Clothing has always had a special place in my heart. Since I was a little girl and I became able to dress myself, I gravitated towards fun colors, interesting silhouettes, and soft fabrics. I love fashion, perhaps a little too much. There is something calming to me about window shopping, whether it be online or in person. I thoroughly enjoy the experience of looking at clothes, putting together outfits, and finding unique statement pieces.
However, I’ve fallen into a pattern of buying statement pieces instead of basics. I realized last week that my wardrobe consists primarily of clothing I don’t wear because it doesn’t fit, I don’t have anything to wear it with, or I just don’t like it. My recent lack of excitement about clothing began to make sense. Trying on clothes in the morning that don’t fit can make you feel bad about yourself. When you have unworn pieces collecting dust in your closet, you feel bad about the money you’ve wasted. Furthermore, it makes no sense to have clothes you don’t like. So, I made the decision to part with everything in my wardrobe that fit into any of those categories.
My weekend was a blur of trying on nearly every clothing item in my closet. When I tried something on, I looked closely at how it fit, how I felt in it, and what I could wear it with. If I didn’t feel confident in it, hated how it fit, or couldn’t make an outfit with it in less than a minute, it went into what I call the “Bye-Bye Pile”. Soon enough, the Bye-Bye Pile was overflowing out of an old laundry basket.
My closet is now made of clothing that I will actually wear. For tops, I have one sweater, about seven graphic tees, two plain blouses, and a blazer. I have two pairs of shorts, two pairs of jeans, one pair of dressy pants, three pairs of leggings, one pair of sweatpants, and two skirts. I have one sweater dress and two sundresses for casual wear. For outerwear, I have two sweatshirts, one cardigan, and a heavy winter coat. According to https://combineclothes.com/calculator/, this gives me enough options to wear a different outfit every day for over a year.
So, what am I going to do with all of the clothing that I’m parting with? Every piece will be donated to the Attic Window Thrift Store, directly benefiting the Muncie Mission. The money made from these thrift purchases will fund the Muncie Mission’s initiatives. This includes providing clothing, food, hygiene products, shelter, and more to those in need.
If your closet is overflowing and you’re looking to clear some space, you can make a difference by donating to local charities like the Muncie Mission.