I Just Moved and Got Rid of 10 Boxes of Clothing—Here's What Got the Boot

No, the number 10 in that title is not a ploy to get you to click in and read. It's just the sad reality of the previous state of my closet. As I signed my new lease, I couldn't help but think about all of the organizing I was going to have to do before I even started the dreadful packing process. My drawers were overflowing; my hangers were double, triple, and even quadruply hung; and my shoes were a discombobulated mess on the floor. It was bad. I know I work in fashion, but I also just have general issues when it comes to organization and minimalism within my closet. In other words, me finding the courage to part with 10 boxes of clothing, shoes, and accessories was truly an act of God, and I'm about to walk you through all the dirty details. 

Ahead, brace yourself as I admit to some of my very weird clothing hoarding habits, including multiple drawers stuffed with pajamas, a sneaker obsession even though I don't wear sneakers really, and many more weird quirks I'm boldly admitting to you via this story. While eliminating 10 boxes worth of clothing is definitely jarring, it was all donated, so hopefully that makes you think I'm a little less nuts. We'll see. In addition to listing out what got the boot, I also shopped out some of my all-time favorite items sitting in my closet that I wouldn't dare part with. Enjoy! 

Non-Versatile Graphic Tees

As I stated earlier, I have a weird obsession with certain things, and those things end up accumulating wherever I can find space. One of those things is graphic tees. I have fully convinced myself that every concert, theme park, or pretty much any place they sell memorabilia is deserving of me purchasing a T-shirt. I always tell myself I'll wear them with everything, but the fact of the matter is, unless they are cool enough to stand on their own or are versatile enough to actually be worn with anything, everything in the middle never gets worn. So there went about 15 tees. 

Shop T-shirts that made the cut:

Statement Sneakers

I am a sucker for anything colorful that basically looks like I could have worn it in the fifth grade. It was made apparent to me that the sneakers within this category get the most attention and took up the most space in my closet. When I say I had collected over eight different colored Vans, I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. Did some of them still have the tags on them? Yes, they did. But it wasn't just Vans—sneaker brands of all kinds had been getting rejected time after time for their inability to fully complete my outfits without overpowering them. They had to go. Only the truly wearable ones stayed. 

Shop sneakers that made the cut:

Bras That Didn't Fit Properly

My underwear drawer was a scary place before I moved, filled with endless amounts of lace, random straps, and so on and so forth. I always knew deep down in my heart that there was no need for an entire drawer filled with bras, but I could never bring myself to sift through them all. So, before I packed everything up, I finally took the time to try on all the bras and kept only the ones that fit me perfectly. It's easy to want to keep a bra because it's pretty, but if you're not actually utilizing it, all it's doing is taking up space. 

Shop my bras that made the cut:

Jeans I Always Skipped Over

One time a professional closet cleaning and organizing service came and (drumroll please) cleaned out my closet. They taught me a lot that day, but one thing that has stuck with me the most over the years was the idea that if you have more than one version of the same item but always pull for the same one, get rid of the rest because you never wear them anyways. This sentiment rings the truest in my life when it comes to jeans. I had way too many pairs of jeans that I was keeping "just in case," but the reality was I always skipped over all of those and grabbed my select favorite few instead. 

Shop jeans that made the cut:

My Excess of Pajamas

I'll keep this one short and simple: I had a six-drawer dresser. Two of the six drawers were overflowing with pajamas. End of story. 

Shop pajamas that made the cut:

Workout Clothes on Their Last Leg

When it comes to workout clothes, I am very particular. If I find a pair of leggings that hugs me just right, stays put, and feels comfortable, I'll wear them to their absolute breaking point. We're talking holes, tears, thinning, and all. To be honest, it was pretty embarrassing, so I am thankful that this move finally encouraged me to get rid of what was at the end of its life.

Shop leggings that made the cut:

Tarnished Jewelry

Admit it—your jewelry collection is filled with knotted necklaces, mismatched earrings, and a handful of pieces that are terribly tarnished. Okay, at least mine was. It wasn't until I organized everything and laid it all side by side that I was able to see the true damage of some pieces versus others. If the metals aren't real, getting that fixed can be a bit of a waste of money, if not impossible, so it's better to only keep what's in good shape. 

Shop jewelry that made the cut:

Old Trends I Don't Think Are Coming Back

Last but not least, on a less practical note as far as space goes, I really took the time to sift through my closet and make decisions about my trendier pieces. Some I ended up keeping, but a lot I was already feeling tired of even after a few seasons of letting them sit in my closet and hoping they would come back around. In order to make room for the new fall trends I plan on investing in, I put aside things that no longer brought me joy.

Shop trends I'll be adding to my newly organized closet: