Cleaning Out the Closet

Today I purged, and oh did I need it. I took a solid look at everything I own and thought, do I like this? Does this look good on me? or Why am I holding onto this? The result was a collection of pieces that I feel good in, and are practical. 

The first thing I did was to pull out my ten favorite items in my closet. I wear these pieces weekly, and I love the way they fit and feel. 

I love this elephant tee-shirt mainly because of the whimsical and intricate print. It is slightly big, so it drapes nicely on my body; not too tight. The tank is simple with the cool gather detail to make it a little different. Next, the sweater I wear almost everyday...no joke. It's baggy and soft, one step up from a blanket. The sweatshirt, is the same story, super soft and the classic logo let's me believe it's alright to wear for any occasion. These dresses are just as comfortable as they are sweet. Both are flattering and emphasize my natural waist, my smallest point. Then of course, a couple pairs of jeans. I like skinny jeans the best for my body, (both from American Eagle) and in my essentials is a dark wash skinny for any occasion, and a distressed skinny for a casual look. 

So with knowing what sort of things I wanted to keep, based on my ten favorites, I had a better idea of what sort of things I didn't want to keep. Here's what I got rid of: 

Juvenile These pieces to me look junior. Don't get me wrong, I actually like all of these pieces, in fact I wore the blue tank last night.  However, in my look I want to project an image of a capable young professional, and these pieces do the opposite of that.  The colors are too sugary, the prints are too loud, and there is no structure or flattering shape to any of them. 

I still have that? All of these items have been in my closet for so long, I hardly know why we're still together. So I made the choice to stop settling because I know I can do better, and move on. I know they're cute, but there are other shirts in the store. (Shelby and Her Early-Highschool-wordrobe: A Breakup Story) 

Fit Issues Each of these pieces had something slightly off. The top on the left is a looser, baggy shirt that is just too baggy. The maxi-shirt required a pair of Spanx, which contradicted the whole "look-at-me-in-this-comfy-jersey-maxi-skirt-all-cool-and-chill" vibe it deserved to have. The black and quite top and red dress each have a boxy fit problem and the contradicting issue of being structured, but not structured enough. 

Wait for me? These items I am keeping, just not in my closet. I share a closet with my sister, so real estate is precious. These cozies and plaids will be packed away for the summer months until it is chilly enough to enjoy them. 

Why? I bought these heels for Prom and they looked great in pictures, but never made it to the dance. Twice. Why? Because they weren't practical for a long night and dancing. Also, they just didn't quite agree with my feet. Although I will we could have made it work. I feel it would have been a beautiful relationship. The flats served me well, yet it is time to move on. Why? Because I bought them for freshman homecoming, and I just finished freshman year of college. It's time. And again, they just weren't working with my feet anymore and walking in them was not comfortable. Next! 

Jewelry I tend to hoard my jewelry and never really get rid of things. Today, I only kept what I have been wearing the last few months, and a couple pieces that I wear less often but truly love. I ended up with lots of stud earrings and friendship-style bracelets.  

Well, here it is, the pile of pieces that didn't make the cut. They will be dispersed amongst my friends, mom, and sister 

I feel so free and excited to have an edited closet, because it's filled with things I love that I already own. Wonderful!

- Shelby