Shop Your Own Closet

If you attended my January presentation titled Closet RE-DO: reduce, repurpose, restyle…then you may recall that even though I love clothes, I am working at buying less which is a win our mother earth and me. Less production and disposal of textiles is good for the earth and trimmed down options are good for me and my closet.

I spent this past wintery weekend combing through my closet for what to wear this spring and summer. I appreciate that my daughter was willing to give me her fresh objective eye, because I am not objective when it comes to my own stuff.

Since I just bought a pair of the new wide leg jeans, the ones that make you look longer and leaner (woo hoo!), we started with those.

These wide leg jeans need a different type of top than my skinny jeans. My quick math is:
wide bottom + narrower top = good balance
skinny bottom + voluminous top = good balance.
These rules don’t apply 100%, but it’s a good place to start.

We first decided what shoes to wear with the jeans in spring, summer and now. I kept those options close by to try with different tops. We found oversized blouses that tucked nicely into the jeans. The tuck gives good balance to that wide legged pant. Some looked better full tuck (I like to blouse full tucks out a bit) and some looked better with a French (partial) tuck and some styles didn’t need tucking at all because they didn’t have volume or length. We determined what jacket or sweater would work, keeping balance in mind, and then added necklaces and earrings. She took photos and created a “clothing” album on my phone so I have quick access. I love to shop, but I am happy to report that I don’t need to buy anything to go with these jeans.
Next, we worked on problem pieces. These are things I own but don’t wear or don’t wear enough. Some were bad purchases and some were pieces I just needed to spend time finding options. By restyling what I already own, I feel like I went shopping without leaving my house or getting my credit card out.

If you are shopping for the next season, be sure to take some time to reacquaint yourself with what you already own. According to thebalancesmb.com, 85% of our clothing ends up in landfills. Even if you have torn or stained clothes, don’t throw them away. Goodwill and St. Vincent’s both participate with textile recyclers. Enjoy the sunnier days ahead and take some time to celebrate 50 years of Earth Day on April 22nd.

Please contact me if you’d like my help combing through your closet.