How to remove
As we’ve written a few times here, I don’t buy much. What we don’t talk about is how I am also slow to get rid of things. This is partly the result of not buying much and partly the result of sheer laziness. But now is the time. Much has happened. It’s time to focus.
A few weeks ago, I went through my closet and did a deep paring-back of some pieces that I’ve outgrown, both physically (I started lifting) and spiritually (hard pants concluded in 2020, etc).
Here is the process:
- Go through your whole closet, remove everything that isn’t working for you. Do this slowly, taking stuff out to inspect further if need be.
- Throw it all on a rack, in plain view, for two weeks.
- Discuss individual pieces with loved ones. (I am insufferable. Bless my partner for all they stand for.)
- Re-wear something if you’re considering putting it back. Put it back if you like it and you have a specific purpose behind where & how you plan on wearing it.
- After three weeks, sell what you can, offer the rest to friends, donate what’s left.
That’s the whole process. It’s more involved than Marie Kondo’s where you throw literally everything in the trash, because my god, who even does that with manufactured garments. (Base layers are another matter.)
Ideally you’ll do this once a year, but really the less frequently you find yourself doing it the better, because that probably means you’re buying less.