Sometimes a decluttering of clothes is essential. We always say “Oh, I’ll keep this just in case” or “These may come back into fashion one day in 2034”. Yep, I imagine you have used one of these excuses before – I know I have once or twice. But sometimes, we have to be cruel to be kind and just let go of “the” top that brought us joy before but doesn’t now.
I declutter my clothes about twice a year, sometimes even more. I usually have a declutter when I’m making the transition from Spring/Summer to Autumn/Winter and vice versa. It’s a good chance for me to look at my current wardrobe and sift through which clothes I see no future for.
It sounds heartless, but it’s got to be done. These days, I buy more neutral, classic pieces which are more versatile. I like to think I’m aiming to build a capsule wardrobe and honestly, I love it. I love having less clothes but having more options in terms of outfits. Since following a few content creators who do the same, it’s inspired me to do the same. My wardrobes look less decluttered and less messy since doing this and I like having that bit of minimalism in my life.
Anyway, back to decluttering your wardrobe. It can be a painstaking process, but a rejuvenating one nonetheless. I do have a system which I follow that helps me to decipher which clothes I keep, toss and sell on Vinted. I have to ask a lot of questions to myself when I declutter, but the process is worth it.
Without further ado, here’s the system that I use to easily declutter my wardrobe:
1) First things first, did I wear this item much during the last season?
When making the seasonal transitional wardrobe switch (as I talked about earlier). I ask myself two questions when looking at a particular item –
1. Did I wear it much last season?
2. If I didn’t wear it much, can I see myself wearing it again this season?
If I answer no to either of these questions, I’ll put the item aside to donate or sell. Now, this process can take a while when sifting through my entire wardrobe, but it’ll be worth the effort.
2) Does it still fit me?
This one is pretty simple, if it doesn’t fit me, it doesn’t stay. If it still fits me and I can’t talk myself out of keeping the item, it stays. However, if it still fits me but I have no reason to keep it anymore, I get rid.
3) Does it have sentimental value?
This is always a tricky one as I have kept a couple of items due to sentimental reasons. When I met the Liverpool players at their training ground back in 2016, I wore this lovely blouse from Topshop and I still have it today. I don’t wear it anymore but I can’t get rid of it because of sentimental value. If, when you look at the item, it doesn’t have any sentimental value to you, it’s time to say au revoir to it.
4) Do I have similar items already?
One word – jeans. I have so many pairs of jeans, some I’ve kept because they’re very flattering for my figure and some I’ve kept for everyday wear. I need to weed out the jeans in my next declutter cause it’s getting quite squashed where I normally hang up my jeans. Anyway, if you have an item which you have similar already in your closet, then decide which one you would like to keep and get rid of the others.
5) Is the quality still there?
I definitely ask myself this question when I sort out jumpers. Jumpers do get bobbly and a bit out of shape after a while. If a jumper doesn’t look in great nick, then decide whether it’s donatable or sellable.
6) Do I still look great in it?
If I don’t feel great wearing an item, I’ll get rid. I only want to wear clothes I feel confident in. If you don’t feel confident in it, it’s honestly not worth keeping.
Now, once I go through this whole process, I look at each item I’m saying goodbye to and decide whether to keep, sell or toss. For example –
If I choose to sell – the item has to be in really good condition, enough that I would buy it from a charity shop or Vinted for myself. Obviously, some items may have slight wear and tear, but as long as it’s not too noticeable, it’s pretty ok to sell.
If I choose to throw away – I’ll recycle clothes where possible. If the item is beyond wearable, has permanent stains or just looks like it’s had its day.
