Why you need to get rid of some clothes.

“Get rid of clothes”. Does that phrase fill you with panic?!

Something that really distresses me is women wearing under-par clothing and simultaneously not feeling great. I can immediately see the link between the two – to me it’s obvious.

But I’ve realised that it is not obvious to everybody so I though it was worth addressing this subject in a blog post.

I can also see really clearly what the solution is for other women. And I realise that this is a skill. Not everyone has this skill. So that’s why I’m sharing it with you today.

I love to help. Join the Working Frocks list and let me help you create and amazing wardrobe of clothes that you love:

Every day you have the possibility to look amazing

Every day you have the possibility to look amazing. There is no reason not to. If you live in the western world, or in a developed nation, you have the time you need to look amazing.

Note, I didn’t say time and money. That is intentional. You don’t need a lot of money to look great. You don’t need any money at all to get rid of clothes you don’t need.

You don’t need a lot of time either.

What it comes down to is a decision. Deciding to stop wearing mediocre clothes is a decision. As is the decision to get rid of clothes that are mediocre.

Are you wearing mediocre clothes?

You know you are wearing mediocre clothes for you if:

You don’t enjoy getting dressed.
You don’t really take an interest in what you are wearing.
The clothes you are wearing don’t fit properly.
the clothes you are wearing are ‘sort of’ colours, by which I mean: sort of beige, sort of blue, sort of green. They’re non-descriptive, and sort of.
You generally feel a bit sub-par. You’re just getting through the day, you don’t feel motivated.

Life is too short to wear clothes that don’t suit you and to not feel or look your best.

Why not join our list. At Working Frocks we want to help you look and feel your best every day. Join our list and let us take care of your wardrobe needs. We will encourage you to get rid of clothes and bring new and exciting clothes into your wardrobe. Clothes that represent your present and your future, not your past.

Why you are wearing mediocre clothes

Quite often, we wear mediocre clothes – for which read: don’t suit us, that we don’t feel great in, that are baggy; or out of shape; or faded – for two reasons:

a. Comfort

b. Because you are stuck in a rut

Let’s address those quickly and see which category you fit into:

Comfort

I am guilt of this. Do you wear clothes because they are like a comfort blanket to you? I know I do. I have two suggestions for comfort blanket clothes:

throw them away – yes that’s right, get rid of them
wear as gardening/chore outfits – and for that purpose only

I knew my beloved Gap twinset was beyond its finest day when even my children pointed out it wasn’t the best look for me!

For comfort blanket clothes that are well past their wearable date, you need to get rid of them and then replace them with something new. In order to be able to get rid of clothes, you need to recognise which are your comfort blanket clothes.

The reason they’ve ended up as comfort blanket clothes is because you love wearing them and they fit into your life. So, retire the old items that have seen better days, and buy new versions. Be prepared to feel a little lost without them, but I promise you that you will move on quite quickly to new and more interesting clothes to wear.

At Working Frocks we never recommend buying clothes you don’t need, or without planning. We think you should have a smaller wardrobe, with clothes you wear all the time. We think investment dressing is a great idea, but that you have to have some fun stuff in there too. Join our list and let us help you build the clothes wardrobe that you really want in your life:

Stuck in a rut

Let’s address the second issue. You are stuck in a rut.

It happens to all of us at some point.

You don’t really think about what you are wearing.

So your life goes onto autopilot.

Your days are busy.

You are too busy to self-organise, to get rid of clothes, to replace them with clothes that better suit your life right now.

So you choose your clothes and get dressed on autopilot.

At some point your own diary starts to take a back seat: The demands of family life and a packed schedule which require you to be chauffeur, cook and team leader eke away at your own personal private time. Which has become non-existent. I know this feeling so well. There are Saturdays where I have got in the car at 7.45am and driven for most of the day until around 5pm. Some Saturdays I have made lunch in my coat because it wasn’t worth taking it off given the turnaround time I had. So that is basically a whole day taken out by being in the car and driving between sporting fixtures.

Demands of family life, whether children, or parents or spouse, remove our buffer time – take away our ability to easily spend some time sorting our wardrobes, planning in advance.

This lack of time is a major problem for us as women and often leads to us being stuck in a rut.

How clothes we should get rid of become wardrobe staples

The problem arises when we start to dress out of necessity and not out of a sense of identity and connectedness. As a result, that tee shirt that you put on one Friday to do the school run, becomes a staple. It becomes a habit. When you think of doing the school run, you automatically reach for that tee-shirt.

It’s just as easy to reach for a beautiful silk shirt and trousers. The difference is habit – you’ve associated the school run with that sub par tee shirt.

It’s easy to change the habit, though.

But you’re going to have to let go.

Then you’re going to be prepared to replace them – to get rid of clothes – there may be a big gap.

Remember you don’t need many clothes.

But you need to like, even love, what you do have.

A simple, ruthless way to get rid of sub-par clothes

You don’t need me to give you a 10-step plan for how to get rid of clothes that don’t serve you.

You simple do this:

look at each item in your wardrobe. As yourself these two questions:

Do I like you?
Do you fit me?

If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then you’re friends! That item is a keeper.

If it’s no to either one, or both, then the relationship is at an end.

It’s quite ruthless.

You may be left with very little in your wardrobe.

It’s a risk you’ll have to take.

Or you may be depleted in one area only. For example sportswear. Or lingerie (two very common areas where you might be wearing clothes you should definitely have got rid of many years ago).

Imagine the possibilities

When you make a space, by getting rid of clothes, you create a possibility for something new to come into your life. Something better. Better clothes. That serve you well. That you look really great in.

You may be sitting there now thinking of various items of clothes that have seriously seen better days. That’s ok. Don’t beat yourself up. Just get rid of them. It’s nothing personal. It’s just business 😉

At Working Frocks we have a speed detox worksheet. Why not give it a go?