The Wardrobe Cleanse Series: What to Keep During a Wardrobe Purge

c/o Zaful shoes  I subtly began talking about how I purged my wardrobe of years of clutter, here, and I have been gradually and consistently sharing how I achieved the cleanse, why I decided to cleanse my wardrobe and what should be done with the cleansed items, which I'll talk more on in subsequent posts.Today, I’m sharing with you how I decided on what to keep. You’ll find that it will be a bit of a struggle when you begin to cleanse off piles of clothing items, especially when you get to deciding what to keep. I typically do a wardrobe cleanse almost every three years because no matter how many times I tell myself I won’t be buying clothes, something gets added in. I believe this is same for a lot of women.
On a different note, I’m still trying to get rid of the tan lines on my feet. Small secret, I dodge the sun like crazy. Obnoxious Toni in the series Girlfriends, made me laugh every time I watched her sun-evading antics, a few years ago. Growing up, the dreaded tan lines was enough reason for me to avoid spending time on any beach. I declined a number of invites. #neverhaveieverspentrelaxingtimeonabeach
Here are tips to make it a bit easier to decide:1.   Keep what fits.Keep what still fits your body type and is still in good condition. I got rid of this pink faux suede pants because they didn’t fit just right even after I had them tailored. I have majority of my clothes tailored in an attempt to get the right fit as ready-to-wear clothes are usually measured to accommodate a wide range of body shapes and sizes. You’ll find that with ready-to-wear items, a waistline for, say, a size 8 dress might sit above, on or below the belly button of different size 8 women because of variations in torso length, bust or hip sizes. It’s all good though. I used to have a number of clothes that I had in mind to alter or get to a tailor for alterations. I’m sure some of you do too right now. Well, with my cleansed wardrobe I plan not to fall into the trap of having a clutter of clothes in need of alterations. 2.   Keep a few items with good memories.I’ve stored my good memories in photos, but before that I’d keep items that provoked good thoughts and reminded me of a certain time. Items with good memories add personal touches to an individual’s wardrobe. Keep the best one of them. 3.   Keep items that are functional.Items such as rain-gear, work uniforms etc, should be kept to avoid inevitably re-purchasing them.4.   Keep items that are true to who you are or who you intend your wardrobe cleanse to help you become.Lace, it is for me. Since the past year and the year before that I have been steadily and gradually adding lace to my wardrobe. I use the term ‘wardrobe’ to mean the clothing garments that I own. For the actual physical space in which my wardrobe is housed I prefer to use the term ‘closet’.And then classics, I kept everything black/white or a combination of both colors that still fit good and is of good fabric. I also retained some colorful items in the form of sheath dresses and classic prints like stripes, polka dots and ethnic or tribal accents. 5.   Keep goal reminders.If you have an item that serves the sole purpose of reminding you of what goal you intend to achieve and why, keep it. Keep it within eye sight and when you achieve that goal, rejoice and then toss it. Shop The Post(click on the images)