Closet Clean Out (AKA Sartorial Symbolism)

image via goop

Guys, I finally did it.. I got rid of the romper I wore on my bachelorette weekend, along with 60 pounds of other dated apparel. I swear, I'm not a hoarder! But as I previously mentioned, I've felt quite attached to some choice pieces of clothing. And while I finally parted with the infamous romper, I did hold onto a few sentimental items, including my dresses from my engagement party, bridal shower and rehearsal dinner, to name a few. Funny enough, I had no problemo offloading my wedding gown right after The Big Day. I sold it and we used the money to go to France for our first anniversary. 10/10 would recommend. But I digress.  

I'm proud of myself. I had been yearning to clear out my old duds for a long time, and I finally did it. I tried on every single piece of clothing in my closet, over the course of a few weekends. I needed to feel the energy of the items (I know, woo woo) and of course see if they still fit. For certain pieces I felt on the fence about, I texted photos to my two most fashionable friends. 99% of the time they replied, "toss it!" They were right. It was time to thank those old & faithful tops and bottoms for their service and move right along. Some clothing was from 15 (or more!) years ago. I'm not gonna lie, I kept a few of those tops. (They're vintage ;) Makes me think of that line in the grossly underrated film Prime, where Uma Thurman dates a much younger Bryan Greenberg, "I have t-shirts older than you," she exclaims, as he pursues her.

Currently my oldest t-shirt is a "Wisconsin Grandpa" tee I found in my Grandpa's apartment after he passed. It was in mint condition; he was way too dapper to sport a Wisco shirt. But hey, he kept it! I also kept a couple of Peru Treks t-shirts from my and Justin's hike to Machu Picchu - a reminder that I can, in fact, do hard things. Again, meaningful pieces stayed; everything else got donated or shipped off to Thred Up.

Thred Up resells clothes in good condition and donates whatever doesn't sell. You can earn a bit on the pieces that get bought. Win-win. I may get a few bucks, and I'm gaining the ease of mind that comes with having a more edited closet. Let's face it, the vibe is better without stale apparel.

Of course, my wardrobe is always going to be a work in progress. For the gems I wasn't ready to let go of, maybe I'll "shop my closet" and wear them out, breathe new life into them. Or maybe at some point soon, I'll be ready to let go. Make space for some newness. My closet will always be evolving, just like me.

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