Have you edited your fall winter closet yet?

I’m what you might call a “late closet editor.” I just finished my edit, audit, cleanse…whatever you want to call it…last weekend. You see, I adore spring/summer clothes, but I apparently think if I ignore my fall/winter closet, cold weather will come later.

Anyway, as I was editing, I got to thinking…this year certainly isn’t normal! Normal editing rules don’t really apply. (You know I like to break rules anyway!)

Eventually I distilled my thoughts into what not to do during your quarantine closet edit OR…

3 things to avoid during your quarantine closet edit

 Avoid judging an item by how much you wore it in the last year.

Honestly, I don’t have hard fast rules about getting rid of wardrobe items you haven’t worn recently. I feel like the harshest of qualifiers is “If you haven’t worn it in 1 year, get rid of it.”

Since we were completely quarantined for much of the cold weather of 2020 (at least in Colorado, lol,) if you followed that old rule, you’d be getting rid of most of your wardrobe!

A much better question to ask when you’re evaluating a garment’s right to be in your closet is,  “When my life gets completely back to normal, do I have a place to wear this and do I want to wear it?”

I mean think about it, you’ve been stuck at home and on Zoom this year, so really your tops have been what have mattered most.

You may not be wearing anything that’s remotely structured on the bottom, so how can you follow an outdated timeline to keep or pass on something you’d wear to the office or out socially?

 Avoid purging an item that’s a little tight

You’re shocked to hear me say this, right? After working as a personal stylist with professional women in their closets for over 16 years, I know our weight can fluctuate a little from time to time. (I continuously go up and down the scale by about 5 pounds.)

If you’ve been on a regular baking schedule (LOL!) and perhaps a little less active than usual, some of your clothes might be a little tight. Or maybe with extra time on your hands since you’re not commuting, you’ve been paying more attention to your diet and fitness.

As controversial as tip #2 may seem, it would be ashamed to let go of a beloved pair of jeans simply because they’re temporarily binding or perhaps temporarily too big.

As I typed the previous sentence, I began feeling a bit funny. By no means am I passing any judgment whatsoever on anyone’s weight or size or if they’ve gained or lost weight. (You know you and wherever you are is nobody’s business but yours.

2020 just doesn’t seem like the year to be blindly following rigid rules!

Avoid fooling yourself!

My advice in this post is far from normal! I’m going to advise that you don’t take me too literally here!

If you have clothes you haven’t worn for a while (pre-pandemic,) there’s probably a reason. Don’t like it. Not your style. Nowhere to wear it, etc.

Please don’t take my advice today as an excuse to hang onto something that really should go.

What I want for you to have left in your closet after your edit is:

• Clothes that fit or almost fit
• Clothes you want to wear and have a place to wear when the quarantine is over
• Clothes and a wardrobe you love and feel great about!

Check out this post for more tips on how to edit your closet. And if you’re just not up for going it alone, I’m offering both in person (in Denver and Northern Colorado, with masks) and virtual editing.

Click here to schedule a time to learn more.