When I first starting making eco friendly swaps in my life, my clothing habits were one of the first things I had to examine. Since I first researched the topic, I am proud to report that I have cut way back on the amount of clothes that I buy; and the few clothes I do buy are from ethical or secondhand retailers. (Read my overview of the environmental and human impacts of the fashion industry here.)
But in the last year I really hadn’t examined the things I already had and what to do with them. I’ve had plenty of mornings staring at a packed closet thinking that I had nothing to wear that day. I will occasionally and half-heartedly pull things out of my closet to sell on Poshmark or to relegate to a storage bin in the basement. But that was no longer cutting it. Over the last few years I’ve become overwhelmed and frustrated with the amount of stuff in my 900-square foot condo that I share with my husband, son and dog. I recently quit my job to go back to school, and I had a month long window to do some much needed minimizing in my house. As luck would have it, Marie Kondo launched her Netflix show about tidying during this time. The stars were aligned – let’s do this.
The KonMari method is focused on finding what sparks joy. This can be difficult with clothes, because there are so many sentimental and practical rationalizations that can be made. Like – how can I possibly get rid of a dress that I wore at my bridal shower even though it hasn’t fit me in years? Or shouldn’t I hold onto that boring black blazer that I never wear because it’s a staple that I supposedly have to have?
10×10 Challenge
In order to help jump start this process, I participated in a 10×10 challenge a few months ago where I selected just 10 items to wear for 10 days. Ideally, you pick items that can be mixed and matched so you can make the most out of each item. Accessories, outerwear and underwear don’t count toward the 10 piece total. I didn’t bother wearing items from my 10×10 challenge on weekend days lounging around the house or work from home days. My office was also pretty casual, so a lot of the items I wore to work could also be worn out on weekends.
My challenge included:
- 2 tops
- 2 pairs of pants
- 1 dress
- 1 blazer
- 2 sweaters
- 1 pair booties
- 1 pair flats
So how did it go?
Overall, this exercise was a blast. I selected only clothing pieces that I really loved, so each day I was excited to wear something that I knew I liked and fit me correctly. It also forced me to explore accessories more than I had before. I have so many adorable scarves, but I never wear them. My favorite outfit from the 10 days was wearing a cute scarf over a pretty basic outfit – I got so many compliments and I never would have put that outfit together otherwise. I really enjoyed the opportunity to be creative and see how much an outfit can be transformed simply by pairing with a new accessory or a different pair of shoes.
There was one morning that I was frantically getting ready for work and was staring in desperation at my closet and had no idea what to wear. Then I remembered that I was participating in this challenge and felt this huge sense of relief. I thought that only having 10 items to chose from would be limiting, but instead it felt liberating and alleviated a ton of stress. Having all these clothes on hand that I don’t really like was actually holding me back and stressing me out.
Lessons learned
All in all, this was a useful exercise and I definitely have motivation to cut down on the clothes I have, but I think 10 items is too limiting to sustain long term. I ended up repeating outfits a lot, and was grateful that I was with different people for a few of those occasions so they wouldn’t see me in the exact same outfit.
If I decide to do this again, I would definitely change things up. The tops I chose were pretty distinctive, so it could make it hard to mix and match and it would be memorable if I wore it more than once a week. Next time I would opt for more basics or neutrals. I might also not pick a dress next time, it really only paired with one blazer so that exact outfit couldn’t be changed up too much. Instead, another pair of pants or a skirt that would match a few different items and would have given me a few more options.
I have a beautiful navy J. Crew blazer that I bought secondhand on Poshmark awhile ago that I originally picked to be one of my 10 items. Each time I went to wear it, I decided not to. I ended up switching this out for a sweater that I was more excited about wearing. This was so surprising to me – I love this blazer, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually worn it. I don’t know why this is, but I can only assume that it’s because it’s not really my style and maybe it’s time to let it go. Turns out, this is pretty common and we tend to hold onto things for a number of reasons.
All in all, this exercise was really fun and pretty easy to complete. The hardest part was trying to take a selfie each day with minimal awkwardness (check out my pinned 10×10 story on Instagram to see if I succeeded).
Now what?
So with lessons learned from the 10×10 challenge, knowledge from the Tidying up show, and time on my hands, I set out to really minimize what it in my closet and work toward a capsule wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe is typically a selection of around 40 items that can be mixed and matched for a particular season. I am not going stress about the number, but focus on having a much smaller closet filled with things that are good quality, versatile and that I love.
Here are the steps I took to reduce my wardrobe:
- Following the KonMari method, take out every single stitch of clothing you own and turn it into a pile on your bed. Observe your mountain of clothing in disgust.
- Hold each item in your hands and find whether it brings you joy. If so, keep it. If not, thank it for it’s service and then figure out if it should be discarded, donated or sold (more on this below)
- Hang items in your closet, or fold and store upright in your bureau
Clothing Donation
In the past, I have just bagged up unwanted clothing and dropped it off at Goodwill. I used to feel so good about doing my part to help someone else. But the truth is that we are generating so much secondhand clothing that we have exceeded supply, or don’t have the infrastructure to distribute it appropriately. According to Planet Aid (you know, the people that collect all our used stuff in yellow bins), Americans dispose of 16 million tons of clothing waste annually. The proliferation of American secondhand clothing distributed internationally can even undermine local clothing production. A lot of donated clothing ends up in a landfill anyway. So yes, donating is probably a better option than throwing in the trash, but it’s not the silver bullet solution.
Find your clothes a new home
A better way to get rid of unwanted clothing is to put in a bit more effort and try to find those items a home. I have made hundreds of dollars over the years by selling items on Poshmark. It only takes a few minutes to snap a few pictures and enter details about each item. People can then bid on each item, and the platform manages payment and generates a shipping label. Once sold, package your item (preferably in reused shipping materials) and drop off at the post office or in mailbox. If you don’t have time to manage shipments or you don’t think a particular item will make much money, check out your local options for trading items. I have recently joined my local Buy Nothing group on Facebook and have offloaded so many items around the house. I’ll take a picture, post a little description and then once someone is interested I send them a private message with my address and leave the item in a box on my front deck. Each group is only for members of a certain town or neighborhood and you need permission to enter. I have felt comfortable sharing my address knowing that others in the group are my neighbors. I also recently learned that most police stations offer up their parking lot to make safe transactions for sellers and buyers on sites like Craigslist.
Want to get rid of all your items in one shot? Host a clothing swap! I’ll be hosting one in a few weeks where people can bring items that are in good condition that they don’t wear anymore and swap for something else. I’ve done this informally with a few friends, to this day one of my favorite boots came out of my friend’s Goodwill bag in the trunk of her car.
Upcycling
As I was discarding items, there were a few things I came across that were in good condition but would be strange to donate. Would someone really want a sorority t shirt from college? Or a t shirt from a 5k I ran in? For these items I researched ways I could upcycle them. I was floored at some of the creations – statement necklaces, headbands, lampshades, whaaat? I decided that for my skill level (beginner at best), I should stick with something simple, so I made a few dog toys for my pup and a few friends’ dogs. And if that seems like too much work, just turn old t shirts into rags to replace paper towels.
Landfill
I only ended up throwing away a few things that I was confident I couldn’t sell, donate or upcycle like old undies, random bra straps or bathing suit bottoms.
Less is more
I’m still not completely done clearing everything out as I try to sell more things on Poshmark and compile items for a clothing swap. And I’m still getting used to folding items instead of just throwing them in a drawer in a heap. But I have noticed such a difference from paring down my items and displaying them nicely. I end up wearing things that I had forgotten were at the bottom of a pile. I have let go of certain clothing pieces that I know I’ll never wear again, and instead focus on appreciating my favorite clothing items. I’m really enjoying the freedom that comes with paring down what you have. There is still work to do in order to undo years of thinking that more is better, but I’m making progress. I look forward to having getting dressed be a more peaceful process, having a bedroom that is not bursting with clothing, and having more money in my pocket after not spending money on an impulse spree at TJ Maxx.
eco chick 