I keep going on and on about this at the moment, so I am assuming you all know by now I am getting ready to move to Los Angeles in the Summer. It’s been a year long process and we are now on the very last leg of this green card adventure (more on this once it is finalised, I get a lot of questions about this). International move means house clearing of epic proportions…
When I started this whole visa process, I set myself a few goals along the way to prepare for the final move, one of those goals was to clear out my house as much as possible in order to save money on the actual moving cost. Companies charge per cubic feet so the incentive to get rid of as much stuff as possible was pretty high. During the Christmas break, I did a first round of clearing which included clothes, books and also paperwork etc. The clothes and books either went to my depop shop or to charity.
As the date now looms closer, I thought it was time to have a second round of wardrobe decluttering… The first one gave me great clarity as to what I actually owned (too much), what I wore daily (only very few pieces) and made me realise I had way too many clothes. It also helped me better understand what my personal style is these days as I was going through a bit of a style identity crisis .
What did I learn since my very first wardrobe decluttering post? I guess since then I’ve helped a few people tackle their very own wardrobe issues and I also read Marie Kondo like everyone else. Her method taught me to be much more ruthless. Gone are the days I would keep something “because it might make nice jammies” (it never does). I am also done keeping things “just in case I can fit in them again / they go back in style” there is no need for that, especially when these “what if” pieces will end up costing money to transport halfway across the world.
What did I discover? Mostly things I already knew, but that were confirmed: the core of my wardrobe is mainly denim, black, camel and white and I am OK with that. I used to think I needed prints and colour as well but I have made peace with the fact I am not that person, or at least not anymore. I still own a few printed items but they are in a similar colour palette to the rest of my wardrobe, which means I actually understand how to wear them. If I want to look a little more fun, I use accessories to make my outfits more interesting.
I also discovered I own a lot of shoes I don’t wear. Yep, seriously. The unloved shoes in my closet are mostly ones with high-heels, simply because I am not very good at wearing heels. I buy them, love to look at them but shoes are meant to be worn, they aren’t decorative items. So off these went to my Vestiaire Collective shop, hopefully they will find a loving owner elsewhere and I can make a couple bucks in the process.
The lessons I learned from this? There aren’t that many pieces in my wardrobe I am actually attached to. Only a few items I own “bring me joy” – although I am not sure clothing can actually bring joy at all in general, apart from the joy of not being naked in the street, which to some may not be a joy at all. Joke aside, I cherish a few items because they hold memories, but if I don’t wear them, I have now started jotting down the memory in a notebook so I can get rid of the item. First date shirt I haven’t worn since said date? Write the story of the date, toss the shirt. I also learned that even though I think I need classic white shirts by the dozen (just in case), I don’t actually wear them that much, which proves I only need a couple. This may be obvious to you, but I am on a journey of discovery here!
For this EXTREME EDITION of my wardrobe decluttering, I documented the process on Snapchat so you can witness #mystruggle. And if there are pieces you think I should toss, sell or keep, leave a comment below!
Keep an eye out for my depop shop as a lot of items are making their way there this week…
When I started this whole visa process, I set myself a few goals along the way to prepare for the final move, one of those goals was to clear out my house as much as possible in order to save money on the actual moving cost. Companies charge per cubic feet so the incentive to get rid of as much stuff as possible was pretty high. During the Christmas break, I did a first round of clearing which included clothes, books and also paperwork etc. The clothes and books either went to my depop shop or to charity.
As the date now looms closer, I thought it was time to have a second round of wardrobe decluttering… The first one gave me great clarity as to what I actually owned (too much), what I wore daily (only very few pieces) and made me realise I had way too many clothes. It also helped me better understand what my personal style is these days as I was going through a bit of a style identity crisis .
What did I learn since my very first wardrobe decluttering post? I guess since then I’ve helped a few people tackle their very own wardrobe issues and I also read Marie Kondo like everyone else. Her method taught me to be much more ruthless. Gone are the days I would keep something “because it might make nice jammies” (it never does). I am also done keeping things “just in case I can fit in them again / they go back in style” there is no need for that, especially when these “what if” pieces will end up costing money to transport halfway across the world.
What did I discover? Mostly things I already knew, but that were confirmed: the core of my wardrobe is mainly denim, black, camel and white and I am OK with that. I used to think I needed prints and colour as well but I have made peace with the fact I am not that person, or at least not anymore. I still own a few printed items but they are in a similar colour palette to the rest of my wardrobe, which means I actually understand how to wear them. If I want to look a little more fun, I use accessories to make my outfits more interesting.
I also discovered I own a lot of shoes I don’t wear. Yep, seriously. The unloved shoes in my closet are mostly ones with high-heels, simply because I am not very good at wearing heels. I buy them, love to look at them but shoes are meant to be worn, they aren’t decorative items. So off these went to my Vestiaire Collective shop, hopefully they will find a loving owner elsewhere and I can make a couple bucks in the process.
The lessons I learned from this? There aren’t that many pieces in my wardrobe I am actually attached to. Only a few items I own “bring me joy” – although I am not sure clothing can actually bring joy at all in general, apart from the joy of not being naked in the street, which to some may not be a joy at all. Joke aside, I cherish a few items because they hold memories, but if I don’t wear them, I have now started jotting down the memory in a notebook so I can get rid of the item. First date shirt I haven’t worn since said date? Write the story of the date, toss the shirt. I also learned that even though I think I need classic white shirts by the dozen (just in case), I don’t actually wear them that much, which proves I only need a couple. This may be obvious to you, but I am on a journey of discovery here!
For this EXTREME EDITION of my wardrobe decluttering, I documented the process on Snapchat so you can witness #mystruggle. And if there are pieces you think I should toss, sell or keep, leave a comment below!
Keep an eye out for my depop shop as a lot of items are making their way there this week…
👻👉
Watch me struggle as I go through the final round
of my wardrobe decluttering
