It can be a daunting experience if it's something you're not use to performing, but a wardrobe cull is a necessary and important task that every one will have to partake in at some point of their life.
With the increase of fast fashion quickly filling our wardrobes with the latest and greatest trends it can be easy to end up with an over stuffed wardrobe, splitting at the seams like Katy Perry and John Mayers relationship.
Before I moved in with my Bear I lived in a townhouse with two others, I had the master bedroom to myself which came with two double doored wardrobes, queen size storage under my bed, as well as ample pantry space, a garage and my own spacious bathroom. As you can imagine it took a while for me to transition into sharing my living space with another, but what proved to be the real struggle was having to share my wardrobe! I had to condense all my belongings into one half of a very tiny walk in wardrobe, with no under bed storage, no garage and very little pantry space! Given the lack of space I learnt to down size rather quickly but lately my usually OCD organised wardrobe was starting to look more like a boys locker room rather than a fashionistas styling arena. Dresses and tops were hung two per hanger like some bizarre Noah's arc of clothing, with nothing in order, bags and belts all confused and entangled with each other and my Chloe booties shoved in amongst my flat shoes (thanks for that Bear) -_-
So after a lovely day brunching with my girlfriends and playing catch up with my family, I headed home and begun to take control back over my unruly wardrobe! I started with the usual tidy, then progressed into a full cull, but for anyone not versed in the art of the cull I have some tips for you that will turn a seemingly scary task into a stress free experience.
Firstly you need to work out what you're going to do with the pieces you want to cull, I chose to donate mine to the RSPCA thrift shop near my house, I absolutely love animals and already donate money to the RSPCA on a monthly basis so it seemed an obvious choice.
Rule two is to be honest with yourself, ask yourself if you wear the item and try to remember if you enjoyed the outfit the last time you wore it, was it comfortable and did you feel confident in it? Or do you remember umming and arhing over it because you felt like it didn't exactly work for you? If you're still unsure of whether to keep something ask yourself if you really need it. If it's not a piece you like or wear, wouldn't it be better off in the hands of someone who will love and appreciate it? This is why I always find it great to pick a charity store you really believe in (if you're donating the items) because it helps you to remember that a lot of good can come out of you departing with something you don't really want or need any more. Whenever I got stuck on an item I'd simply say to myself "if I donate this piece then it can be sold in the thrift store and that money can help to rehabilitate a puppy who's been dumped after a present purchase went wrong". Quick as a flash the item was off its hanger and into the op shop drop bag!
The third tip for a successful wardrobe clean out is a super simple one, if you're umming and arhing over a piece and you simply aren't sure if you're ready to part with an item I suggest this to you. Put the item into a bag and put that bag in the bottom of your wardrobe, you can keep it there for as long as you like but you'll know you want to keep it if you keep thinking about the piece or if you start to miss having it as an option in your wardrobe. If you forget the piece ever existed you'll either fall back in love with it after you rediscover it or you'll know it's a piece that doesn't need to be a part of your life anymore.
Lastly don't go over board, don't do a cull when your really hormonal or upset about a situation, you may end up throwing out something you'll regret departing with later, which in turn will cement it in your head that culling is a terrible idea and before you know it you'll be hoarding everything from dead cakes of soap to empty milk cartons.
At the end of your cull take a deep breath and revel in all the extra space and uncluttered vibes oozing out of your newly organised wardrobe.
A wardrobe cull can help to make you feel like you have just a little bit of control over this crazy thing we call life, and the side effects can be fabulous! Wishing you all the best of luck on your future culls, the puppies of tomorrow thank you in advance!
