Baby Steps

Ah, the curse of the things that are "too good" to get rid of.

So to bring you up to date on the Great Closet Clean Out, I decided to hold off on the info from Miss Minimalist and try something less extreme first. A search through the library catalog turned up a promising title: Practical Princess Perfect Wardrobe: Declutter and Re-jig Your Closet to Transform Your Life by Elika Gibbs. Who can resist? Transform my LIFE? Heck, I was going to be happy with transforming my underwear drawer! I took the book to the gym with me and started reading.

First off, just seeing the beautiful clothes in this book is enough to make you want to pitch your entire wardrobe and start over. The bags, the Givenchy gowns...uh...yeah. But once I started reading, I picked up some tidbits that made sense.

Focus on one category of clothes at a time.

What a simple recommendation. It makes sense, so of course I've never done it. I usually just grab for whatever catches my eye, and I end up overwhelmed. So today I put it to the test by starting with one of the smaller segments of my wardrobe: pants.

I started by putting on a plain top that goes with everything. It's a color I like in a cut I like, and it's something I'd wear with every single pair of pants I own. Then I tried on each and every pair of pants, one after the other. Seeing them all in succession like that gave me a better idea of the ones I feel great in vs. the ones that make me feel kind of dumpy. I started with thirteen pairs of pants and ended with ten. And, yes, I'm ditching the Ann Taylors in the photo above, even thought they are beautiful pants that were once pretty pricey. I look crappy in them, so why have they hung around so long?

Thirteen pared down to ten. Not so great. Maybe I'll have better luck with jeans? Not really. I began with seven pairs and only cut out one. Sweatpants? Began with eight and now have six.

At this point, I'm beginning to think I might need a dose of Miss Minimalist after all. --sigh-- Any advice?

Psst: Don't forget the giveaway!