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Last year I published a blog post on how I decluttered over 80% of my wardrobe. At the time, I had lots of items that I wasn’t wearing. I thought many of them were cute, and many were maybe sent to me, and while I loved them, I never wore them.
So I had a wardrobe full of stuff I didn’t truly need, and it was starting to really overwhelm me every time I opened it. Just having to rummage through all of the piles to find the one thing I wanted to wear for the day, or trying on different things and not feeling good about myself are the things that made me want to make a change.
In this article, I’m going to take you into my wardrobe again, and I’m going to declutter a bit more.
Keep reading below or watch the video:
The Declutter process
Since going through this process, I’ve learnt more about my own personal style— what I like to wear, what feels good on my body, and what feels flattering for me. I’ve also created for myself a bit of a uniform, like a ‘mom uniform’ or outfits I really love to wear. I feel like I have a better sense of that now, and I can be more realistic with myself as I declutter.
The decluttering muscle
And I always mention this— when you declutter for the first time, you probably won’t get rid of as much as you need to in order to have a truly streamlined wardrobe. And that’s okay, it’s a process. What I’ve found is that you actually have to declutter a few times, looking at your wardrobe with fresh eyes each time, to really exercise that decluttering muscle. Eventually, you’ll get to a wardrobe that’s simplified and really works for you.
Here, I’m going to share some of my favourite pieces and show you what I’m keeping, and what I’m letting go of.
Usually, I do a one-in-one-out method— when I buy or receive something new, I let go of an old item from the same category that I don’t wear anymore. But over the past few weeks, I’ve kept those items specifically for this article. Now, I’m going to walk you through my thought process with all of that. Let’s do this!
Minimalist Wardrobe Tour
In my wardrobe, I’ve got tops and dresses on hangers, and below them, on the top of a drawer unit, I have some jeans and trousers. Right now, I also have a small pile with a mix of things that have recently come into my wardrobe, along with a few items that need to go out. I’m going to sort through those too.
Then, I’ve got three drawers.
The first one is where I keep my socks, underwear, and things like that. The majority of my socks are white, which makes laundry so much easier. I also have a few sports socks on the side.
The second one holds some leggings and simple tops, and the last one is pyjamas and sportswear. But I’ve just emptied both drawers.
I don’t usually pull everything out because it can feel very overwhelming having a huge pile of stuff on the bed or in the middle of the room. But since I’ve massively simplified my wardrobe, having a full drawer out is much easier to manage.
Go through each category
The next step is going through each category.
So I pulled out the dresses first— I’m keeping the five dresses that I have because they’re the ones I absolutely love and wear a lot.
One is the Nümph dress, ‘Pink Lemonade’, which is my absolute favourite at the moment and I think is very fitting.
For a lot of items, if I can’t find them new in the shop anymore, it’s actually a great idea to look on Vinted. There, you can find a lot of old-season items for a very good price.
Since learning more about my personal style, I noticed I’m not much of a skirt person, and that’s okay. We don’t have to wear everything just because it’s on trend. I think it’s really nice when you can find your own style—whatever you like to wear and what makes you feel good.
Shop my wardrobe
Here are links to my most worn items:
So I only have a skirt from H&M from a long time ago, and I still love it so much. I can dress it down with some trainers, and I enjoy wearing it.
Then I have an H&M teddy coat.
Now, onto blazers and jackets. I only have a few for summer since I don’t really need that many.
I’ve got a little denim one, a Levi’s that I love to wear, and it’s another Vinted find. Then, there’s an H&M blazer, which is a really good layering piece.
I always recommend keeping in your daily wardrobe the items that you actually wear at the moment. Everything else should be put in storage or set aside until the next season. This way, you can streamline your space, and when you open your wardrobe, you’ll only see items you actually need and wear right now. It saves the time and energy of having to sift through things that aren’t currently useful.
Getting onto sweatshirts, I have three in total—a black one, a blue one, and a simple grey one. I’m keeping these because sometimes I do layer them, and they’re not as thick as the hoodie.
Next, I’ve got some more long sleeves.
Then I have a Lululemon jacket that doesn’t need to be on a hanger, so I’ll put it in my gym and workout gear drawer.
I also have a silk shirt, I’ve had it for quite a while. It’s a really lovely piece, and I did wear it, but I don’t get that much use out of it. It’s a beautiful shirt, and I feel like it’s kind of wasted just sitting in my wardrobe.
You know how you have those pieces—the ‘fantasy me’ or ‘future me’ items—where you think, ‘Maybe I’ll wear this one day for an event,’ or ‘If I had this to go to, I’d wear it,’ but in reality, you haven’t touched them in so, so long? This shirt is one of those pieces, and as much as I love it, I think it’s time to let it go. Someone else might actually use it and enjoy it more, so I’m going to sell it.
This is just your little reminder that even if something is cute, or you love how it looks on a hanger or in your wardrobe, if you’re not actually wearing it, it might be best to let it go. That way, you can make space for the items you do actually wear.
I’ve also got two simple white shirts. Normally, I don’t keep many duplicates, except for a few basics.
Next, I’ve got a floral long-sleeve blouse from Zara, which is so, so lovely, and a little cashmere cardigan from John Lewis, which is just such a nice staple to have. I feel like a thin cashmere jumper or cardigan like this is a really good piece to have in your wardrobe—perfect for layering or when you’re feeling chilly.
Moving on to T-shirts, I have a ‘New York Jets’ one, I’ve had it for a long time, but I don’t really wear it much anymore. When I do put it on, it just makes me feel a little frumpy. I feel like it’s maybe lost a bit of its shape. It’s gotten so much wear over the years, and I think it’s time for it to go.
I also have one that I was actually going to say that I’m going to keep, but I don’t know what happened to it. Its neckline has gotten a bit ripped, maybe in the wash. It’s such an old white T-shirt from H&M, with a V-neck. I really like the fabric as it feels really nice and lightweight.
I actually have a duplicate of this white T-shirt, because I loved the style so much, and I wore them a lot. But it’s time for both of them to go.
I have the same T-shirt style in black as well, though I haven’t worn it as much as the white ones. I’ll keep it a bit longer as it still has life left in it, and I still do wear it.
For swimwear, I’ve got two pieces that I like to wear. I don’t really need more than that, so that’s what I’m keeping. I also have a beach cover-up that I bought a long time ago, but I think I’ve worn it maybe once. I don’t usually get much use out of it, so I’ll just let it go.
For sportswear, I’ve got Lululemon running shorts that I wear a lot, and my running belt for keys and my phone. I also have another pair of running shorts from Lululemon that I use for more than just running.
Then, looking at a long-sleeve running top that I used to wear a lot, I realised that since I’ve recently bought a new one from Lululemon, I no longer need the old one. I’m going to declutter it and just keep the new one.
Most of my sports tops are from H&M: a black one, a cream one, and a darker beige one. Then I have a grey Adanola sports top and a white Lululemon one. I love that most of these are padded, so you don’t need to wear a bra with them, which is amazing.
Next, it’s bodysuits. I’ve got three from Zara that I love to wear, but I only wear the white one and the black one. I haven’t worn the nude one in a very long time because it blends too much with my skin tone. So, I’m going to declutter it. I did the ‘use it or lose it’ test last time I went through my wardrobe, and because I haven’t worn it since, it’s time to donate it.
Then, I’ve got some trousers: a pair of slim mom jeans from Stradivarius, which are the only actual denim jeans I own, and a lovely pair of grey trousers that I enjoy wearing. And a pair of beige H&M mom jeans, which are another staple.
As I’m writing this article, I’m wearing some flowy trousers from H&M that I love. I’ve had them for about two or three years, and I wear them frequently in spring and summer. They still have them, so I bought two more pairs, in beige and black. They’ve been excellent staples for my summer capsule wardrobe.
At the top of my wardrobe, I have two boxes with off-season items that I’m not wearing right now.
What to do with clothing we declutter
As for the items I’m letting go of, I’ll either donate them or take them to a textile recycling point, though the silk blouse is going up for sale. I’ve also set aside two off-season items for storage in the baskets at the top of my wardrobe.
Here is how I made £1,437 selling my clutter.
I hope this article has offered some useful tips and inspiration to help you streamline your own wardrobe. I’d love to hear how your wardrobe declutter is coming along! Where are you in the process? Feel free to share your experiences or any questions you might have in the comments below!