Lifestyle: The Wardrobe Purge: Trimming Down Your Wardrobe.

Hello, party people!

Toward the beginning of the month I introduced my new series, called The Wardrobe Purge, in the hopes of enlightening those poor souls that, like me, became slaves of consumerism to the point of hoarding unnecessary stuff.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to live in a place that gives me so many choices and allows me to be stylish on a poor college girl budget, but there comes a time when hoarder girl over here needs to put on her big girl panties and stop spending money on irrelevant things.

My first purge post goes into a bit of detail about the decision-making process for the purge, but I felt that a more complete overview was needed. So, here we go!

First off, pick your purging time wisely. Long weekends, summer break, winter break, anytime you are likely to be bored and therefore stick with the task at hand. Summer + winter are also prime motivational purging time since most people see back-to-school and the new year as a fresh start.

Now that you've worked out the motivation, it's time to start the process. We've got 4 piles to work with: keepers, maybes, donation/sale, trash. 

You've got a keeper if:

• it's a basic piece that fits you well and can be paired with loads of things in your closet,
• it's something you find yourself going back to and wearing constantly,
• it's something comfortable that you love to gravitate toward on lazy days,
• it's a special-ish occasion item that you're not crazy over on a day-to-day basis, but you don't have anything else of the sort (e.g. job interview outfit- if the job interview comes up and you find yourself buying items that you like better, this moves to the donation pile- but just as a backup, it should stay for the time being).

Remember, everyone's basic pieces and preferences are different. Go with your own opinion, not your friend's.

You've got a maybe if:

• it's something you've worn once or twice but is never your absolute first choice when creating your outfit,
• it's something that you haven't worn because you didn't know it existed in your overflowing closet, but now that you've rediscovered it, you find yourself excited about the item,
• it's something that you're feeling iffy about, but you can imagine it paired up with at least 3 different items in your keepers pile.

You've got a donation/potential sale if:

• it's something that has been gently worn, not your style, but you could see someone else rocking it,
• it's something that hasn't been worn and still has the tag on after a few months, 
• it's something formal that you've already worn but don't want to part with because it's pretty,
• it's something ill-fitting on you, but still in wearable condition with the potential to work on other body types,
• it's something you've been wanting to part with for a while, but haven't yet for fear of your mother's wrath- "but it's so beautiful and you look like an adult in it and yadda yadda yadda" (this one was the determining factor in plenty of my discards),
• basically, if it's in good condition and you're over it, don't throw it in the trash- one man's trash is another man's treasure.

And finally, you've got a trash contender if:

• it's unintentionally ripped (i.e. not distressed boyfriend jeans, etc.) or has wear holes in it,
• it's stained beyond repair (e.g. yellowing from deodorant stains...or plenty types of different alcohol stains on the pretty red formal dress that I wore to my cousin's wedding- HARDEST GOODBYE),
• it's an undergarment that has touched your body (underwear, bathing suits, socks, etc.) 

I hope you enjoyed the second part of my Wardrobe Purge, and you're at least mildly inspired to make a change in your wardrobe. Next up in the series: what to do with your unwanted clothing! Stay tuned!

As usual, thank you for stopping by!