Feel too guilty to part with clothes you never wear?

Are you amongst the many women who are just too guilt-ridden to part with clothes even though you never wear them? Were they expensive and you feel you must get your money's worth? Were they a present? Do you really like whatever-it-is but know it doesn't suit you? Do you keep clothes which are too small / too big in case you might need them one day?


There are many reasons why we hang onto clothes. Some women feel reassured by a wardrobe full of clothes but the fact is that a cluttered wardrobe:


1) Makes getting dressed stressful and time consuming
2) Is psychologically very negative (especially if you have clothes which are too small in your wardrobe - a constant reminder that you have put on weight)
3) Means it's inevitable you will end up wearing clothes that you shouldn't because they don't flatter your figure or suit your colouring
4) Means you are unlikely to be imaginative with outfits as you will stick to "safe" combinations that you already know work


I spent the morning with a lovely lady who, for the purposes of client confidentiality, I'll call Wardrobe Warrior.


Wardrobe Warrior's wardrobe looked like this when I arrived:

I don't think she will mind me saying that it was pretty difficult to see what items she owned and even harder to put pieces together to create an outfit. It was also fairly tricky to find any particular item and some of the clothes had not been worn for months, or in some cases years!


It takes real commitment to carry out a thorough and effective wardrobe declutter. However having a properly decluttered wardrobe means that:

• Getting dressed in the morning or for an evening out becomes enjoyable and stress-free
• You will make full use of what you own and wear more varied combinations of clothes
• You will always look great as any items that don't flatter or suit your body shape will have been removed and/or replaced
• Never again will you get to work or arrive at a social event and wish you were wearing something else

Following a colour analysis to identify Wardrobe Warrior's "wow" colours; a body shape analysis; a style personality test and lifestyle analysis (to ensure that the contents of her wardrobe are appropriate for her work / life balance) we set to work on her wardrobe. 


Each item was reviewed to make sure that it met all necessary criteria before making it's way back into her wardrobe. The end result was this:

So, far fewer items of clothing (some more will be returned following small alterations) but all suitable for Wardrobe Warrior's body shape, colouring, lifestyle and style personality. Out of season clothes went into under-bed storage and coats were also stored elsewhere.


We didn't discard any clothes that she liked; once she knew which colours and styles worked for her and we'd gone through a few items she quickly got the hang of it and started telling me that  "this top broadens my shoulders too much" and "this colour washes me out".

So I guess the moral of the story is that it's crazy to be comforted by a wardrobe stuffed full of clothes. Bite the bullet, take a deep breath and DECLUTTER!!!!!!!!


If you, like Wardrobe Warrior, would like help please contact me at alice@dresswithconfidence.com




Alice Treanor © 2011

Too skint to go shopping?

SELL , SELL, SELL so you can BUY MORE CLOTHES!!

Having two small children; nursery costs; a ski holiday looming and a damp problem in our flat (that’s likely to prove expensive) it’s difficult to justify spending money on myself.

I have therefore come up with a plan to buy clothes guilt free!

I am systematically clearing out stuff I really don’t need and/or no longer have the room for in order to generate income for clothes!! Genius don’t you think?

E-Bay is so easy and I have already sold our birth pool for £50. We may or may not decide to have another baby but you know what, if we do we can just buy a second hand birth pool for the same price. Added advantage being that we don’t have to store the bloody thing in the meantime!

I have since bought, for £49.00 (so already made a saving!) these shoes which I’ve had my eye on:

http://www.laredoute.co.uk/t-bar-shoes-with-7-5-cm-heel.htm?ProductId=324168529

I am now in the process of selling a pushchair; an Isabella Oliver maternity coat and my Wii fit (totally unused I’m afraid to say). I have my eye on a number of things, top of the list being a pair of jeans as most of mine have now worn through on the knee! I know what you’re thinking but the husband’s not to blame (shame!) – it’s clearing up after the kids!  

What have you got stored away which you really don’t need? Guaranteed someone does so why not sell and blow the money on a guilt free shopping trip!

Alice Treanor © 2011