Feature Friday - Spring Cleaning

Have you been going back and forth to your closet lately, staring longingly at your spring-y skirts and short sleeved tops?  Because I have.  I push aside the packed-in fabrics, and count down the days (and check my weather app) until I can work those pieces into my daily rotation.

This is also the time of year I start inventorying just what pieces need to be let go of, in order to clear out some closet space!  Whether they end up in my Poshmark closet, donated to my favorite local thrift store, or set aside for a future clothing swap with friends, there's certain pieces that ended up in my home that just don't get enough wear to justify keeping them.  So, the closet cleanse begins!

All the motivation to de-clutter got me to thinkin'.... how do I pick the pieces that I keep?  And, if I'm replacing an item, how do I pick which brand or item will be the replacement?  SO, I figured where better to brainstorm my decluttering ideas than on a blog that's (mostly) about my clothes anyways.  

First up, color and fit.  You may not have nearly the extensive overflow of clothes that I do, but when it's time to clear stuff out, I'll take the items that haven't gotten a lot of wear that season, and try it all on.  Anything that I'm iffy about goes into the Sell, Donate, or Swap piles, since anything that's not getting worn doesn't need to take up space. If  I don't like how it fits on that day, chances are I'm still not going to like it the next time I put it on.  Plus, it's not like I don't have a TON of other options! Also, I factor in colors.  That chartreuse green sweater that's cute but doesn't match anything in my mostly purple, blue, olive, and neutral closet and has only been worn once?  It's time for that to move on to a friend that will wear it out.

Next up, I factor in the Cost per Wear of an item, and the ones with the lowest cost per wear normally end up keeping their place in my home.  This isn't exactly a novel concept, but it was when I first started reading and following other fashion blogs that I learned about it and adopted it into my shopping decisions.  I had grown up with the "cheaper is always better" mentality with clothes, which meant I ended up with a ton of mismatched, cheap, "it was on sale so I HAD to get it" wardrobe.  Then, as I started replacing those items with ones I actually loved, I started keeping track of how often I wore something, versus how much I was willing to invest in it.  For example, those jeans pictured above.  I don't know HOW they haven't ended up on the blog yet, because they have been worn so much they're perfectly worn in (and almost worn out!).  I went on a quest, when I was a mostly SAHM that had a part-time retail job with a jeans-and-a-tee dress code, to find a pair of daily jeans.

So, I tried on every pair of jeans in JC Penney (I had a coupon, so that was where I was shopping), and finally settled on these.  And I almost couldn't make myself spend the $50 on them, since I'd gotten used to my stash of $5 jeans from Goodwill that almost fit but not quite. But when you factor in the fact that they've gotten a minimum wear time of 2-3 times a week, that investment made sense for a pair of mid-rise stretchy jeans that I could wear every chance that came up.  The Cost per Wear was minimal, therefore worth the investment.  Same, but different, with these boots:

You've seen these boots A LOT, I'm sure, in past posts.  They cost a whopping $15, which isn't that much, except they're from Goodwill.  And I had the toss up that day of a pair of normal-Goodwill-priced $6 boots that were okay, or these that I LOVED.  It cost more on that day, but they've more than paid for themselves.   Of course, there are some items that will have a high cost per wear, like formal wear.  In those cases, instead of spending a lot of money on a one-wear item, resources like Rent the Runway or secondhand offerings like ThredUp come in really handy!

There's a ton of other tricks, such as outfit planning apps, turning your hangers backwards, or using subscription boxes to discover new brands, but let's move on to what happens when I have to replace my most loved pieces.  And while I'd love to have everything secondhand if possible, there's certain pieces that are just easier to find new.  In those cases, I'd like to find brands that are ethical in their treatment of their employees and the environment to support.  Mine (and yours!) choices and buying dollars have a say in the fashion industry! Here's a personal wishlist of sustainable and Fair Trade companies for future wardrobe staples I'd like to obtain:

For Jeans: I have heard so many great things about Industry Standard's jeans, and their dark wash mid-rise skinnies would be a great everyday staple.

For Tee's:  I love a good tee, especially grey, and I'd love to see why Everlane has garnered such an online following!  I'm really hoping they live up to the hype.

For Leggings: while you've recently seen portions of my patterned Lularoe collection, I really love a good pair of basic black leggings, and the organic cotton ones from Pact will be a great addition.

For Purses: every year, JOYN's products get better and better, and these leather bags are no exception!  The artisan leather with hand-stamped interior is another example of an amazing design team in an equally amazing company.

Are there any closet clean-out tips you'd like to share?  What about ethical companies that you've tried and loved, or ones that are permanently on your wishlist?  Let me know in the comments!  I love comments, even more than I love chocolate (and that's saying a LOT!).