The Transformative Power of a Wardrobe Cleanse: Impact on Your Fashion Choices

Decluttering is not a new routine for me. I’ve been doing this since I was a little girl. Can you imagine not doing it when you’re a Mom of 6 children, like my Mom was. So at a young age I was routinely getting rid of stuff I no longer wore in my closet. I did understand some of the benefits of a good closet clean out. If nothing else it was just simply satisfying to see your closet go from chaos to neat. However, it wasn’t until I was much older that I realized the impact it also had on my mental health as well as my fashion choices.

Our wardrobes are deeply personal spaces, cataloguing our evolving styles, tastes, and phases of life. Over time, however, they tend to become cluttered. This making it increasingly difficult to make inspired and intentional fashion choices. The example I use a lot is ‘noise’. When you have a “noisy” closet, it’s hard to hear yourself think. A thorough cleaning of your wardrobe can dramatically shift this dynamic, leading to a more mindful approach to fashion. Let's look at how getting rid of the “noise” can benefit our fashion choices. And how creating a “whispering wind” of a closet can improve our daily lives………’whispering wind’ analogy too much? I’ll work on that.

Rediscovering Forgotten Pieces: There is nothing better than finding a piece you’ve been missing or even a piece you’ve forgotten about. Our closets act as a fabric filled obis, engulfing innocent bystanders frequently. So by doing a purge and neutralizing that “obis”, it often reveals forgotten gems buried beneath. Cleaning allows these hidden pieces to resurface, enabling their reincorporation into your current rotation, and providing fresh, cost-free style inspiration.

Defining Your Personal Style: Sifting through your clothing during a wardrobe cleanse, patterns start to emerge. In the middle of a big declutter was when I realized “all I want to wear is jeans and t-shirts”. This exercise can bring your personal style into sharper focus, revealing recurring color schemes, preferred silhouettes, or specific textures you gravitate towards. This clarity will help you in being more intentional and aware of your fashion direction.

Letting Go of Unnecessary Items: The idea isn’t to get rid of pieces just for the sake of it. A wardrobe cleanse presents an opportunity for critical assessment. Then making room for curation of pieces that truly reflect your style and bring joy. In result you create a space you’re excited about each day, rather than overwhelmed by each day. So it’s more than letting go, it’s cleansing. Washing away the “dirt” revealing something “clean”…..(yes, another analogy).

Streamlining Your Morning Routine: A well-organized wardrobe simplifies your outfit selection process, reducing morning stress. It makes mixing and matching outfits more manageable, leading to efficient, confident, and stylish starts to your day.

Enhancing Creativity and Experimentation: A tidy wardrobe is a canvas for creativity. The decluttering process often leads to unexpected fashion combinations, spurring imaginative outfit ideas and daring fashion choices that become part of your signature style.

*So now with your “peaceful” wardrobe….(nope, still not right) these things come into focus. Decluttering is more than just getting rid of some clothes you no longer wear. It’s an action that helps maintain and elevate our wardrobe in a way that promotes intentionalism in our relationship with our clothes. Which in result creates a “thoughtful” wardrobe….(there we go, I think we’ve got it). A thoughtful curated wardrobe that allows for calm when we engage with it. Instead of chaos. Isn’t that how you’d like to start and end your day?