Good evening, loyal friends!
I specify loyal, because I realize I’m a jerk for posting a slew of big plans and then posting nothing for a week. It’s been a little crazy what with the whole change of jobs and moving in three weeks, in addition to a whole bunch of other stuff. I know. You read that right. I am indeed changing jobs. AGAIN. And moving. AGAIN. Trust me. I have had a couple of serious talks with myself about whether or not I’m just addicted to upheaval, but the the conclusion is no. This whole last year was always sort of intentionally transitory and it’s been a wonderful experience, but what I’m onto now, is all of what I hope will be a permanent nature.
But enough about that. Let’s talk project. Where are we at? Here is where we are at…
The giant pile you are beholding would be the results of the first big wardrobe purge. It was a real doozy, but by the grace of a entire pot of Tribute Blend and the Mad Men playlist on Spotify, I conquered the biggest hurdle of them all: Admitting That I Owned Too Many Things.
See, I knew that I had a lot of ridding to do. I’ve actually been on a bit of a decluttering kick since the beginning of the year. It was my overarching New Year’s resolution that I begin to rid my life of clutter, be it tangible or symbolic. I got off to a good start by simplifying my internet life and a few errant drawers. But then Mars went into retrograde and things got kinda fucked. But now that my ruling planet is direct once more, the project can get a move on. (I’m only sort of joking about this.)
So on today, my singular day of unemployment between said job change, I decided I would begin tackling the monumental task of paring down my wardrobe. I thought this would be easier than it actually was. I thought this because A) I never had that much space to begin with, and B) I’ve undergone a couple of closet cleanings prior to and since my last move.
C) Yeah…not so much.
As it turns out, I am a wicked good hoarder.
If anything, I am frightened of my own ability to conceal the absolute plethora of crap in my possession. There is some David Blaine/Mary Poppins/Creepy Shit going on in my closet, y’all. I’ve been hiding my momumental landfill of clothes from the world, my boyfriend, baby Jesus and most importantly… from myself.
So I conducted a physical inventory of all the clothing items I own.
First count:
* 45 pairs of shoes
* 80 layering tanks and tees
* 75 shirts
* 47 skirts (forty seven?!)
* 40 pairs of pants/shorts
* 12 coats
* 45 cardigans/sweaters
* 55 pieces of workout attire which also double as sleepwear.
And wait for it…
*86…EIGHTY SIX DRESSES. WTF?
I’d laugh, if it didn’t kind of make me want to cry. Ladies and gentleman, we have a problem. Although I am opting not to count shoes, sleepwear, workout clothes or layering tees and tanks among my 100 wardrobe pieces. That still puts me…oh…199 pieces over budget. Obviously, this would not do.
The good new is that, as I worked, I also began sorting process. Some pieces were easy to part with, while others required more debate. And I am still nowhere near my goal of having 100 pieces as the basis of my wardrobe. However, at days end, the count looks more like:
* 40 pairs of shoes
* 40 layering tees and tanks
* 52 shirts
* 26 skirts
* 65 Dresses
* 28 pairs of pants/shorts
* 5 coats
* 35 cardigans/sweaters
* 40 pieces of sleep/gym clothes
Grand tally? 219. So another substantial parting will need to take place. I may need to reevaluate my priorities as far as this project is concerned. The rest of this month and all of May will be devoted to further decluttering. I intend to let you readers weigh in on some of the tough decisions. Additionally, we will talk about what to do with all of the old unwanted items, since that’s part of the process. And unfortunately, bonfires are illegal last I checked.
My main concern is my dresses, because I have a very hard time parting with The Collection. A side project of taking them all on parting outings, may be in the works. That or hypnosis. I’m not really sure.
Parting with clothes can be emotional. We all know the basics – if it’s torn, if it’s stained, if it doesn’t fit, if you haven’t worn it in five years…get rid of it. But sometimes it’s more complicated than that. What if you only wore it once, but you still remember how much fun you had that day, and you’re worried that you’ll never be able to recreate that moment that way again, without that exact cardigan?
I guess this is why decluttering can be so good for the soul. Memories are memories for a reason. You can’t make them happen twice. You just have to go out and make new ones. I reminded myself of that a lot today. I look forward to the simplification that this project brings, and the promise of bigger and better memories.
That. And also… I work at a clothing store. With a generous discount. There will always be more clothes. And that might be precisely the problem.
Title courtesy of Rihanna – “We Found Love”
