Youtuber Leena Norms has a few videos on her page of her going through her wardrobe and donating clothes she needs to get rid of. I’ve really enjoyed watching her videos, because she seems to have the type of mindset I want to have when it comes to sustainable clothing. She owns many fair-trade pieces, but almost everything else is from a thrift store. She also challenges what is considered “fashionable” and “trendy” by wearing what she feels good in, regardless of it it’s what you’d find in shop windows at the time. I like that her clothes reflect her personality, and she’s shows how hard it can be to part with pieces of your wardrobe you thought were great.
I decided to take on the task of chucking out my own clothes, since after moving earlier this year, I discovered that I have way. too. many. clothes. I also have been struggling to discover a style that I really enjoy and reflects me, but I have so many pieces that, to quote Marie Kondo, do not “spark joy.”
To speed up the process of going through my clothes, I spent the last month and a half trying to wear pieces of clothing that I haven’t touched in awhile while I worked from home. I didn’t even make it through everything, which is partially because of the weather, but also because I just have way too many clothes. Forcing myself to wear things I don’t typically reach for really helped me figure out what I do and do not like in terms of style and fashion. I still haven’t figured out what my style is, but here’s what I’ve got so far:
- I like wearing dresses more than leggings and t-shirts.
- I definitely want to get more skirts that hit at or below the knee instead of above it.
- Synthetic blouses suck.
- I bought way too many clothes for only wearing to work.
I’ve had a hard time trying to define my style, because as a teenager, I chased trends. I tried to be emo, preppy, and everything in-between in those short four years, and my wardrobe suffered, looking like the clearance section at a Forever 21 got in a fight with Pac Sun (but everything miraculously stayed on its hanger).
In college, I tried to gather more “going out” pieces (aka slutty tops), because everything I owned felt like it was too conservative compared to what my friends were wearing. I was also working at a clothing store at the time, and per store policy of not being allowed to wear other brands (at least, if you did, it had to look like something sold in the store and couldn’t have brand names visible), plus having an amazing employee discount, I accumulated A LOT of clothes. I bought things because I thought they looked cute, not because I actually liked how it looked on my body, or if I had anything that went with it. Since I was also hoping to get a career job after school, I bought a lot of “office appropriate” clothes while working there, too.
It has now been four years since I graduated college. I have that career job I was hoping for, and even before the pandemic sent us all home, we had a pretty casual wardrobe policy. Jeans without holes were acceptable. Suits and pencil skirts were non existent. I got a lot of use out of the blouses I bought, but not so much all the blazers and dress pants.
With everything shutting down last year, I came across a startling realization: I had no fun, comfortable clothes. Sure, I had nowhere to go, but I still wanted to look cute for the times I visited the grocery store or the bike shop. I had clothes that were so professional-looking that they looked awkward as “casual” clothes, and all that synthetic material made them uncomfortable. I had dozens of free t-shirts from college, and a few I’d bought at band concerts or at a destination while traveling. I guess I was done dressing like a bum all the time, because I always felt frumpy when I wore t-shirts and shorts or jeans. My closet had no flair or fun to it.
I hit up ThredUP a few times and found some cute pieces, but I felt guilty adding more to a wardrobe when I already had so much. There were plenty of pieces I didn’t wear enough that needed a new home. Instead of trying to create a poorly-shot-and-edited vlog to document my process of cleaning out my clothes, I figured I’d just offer you some stats for items I started with, and items I ended up with.
The Rules
- Everything will be categorized as follows: Pants and Jeans, Shorts, Skirts, Leggings, Workout Tops, T-shirts, Tops, Sweaters and Cardigans, Dresses and Jumpsuits, and Jackets and Hoodies.
- I don’t have to reach a certain number (e.g. only 5 skirts allowed), but I must get rid of at least two items in every category.
- I am not allowed to hold onto anything that does not fit, regardless of if I think I’ll fit in it soon.
- If I can’t style it more than three ways, it needs to go.
- If I can only wear it in one specific setting (aka only on a girl’s night out or only at the office), it needs to go.
- All discarded clothing will be sold, donated, or responsibly recycled.
It’s important if you want to do this too to set yourself some ground rules. Since this is the first time I’m being this brutal with my wardrobe, I thought these rules would be easy to follow. Then, I realized just how much I was dealing with.
The Stats – Beginning
- Pants and Jeans: 21
- Shorts: 23
- Skirts: 12
- Leggings: 13
- Workout Tops: 15
- T-Shirts: 38
- Tops: 64
- Sweaters and Cardigans: 25
- Dresses and Jumpsuits: 22
- Jackets and Hoodies: 20
Does this constitute having a shopping addiction?
When I saw these numbers on paper, I actually freaked out a little bit. How did I end up with so much stuff!? Why do I only wear like 20-30 of these items in a year?
How to Responsibly Recycle
It was time to get brutal with my closet, so I started with T-shirts. I’ve been holding onto all of the t-shirts with my college name on it because I wasn’t sure how to donate them. I’ve been using my old high school theater t-shirts as pajama shirts, which has saved me a lot of money since I’ve only had to buy a few new pajama bottoms in the past 8 or so years. However, those shirts have started accumulating holes, and they’re so washed out that I don’t see a lot of value in repairing them if I could find a way to recycle them. I decided to take my college t-shirts out of “everyday wear” circulation and promote them to “pajama tops”. I would recycle all the old shirts that had holes in them.
I wanted to research ways to recycle clothing, because it feels very weird to me to give clothing to thrift shops that have my school names or my work logo on it. It feels even worse to throw away things with holes in them, when the fabric itself is still fine. This is partially why those t-shirt and tops numbers are so large. Between polo shirts and T-shirts, I have 19 shirts from schools and work, and I’ve been keeping them because I just didn’t know how to get rid of them responsibly.
So, I hopped on Google to do some research.
For Days is a company that will take your old clothes in any condition and recycle them into new clothing. You pay between $6-$20 for them to ship you a bag, and they will credit you so you can buy new clothing made from the recycled clothes in their shop.
Marine Layer has a program where they will recycle old T-shirts by breaking down the fibers and making new shirts. They will send you a prepaid label, and even pay you for each shirt sent back!
ThredUP will also send you a free closet clear out bag, and you can choose to have them recycle all the clothes they can’t sell. This is great if you’re looking to sell some things too, but I think it’s kind of a jerk move if you’re only sending them stuff to recycle.
Rush Order Tees has a great post on ways to upcycle old t-shirts with easy DIY projects.
I decided to send my T-shirts to Marine Layer and see if they could recycle and use the fibers. I also found my own way to recycle some old clothes. I have an ottoman in my living room that I filled with a foam mattress topper, but it really sinks down when a person sits on it. I wanted it to stay firm and poufy when people sat on it, so I decided to fill it with as many old pieces of clothing as I could. The ottoman helped me recycle 4 pieces of clothing, including a pair of PJ shorts with a worn-out elastic waist, a pair of threadbare leggings, and an old high school hoodie and pair of sweatpants I found hiding in my old closet at my parents’ house.
The Process
I decided to give myself a week to do the whole closet clear out, so I could take a little bit of time each day to go through things. I knew I’d be really overwhelmed if I tried to do it all at once, and I wanted to give myself time to try on pieces and really think about the decisions I was making. After the first day, these are how many things I put aside to donate, sell, or recycle:
- Pants and Jeans: 4
- Shorts: 5
- Skirts: 2
- Leggings: 2
- Workout Tops: 0
- T-Shirts: 9
- Tops: 10
- Sweaters and Cardigans: 5
- Dresses and Jumpsuits: 2
- Jackets and Hoodies: 2
Total: 41
I also found a fanny pack that I didn’t want anymore and added that to the pile.
By the end of the week, I only found a few more pieces that no longer served a purpose in my wardrobe. Below are the tallies of the number of items I’m getting rid of from each category:
- Pants and Jeans: 4
- Shorts: 6
- Skirts: 2
- Leggings: 2
- Workout Tops: 2
- T-Shirts: 9
- Tops: 13
- Sweaters and Cardigans: 5
- Dresses and Jumpsuits: 3
- Jackets and Hoodies: 2
- Shoes: 2 pairs
Total number of items being donated or sold: 33
Total number of items being recycled: 18
Total number of items cleared out of the closet: 54 (including a fanny pack and 2 pairs of shoes
I didn’t even plan to go through my shoes, but I had a pair of flats that were beyond repair and should be recycled, and a a pair of sandals so uncomfortable I never wear them. Once I figure out a way to recycle the broken shoes, I’ll make a post about it with all the responsible recycling options I found.
Some things I learned that are helpful if you want to do your own closet clean out:
I found myself trying to justify keeping clothes way more than I should have, and it was hard to part with some things. I was keeping clothes because I was afraid I would never find something cute enough to replace it, even if the cut looked terrible on me, or the material was uncomfortable. I just wanted something for the color or pattern.
When you find yourself holding onto something, just because you like the pattern, or the color, but don’t actually like how it looks on you, then it needs to go. Make room in your life for clothes that check all your boxes: looks good and makes you feel good!
It was easiest to get rid of things if I had something very similar that served the same purpose, like an ill-fitting pair of polka-dot dress pants and a cute, comfortable polka-dot jumpsuit that’s more work-appropriate than the pants, and more fun (I kept the jumpsuit, by the way). I also found 3 red dresses: one was a perfect cut and color, one was too small, and another just looked frumpy on me. I kept the first one and got rid of the two with fit problems.
You’re going to have to part with things you thought you loved. However, if it doesn’t make you confident or spark joy when it’s on your body, it deserves a home with someone else who can love it more.
I was also trying to hold onto things that just didn’t fit into my wardrobe. I had a chambray pencil skirt that looks awesome on me, is really comfortable, and I got for really cheap on a clearance rack. However, the skirt is such a dark colored chambray that it clashes with anything navy blue, so I was limited to what I could wear with it. Besides that, I would have to wear nude tights if it was cold outside, and I just don’t like how nude tights look on me. I wanted to keep items that I wouldn’t have to make compromises for, and the chambray skirt had to go. The good thing is that I do also have a dark denim skirt that is work-appropriate as well, so once again, I found a way to get rid of one item when two served the same purpose.
Just because it was cheap, doesn’t mean it justifies keeping it. You can still earn a little money from things you got on clearance if you sell them!
Things I learned about myself:
For the past year, I’ve been learning a lot about sustainability, ethical shopping, and thrifting. I’ve read a lot of blog posts and watched a lot of videos by creators who embrace these shopping practices as well. This has helped me think a lot about what clothes really mean to me, and how much I can actually love specific items I own.
This experience gave me a “clean slate” feeling. I feel as though I can start over, start fresh with my wardrobe, and bring in pieces that I truly love. I feel like I have more freedom to explore styles that I actually like, not just things I already own. Getting rid of those things I only “kinda” liked gives me the freedom to one day find something like it that I love even more.
I want my clothes to be multi-functional, like a Swiss army knife. I want to buy things now because it’s something that is filling in a role in my wardrobe. I bought my first midi skirt two years ago, and I wear it so much that I now want to get more skirts in that length. I can limit my skirt shopping to just flowy midi skirts, because I know for certain what I don’t like. I want to start getting in the mindset that I don’t need multiple pieces of clothing to serve the same purpose, so I don’t need to buy five midi skirts, either. Maybe I just want one more that’s made of a thicker fabric and would be great for the colder months.
I think I’ll try to do a huge closet purge like this once a year, depending on my shopping habits. This process has helped me realize just how many clothes I own, and has made me start thinking about how much I’m buying. Do I actually need a blue blouse, or am I just buying it because I saw it and it looks cute, but I could only wear it in the office?
Maybe this post has got you thinking about your own closet, too. Let me know in the comments if you decided to do a huge closet clear out! I’d love to hear about your experiences!
Words From the Riverbed 
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