15 Feb Do You Really Love It? 3 Ways to Determine It’s Time to Let Your Clothes Go

“Do you love it? Really love it?” 

This weekend I helped a friend clean out her closet and that’s the question I repeatedly asked anytime she tried to add a garment to the keep pile. And her response was either “no” or “it’s okay, I like it.” Having a closet full off “okay” pieces is the quickest way to end up with an excessive amount of mediocre clothes and accessories that just take up space and don’t represent your personal style. But I know it can be hard to decide what you should keep or toss.

If you’ve ever struggled with deciding how to determine you love, like really love a garment or accessory, here are some tips.

How Do You Look?
This sounds like a no-brainer, but hear me out. Do you look amazing when you wear the piece of clothing? Does it flatter and highlight your favorite body part{s}? If so, keep it. It’s totally acceptable to be vain for a second here and look at yourself in the mirror and think, “yup, I look great!” If you can say that, it’s a keeper.

On the other hand, be real with yourself and acknowledge when you might not look your best. For example: if you have to wear several pairs of Spanx to fit into a dress, it’s not the best fit. Or if you’ve found a great fitting piece but the color washes you out, let it go.

How Do You Feel?
It’s totally normal to have an emotional attachment to clothing. I’m pretty sure everyone does. It took me forever to get rid of an ugly grey dress I had hanging in my closet. Why did I keep it? It was the dress I wore when I got laid off from my job at a fashion magazine and I looked at that day as super liberating and what ultimately led me to create Looking Fly on a Dime®. Great story, right? But the dress just wasn’t my style and the color was horrible on me. So I finally got rid of it. With or without the dress, I still remember that day vividly, so the memory hasn’t changed.

However, sometimes feelings can play a major role in deciding to keep an item.

Do you feel comfortable, confident and are you just feeling yourself when you wear that article of clothing? Like, your mood instantly picks up when you wear it. Some clothes just make you feel amazing. These are the ones that have a place in your closet and will get tons of wear.

Now, I’m not talking about your ratty, stained sweatpants that you feel comfortable in, those don’t count. But this is more about the clothes you wear to work, the weekend and when you’re having a fun night.

[bctt tweet=”These 3 questions make it easy to determine what to toss vs. keep in your closet. “]
How Do Other People Think You Look?
Now, I’m not saying your validation should come from outside sources, but sometimes others can see things we can’t. You might think you don’t look good in bright colors, but if everyone seems to compliment you on that bright cardigan you wore one day, you might want to consider that you actually do look great in bright hues.

For example, I had a jacket I thrifted a few years ago and I finally started to wear it. When I did, it was a showstopper. At least three or four people that day commented on how they loved my pretty jacket. That jacket has since become a staple in my closet and I’ve found multiple ways to style it.

That’s not to say you should seek out validation {don’t fish for compliments!}, but if you’re noticing a pattern of unsolicited compliments in regards to a item of clothing you wear, others might be on to something. Take notice of this.

When you decide to toss clothes you don’t really, truly love, don’t get freaked out if your closet is looking a little light. That just means you’re making space for the things you really love and you’re one step closer to defining your personal style. Remember when I cleaned out my closet and ended up donating a fourth of my wardrobe? It was the best thing ever.

Do you have a closet of items you love or random pieces? How do you go about cleaning out your closet?