"Women usually love what they buy, yet hate two-thirds of what is in their closets." - Mignon McLaughlin
Does the above statement apply to you?
Photographed below is how much I have managed to cull since moving into our new place. Granted the contents of one of the tubs are the items that I was not quite ready to cull the last time, but I am now.
I'm doing my best to eBay the Summer appropriate items now and as soon as it's March I will try listing the coats, wool jackets and boots (not pictured).
Back to the quote. Did I love everything at the time I bought it? Yes and no, but each piece certainly spoke to me at the time of buying it. Do I hate it all now? Well "hate" is a strong word, so let's just say that each piece does not fit in with my lifestyle and now given limited wardrobe space I am ready to let it go.
For example, although I adore the look of the Lover Chrissy coat, the three-quarter turn up sleeves drive me crazy.
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| Lover coat |
For me the coat is only appropriate on a certain type of Winter's day - one which is mild and not windy, otherwise my wrists and forearms get cold. I also find that sleeves poking from underneath look a little odd unless very fitted. And full length sleeves of corporate jackets just look plain wrong! Therefore in my life this coat is only appropriate to wear on weekends - those which are mild and not windy. In other words the Lover Chrissy Coat planets are aligned maybe once each year. It must go.
The same can be said of an amazing Thurley belted cape that I own. It looks fabulous, but it's not a piece that I gravitate towards, so gets it worn maybe once or twice a year. Does it deserve a spot in my ideal wardrobe? I think not.
Also given that I have vowed to myself to only spend eBay proceeds this year, and my determination to achieve this mystical ideal wardrobe of mine... suddenly two-thirds of the contents of my wardrobe looks eBay-able! I don't hate two-thirds of my clothes, but I just don't love all the pieces enough or wear everything enough to justify keeping it.
You are very committed to your culling.
ReplyDeleteI agree if something gets worn only once or twice a year then get rid of it.
I have some more ebaying to do but need to wait until next month as I have run out of the free insertions for the month :-)
I wouldn't really say I'm committed to my culling, but rather committed to attaining my 'ideal wardrobe'.
DeleteI'm much better these days... I've stopped buying things I don't need or bargains just for the sake of getting a bargain. But you're right there are still the few bits and pieces that just don't work in the grand scheme of things. I think though that's a fact of life?
ReplyDeleteI like that quote and for the most part I think it's true. Is that a Target/Stella raspberry silk dress? I have one of those which i love to look at but not wear...
ReplyDeleteYes, good spotting. I thought it was a nice dress, but I could not zip it up by myself. I've now sold it. On to something else that I actually wear regularly :)
DeleteI have just had a further cull & am also in the process of selling summer clothes. I also wait to sell coats & winter clothes (long sleeved shirts etc) until at least March or April as buyers always seem more interested then.
ReplyDeleteMy never ending culls are at least getting smaller as I am more thoughtful in my purchases but I still seem to buy things that I think fill a gap & then not wearing them (including a cape that I had to have & never wear!).
Good luck with you sales. I always have to psych myself up to take the photos & compile the listings as it is such a chore.
I'm the same Jo... Currently I have a whole bunch of photographs taken, and now I just need to find the time to sit there for a couple of hours listing. I was going to do it yesterday (given the public holiday free day), but ending up watching 7 eps of a couple of shows :S
DeleteContinuously selling your culled items on Ebay has inspired me to not give up selling my own culled stuff and the thought of converting my unwanted clothes into dollars is certainly very motivating. I've found recently that Winter clothes have been attracting more attention than Summer ones, so hopefully your Lover coat will find a new home soon :)
ReplyDeleteGood to hear about the winter stuff selling well. The extra dollars really are motivating - I wouldn't be shopping if it wasn't for eBay given our house, holiday and financial goals this year.
DeleteGood luck with your ebaying, I've just listed 20 items so fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteThat quote is so true. What happens in between!
Good luck to you too! Just think, even if each item sells for $20, that's $400 dollars that you will have in your purse that you didn't have before (ignoring eBay fees of course) :)
DeleteFelt inspired after reading your post after breakfast and went upstairs to make a start on the ebay pile. First set of pictures taken and I will be ebaying tonight. I just want rid of things in the house to free up space now.
ReplyDeleteThe Lover Chrissy coat is really nice but I can see how it doesn't work on a practical level. I bought a cape years back and took it back because I could never put a handbag on my shoulder with it and I didn't want to carry a tote bag everywhere. Some things just look good but don't wear good,
Yep, that's part of the reason why I'm culling the cape.
DeleteGood to read that I have inspired you... here's hoping that my post does the same to me! lol ;)
How have I never heard that quote before? Probably me down to a t. Good to see how ferociously you have been culling - I've been doing a bit of a continual cull, trying to get to a happy place but just never seem to be able to find it. I've been focusing a bit more on one note plain looking items so perhaps soon?
ReplyDeleteI had the Lover chrissy coat too - YEARS ago. I ended up selling it as I didn't really like the hemline and the shorter sleeves just seemed odd to me. I actually don't know how I ended up with it in the first place :S
You look so amazing all of the time so I think your happy point must be close :) I think I may get to a happy point sometime this year. First step sell everything on that rack!
DeleteRe Lover Chrissy coat. I remember when I first saw it in a mag. I was obssessed. Even had my name put down on the pre-order waiting list. Bought it and then proceeded not to wear it. Go figure.
YES! my god, that quote resonates with me so much. I often stand in front of my wardrobe, completely confused because at some point I had to have every item in it, and yet I don't like most of it. I'm still a little confused on how that works, but it's a relief to know its not just me.
ReplyDeleteRachel my answer to what we are going though is that we are still searching for the perfect bits... slowly but surely we will get there.
DeleteRather late to this post (been having to make do with damnable mobile internet that was absolutely useless, but now have proper internet installed, finally!) but oh god, Thurley items. I have three Thurley pieces that are gorgeous (from back in Thurley's hey-day, prior to about 2009) but I just never, ever, ever wear them. But they're too gorgeous to get rid of. But I literally never wear them. But they're so gorgeous. But I haven't worn any of them since 2010. But I can't bear to part with any of them. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI actually left them in my wardrobe as I finished packing away the clothes I wanted to bring with me in the overseas move, and I was like "See you later, Thurley things - you're lovely but I have to be ruthless". And then at the last minute I rolled them up in a ball and crammed them into one of the boxes we were having shipped overseas. So now I have 2 stunning lace dresses and a lace top that I never wear that are also horribly crinkled.
I think I'm OK with having them in my wardrobe, though, even if they seem to be useless and space-wasting. They're very pretty (maybe I could put one on a nice hanger and display it as more of a decorative piece?) but they were also some of the first things I bought when I got my first full-time job out of uni so they're kind of nostalgic, and they're also of a design and quality that Thurley no longer produces (I'd love to know what happened there - why did the brand suddenly commercialise and start making boring, generic casual-wear in China instead of ornate beaded and lace dresses made in Australia?). So I suppose that's why I've found it so hard to get rid of the pieces. I guess that shows me that no matter how ruthless I want to be with my wardrobe, I still might have to make some exceptions.
Also, three-quarter-length sleeves on a jacket are a sworn deal-breaker for me these days. I've learnt that the hard way (many cold days where I'm like "WTF I would be warm if it weren't for the fact my forearms are freezing").
Jess, I bit the bullet and listed all the pretty stuff on ebay. I figured if it's not being worn, it's a waste of space. Also a cape coat is not as decorative as a beautifully beaded dress - which you really can just stick on a wooden hanger and hang on a wardrobe door as a feature :)
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