DISCLAIMER: This is a VERY rambley word vomit post. I apologize in advance.
So guys, I’m almost done posting the last of my initial closet declutter onto Poshmark™. Admittedly it’s a small fraction of what I hope to declutter in 2021 but it’s a start. There’s a huge part of me that just wants to THROW AWAY ALL THE THINGS and start from scratch but the annoying environmentalist voice in my head can’t allow that to happen. I honestly am realizing that I am far too attached to my clothes to the point that I have trouble getting rid of most of it. I have about 40 sweaters that I stubbornly track and rotate every day in an effort to justify my collection. They look good on me, so why get rid of them?
I think I have to start being brutally honest with myself. What actually feels like me and isn’t just a semblance of who I want to be. I’ve never seen myself as this fashion forward it-girl so why try to emulate that? I have to my declutter my fantasy wardrobe and accept the reality that I’m a no-fuss lazy turtle who hates anything worn that feels like I’m trying to Houdini myself out of a straight jacket. What pieces of clothing feel like that?
- Button downs
- Lace-up boots
- Formal pants
I also have to accept that if I have an inkling to get rid of something chances are, the moment I commit to decluttering it, 98.4% of the time I have zero regrets of letting it go. Out of the 123 items of clothes that I’ve decided to declutter this year I have gone back and decided not to declutter 2 of them. That moment of relief when I finally let go of the useless sentimentality of keeping a certain piece is so freeing. Why keep things that you have to force yourself to wear and feel like an imposter while wearing? Let’s make 2021 the year that we no longer dress like someone else and simply dress for ourselves. I am actually so excited to see what will happen with fashion when we come out of this pandemic. Will it be like the roaring 20s where we break free of the molds of fashion and wear the loudest most exciting things in our closet, or will it just be the year that trendiness gets put on the backburner and we are allowed again to simply wear what we like and stop comparing ourselves to others?
Also I fully acknowledge that this rambling post has no direction and no real lesson/purpose to it. I also realize that exploring minimalism and decluttering ones closet is a luxury that not everyone will have. However as someone who was extremely poor growing up I also know that clothing has gone from a luxury to a consumable. I’m still in the process of decoupling my “you’ve made it out of poverty” mentality with the drive to buy things simply because I can afford it. I’ve also gotten much better at being discerning about second hand purchases. I remember when I first started I would just buy any item that tickled my fancy no matter how far the styling was from what I knew and loved. I now curate my second hand purchases to brands I am familiar with their sizing and quality.
Ultimately I wanted my blog to document my journey of decluttering and finding my authentic style. I also wanted it to explore how my mindset has changed toward consuming clothing into something hopefully more cyclical. The secondhand clothing industry is rapidly growing and I want to continue to encourage people to shop secondhand first. However at the same time the biggest problem with clothing waste has shifted from where people get their clothes to how much clothing people continually consume. That number grows more and more every year. So granted, my journey is anywhere from perfect. Ideally I still want to get my closet down to less than 100 pieces and only rotate 5 items every year. It’s a goliath goal compared to where my closet currently sits but I’m determined to see it through. One small turtle step at a time.
softshells. 