Why You Need A Closet Detox | The Myth & Realities of Too Much Stuff in Your Closet
Everyone is on board with detoxing when it comes to food but have you stopped to think about the importance of a closet detox when it comes to your style? When it comes to our closets, there seems to be an ongoing struggle between trying to constantly find the right pieces (buying more) but yet wanting to feel efficient when getting ready. Have you been standing at your closet recently, noticing it's crammed to the gills with clothing, none of which you seem to love or want to wear? Why is it, you think, that this plagues so many women every single day?There is a reason why more isn't always better when it comes to your closet.
sick of having a full closet with nothing to wear? Conni of Art in the Find tackles that dilemma and explains why having more in your closet isn't necessarily a good thing | closet tips | wardrobe | womens fashion | style tips | closet detox
A Closet Detox | Why More Stuff Actually Makes it Harder to Get Dressed
We're constantly inundated with bigger is better, more is necessary. With everything from the largess of our homes and the size of our cars to the amount of advertising we're confronted with on a daily basis. I am no stranger to any of this and have to fight those battles daily. Where and how do we want to spend our ever precious time? I doubt for many of you that includes staring into the abyss of your closet struggling with the what to wear dilemma every day.Is more space the answer to our style woes? A bigger closet? Better lighting? A larger spending budget? Alas, it's none of these. It's about looking deeper into why more isn't better in our closets just as more space or time isn't the solution.
Let's use a restaurant menu as the prime example of the more isn't better theory. I am the prime candidate for making poor decisions when the menu at a restaurant is more than two pages. You might as well have asked me to read a dissertation on the infinite possibilities of life. Seeing that many options causes my head to spin for fear of making the wrong decision. I start thinking I'll regret what I don't order, making me second guess what I do. My decision making skills go down the drain. Now, take me to In-and-Out and in under two minutes I've made my decision. Why? There are fewer choices and it takes me less time to fret about my final decision. Fewer choices = less time. Period.
The same can be said when it comes to what's in your closet. The more you have in there, the harder it is to make decisions about what to wear everyday. Especially when you have little time to think about it in the morning and you only like half of what's in there. This is why everyone needs a closet detox at least a time or two a year.
How the Buildup Starts: When More becomes....just More
There are a few reasons why we build up 'stuff' in our closets. So we'll start with addressing how it all got there in the first place with a little game of closet myth vs. closet reality. These only a few of the myths vs. realities of which almost all of us could probably identify with one or more. This is where the road to a closet detox should become quite clear.
Closet Myth #1 - I plan to lose 5 - 10 pounds. At Some Point.
We all have pieces in our closet saved up for that time when we plan to be the weight we ideally want to be.
Closet Reality
Women's bodies are in a constant state of flux. From our 20's to our 60's we experience bodily changes that I can only equate to what the rise and fall of the stock market must feel like every day. We have babies, we age, we exercise or we don't, we have job changes, and adjustments in our metabolisms. And all of these things cause fluctuations in our weight and body. So the fact that we're always eyeing how we will look and dress does not allow acceptance for how we should look and dress for today.
Closet Myth #2 - It'll Come Back in Style. Right?
Another group of clothing that takes up prime real estate in our closets are pieces we bought years' ago and are afraid to part with because we think that it will eventually come back in style.
Closet Reality
Just as furniture and paint colors have their heyday, so do clothes. Have you had the same couch for the last 15 years? If so, we might need to talk... But furniture aside, styles change with the times. And yes, sometimes pieces do come back again but these are few and far between. And usually the pieces are that rare timeless dress or that random pair of flare jeans from the 70's. But other than that, most trends and styles ebb and should be given a toss. Years' later, if that style you got rid of comes back, you'll probably be at a point you can afford to spend $100 on a new piece anyway.
Closet Myth #3 - I Paid A lot For It/I Can Return It/It was on Sale/I'll Try it On at Home
For every single closet edit I've ever done with a client, we've discovered at least three pieces of clothing with tags still on them. Why on earth would we buy a piece of clothing just to have it sit there in our closet? We've all done it. And we're staring at cash down the drain right there. But yet, it happens time and time again. The same with buying items on sale or the opposite, pieces we paid a lot of money for in the heat of the shopping moment. And then we get home, thinking we'll wear those pieces and they just sit there, looking pretty, getting absolutely no wear.
Closet Reality
There are various reasons why this happens, of which we'll uncover in the solutions below. Just as in closet myth #2, all these pieces are doing are taking up space in your closet and not on your body. Most of the time it's guilt that forces us to keep those stale pieces of bread around. These are not going to be the pieces of clothing you're going to gravitate towards every day. But the guilt has us keep them in there. These pieces especially, fall into the more is not necessary category in are in immediate need of a closet detox.
Closet Detox | sick of having a full closet with nothing to wear? Conni of Art in the Find tackles that dilemma and explains why having more in your closet isn't necessarily a good thing | closet tips | wardrobe | womens fashion | style tips | closet detox
You have More....So Now What? Solutions Await.
You've got a closet full of more, so now what? Let's address some solutions to the above closet myths vs. realities that have gotten you into the situation in the first place. Then we'll talk about how you can solve them. Bottom line, there's a lot going on when it comes to style and it's not often just about pulling the trigger and buying piece after piece. It's about knowing yourself and looking at why this is happening.
Closet Detox Solution to Myth #1 - Weight Loss
Allow yourself one garment bag and one storage container of items that you plan to wear when you are the weight, size, shape, that you envision yourself to be. Once that storage container or garment bag is full, you must, I implore you, rid yourself of the extra pieces. If there's no more room, there's no more reasons to hold on to it. This is closet detox step one!
Closet Detox Solution to Myth #2 - Style Comeback
Allowing yourself to keep one or two of these they'll comeback in style pieces isn't unreasonable. But if you aren't wearing it today, there isn't a reasonable answer for keeping pieces you aren't wearing. Take a look at each of these pieces and assess what you absolutely feel connected to, keeping just a couple. Put those into the storage container/garment bag with the above items.
Closet Detox Solution to Myth #3 - Sales, Home Try-Ons, and High Ticket Pieces
There's deeper issue here. If you don't carve out time for your style, as you do when you go grocery shopping, you won't make choices you're happy with. Just because something is on sale, on trend, looked cute on the hanger, or you didn't have time to try it on, does not mean you should buy it. Quite the opposite actually. You should refrain from purchases until you have a clear vision of your style. And what does a clear style vision look like? Here you go:
Learn about your body type | Don't know what I'm talking about? That's where you hire me & I'll help you. This is where you only purchase the shape, fit, and colors that compliment you. Then you hold off from styles that don't. Remember, just because you have an eye for a beautiful piece of clothing, or it's on trend, that does not mean it will be great for you! Knowing what colors, what shape your body is, and what flatters you is KEY to purchasing pieces you'll love.
Shop with a list | Just as in grocery shopping, if you don't have a list, you're opening yourself up to going off the rails (or as my husband says, I manage to spend $150 on one bag of groceries we didn't even need). As with anything of importance in life, having a task list helps us to accomplish our goals. And that stands for shopping for clothing too! Start a clothing list and put it in your wallet. Take it with you when you go out shopping and stick to it!
Pay attention to your purchasing habits | Women are experts at buying stuff then not wanting to get rid of it for various reasons (ie: emotional connections, we'll lose the baby weight, it might come back in style). Ask yourself, why am I purchasing this right now? If you've got the budget, the room, and the need, you're good to go. If you don't, take a pause.
Buy for multiple wears not for specific events | Are you purchasing pieces because you have something specific to go to? The reason most people struggle with mixing and matching is because they have specific pieces they can only wear for one event or another. The answer? Stop buying for event specific reasons and start visualizing how you'll wear it with what you already have before you buy.
Learn how to pair down | You don't try things on, you see something on sale, on trend, or on someone and you buy it. Or the piece has been in your closet forever and you don't grab it anymore. These are all reasons why more has accumulated in your closet and why a closet detox is necessary. Learning how to pair down is an important step to realizing that more will not make you happy. Teaching women how to do this is a major part of my job (of which I love to do). A few things you need to ask yourself to start the pairing down process are:
How do I feel in the piece?
Is it only event specific or can I wear this for different reasons?
What are two to three different ways I can wear this?
Have I worn this in the past year?
If you answered all of those questions positively, you're in good shape! If not, the pieces need to go. Having this dialogue with yourself will help point you in the right direction. Once you take the time to edit and shop consciously, you'll feel amazing. It just takes a little dedication, maybe someone like me to help push you there, and you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results! Once you rid yourself of the space takers, you'll be looking at pieces you love, will want to wear, and even though there is less it will be easier for you to pull items out to wear every day!
Do you resonate with these closet struggles and find yourself in need of a closet detox? Please share them with me here.