3 Questions to Ask Yourself for a Successful Closet Clean Out

Spring is officially here! And I can tell the change in seasons is making people re-evaluate their wardrobe because I have had an influx of styling inquiries and interest in my services. Oftentimes when I am working with style clients there is some element of a closet clean out involved, whether that’s the main focus of our time together or not. People tend to hang on to items even if they aren’t wearing them for a multitude of reasons.. (they may fit again one day, they paid for them initially, they *might* have an event in the future to wear it to.) People have plenty of reasons, but those 3 are the most common I hear.

While I understand their reasoning, I am still a huge proponent of cleaning out your closet and here’s why:

• It’s hard to know what we actually have when it’s over-cluttered and a mess! Having LESS will make getting dressed simpler, easier and more enjoyable (trust me!)
• Holding onto old clothes that don’t make you feel good (too small, etc) isn’t helping your mental health. You deserve to feel good in your clothing, period.
• Once the closet is cleaned out, ideally you will want to keep it that way, and learn to use what you have versus adding more
• Cleaning out can help you identify “holes” to fill with versatile, useful items versus whatever is cute that’s on sale.

3 Questions to Ask Yourself When Cleaning Out Your Closet:

1.) Am I excited to wear this?

Does it fit? Do I feel confident and good when wearing it? Can I think of different ways to style this?

2.) Would I miss this piece if it were gone OR How long would it take me to choose this out of my closet?

Would I go to grab this and think, “oh crap, it’s gone!” Or, would it sit in the back of my closet and be the last kid chosen for gym class dodgeball?

3.) Would I pay for this item today?

This one usually hits people a bit harder…because even though they paid for it at one time, it no longer holds the same value for them today. AND THAT IS OKAY.

As humans, we grow, evolve and change, and there will be points in life where you have changed and your wardrobe hasn’t – causing a big disconnect in how you present yourself.

If you open your closet and think “none of this clothing represents who I am anymore” it’s probably time to slowly refresh (if a financial possibility for you)

Now that you’ve answered the questions I want you to review your answers:

if all of these answers are a NO, it’s time to say goodbye. Look to donate, give it to a friend/family member, resell or recycle the item so it can avoid the landfill.

If you answered YES to one or two of these questions, it might be worth holding onto for a little bit longer. If fit is an issue I cannot say enough about TAILORING. Get things tailored.

Lastly, if you answered YES to all these questions, keep it! Sounds like you have a great item 🙂

What I’m wearing: this shockingly good Target slip dress // my favorite AirMax // go-to faux leather jacket

I shared about this Target dress on Instagram last week, but I ordered it on a whim with low expectations. Usually faux satin does not look nice or lay/move well but this has exceeded all my expectations for the $25 price tag. It comes in this neon color, an emerald, pink, black, white and champagne, and I can confirm multiple friends have since ordered it 😉

I plan to wear it to one of the weddings we have this year, as well as casually with sneakers and sandals like I did here.

And now, back to the closet clean out – if any of you use these questions and clean out your closet – let me know if they were helpful!

xo, Maddy

PS. If you liked these outfits, why not pin them for later?

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