you were trying to
impress, or someone you hated and wanted to look better than. Would you want to be caught in this
outfit? Will you feel confident and feel your best or will you want to shy away and wish the earth
swallowed you whole?
A lot of answers and motivation to decluttering comes through the most basic of questions. Marie
Kondo once said, “Every piece of clothing has its own ‘sweet spot’ where it just feels right”. It’s up to you
during your decluttering journey to decide if that sweet spot is going to be your wardrobe or someone
else’s.
