Decluttering my Wardrobe

I was the woman with a walk in closet so full of clothing that it barely fit. At one point the closet bar and shelf that hung above it were so weighted down they collapsed and were completely torn off the wall. Thankfully no one was hurt, but this was my wake up call that perhaps I might have a problem. 

Despite my closet being stuffed, I still found myself feeling like I had nothing to wear.  I frequently had the urge to go out shopping for new things, even though I had many items of clothing and accessories that I never ever wore, some still with tags on. 

“Capsule Wardrobe”

While stumbling along my journey to simplify the term “capsule wardrobe” came up.  The idea is that your wardrobe consists of a small (like crazy small) number of items that easily go together to create outfits. Capsule wardrobe items are typically higher quality clothing. The idea is to buy fewer nicer pieces that you absolutely love, that make you feel great when you wear them and that will last you longer. Your closet should be nothing but items of clothing that are a “10”.  

A closet with only clothing that I loved that would allow me to easily get dressed in the morning and be less difficult to maintain? Sign me up. 

Let the clothing decluttering begin…

So I started getting rid of clothing. I was big into Marie Kondo at this point and I used some or her “spark joy” techniques to help me get rid of stuff, but to be honest with you I still really didn’t get it. I was more robotic at this point. I focused on getting rid of the stuff I had never worn and being honest about the stuff that I was never really going to wear. The three inch heels…come on I’m 5″10 and a stay at home mom, where am I going to wear them. The dresses I was saving for special occasions, the trendy tops that I wanted to wear but always felt awkward and uncomfortable in when I tried. The purses that I never used and really just “collected” but then felt guilty about getting rid of because they were so expensive, they all got donated or sold. I purged it all until my wardrobe was drastically reduced in size and then I purged some more. 

Shorty after this I got pregnant again. I went through a season where I was wearing old maternity clothing. After the baby was born I was in an in between phase where maternity clothes didn’t fit, but pre baby clothes didn’t work either. I was also nursing every five minutes so I needed clothing that easily allowed me to do that. I spent the majority of this time period in yoga pants and nursing tanks, or as my husband lovingly puts it, “my uniform”.  When I finally emerged from the depths of sleep deprivation and hormonal disruption that comes along with having a newborn I realized my closet sucked and perhaps it was time to get this capsule wardrobe thing nailed down. 

What my four year old taught me…

I’m not sure when it happened but my four year old daughter now solely picks out her own clothing. She naturally seems to understand the value of having a smaller wardrobe and this summer gravitated towards wearing the same four dresses over and over again.  Once on vacation I had to wash one of these dresses in the sink because it was the only thing she wanted to wear. 

When she wears these dresses out you can tell she feels wonderful. She twirls. She draws attention to herself. She declares,  “this is my rainbow dress” , “this is my belle dress” and “this is my butterfly dress”. The same thing happens to shoes she picked out. Her dragon crocs that lit up, her “la di da shoes” as she likes to call them.  There is a noticeable difference in her when she wears these things. 

Her summer wardrobe was tiny this year due to her choosing. A few dresses with matching bike shorts, a bathing suit and cover up and a couple of cardigans. It was so easy to maintain, so easy for her to get dressed and it made her so happy. Watching this is what made it click for me. She had created for herself the ultimate capsule wardrobe. A perfect example for me to try and model my closet after. Her clothing was practical but made her feel wonderful all the same. Everything was a joy sparking 10 and without meaning to my daughter had opened my eyes to the true value of a capsule wardrobe. 

Dragons and Rainbows

My closet is still most definitely a work in progress. My wardrobe is small but there are things that I need to continue to weed out. I’ve also oh so slowly started to add my own joy sparking items.  When I go to purchase new clothing I like to take a minute and imagine my own little girl twirling around in her rainbow dress while stomping around so that her dragon crocs light up and ask myself if this piece of clothing will have the same effect on me. Although I refrain from actually doing such, as I’m pretty sure I won’t look anywhere as cute as she does. 

I still don’t feel like everything in my closet is a 10 but I feel like I have a plan to get it there…and hey, at least my closet bar isn’t  falling off the wall anymore, I’ll consider that a victory.