But, times are a little different right now, and one of the ways that I’ve been keeping busy is by doing what I’m calling my sustainable closet cleanout.
You see, when I retired from my corporate career several years ago, I never really cleaned the corporate clothes out of my closet. So, they’ve just been sitting there collecting dust.
Plus, there were a lot of clothes that accumulated in my closet that I just never wore. So I decided that I wanted to do a closet cleanout; but, I wanted it to be sustainable this time.
What’s A Sustainable Closet Cleanout?
For me, a sustainable closet cleanout means:
1) that I get rid of the “wrong” clothes and leave the ones that truly fit, look good on me, and that I will wear because I know they fit and look good.
2) those clothes that I do let go and that are in good condition, I want to recycle rather than just throwing them into the trash.
3) that I understand what was “right” about the clothes that I decide to keep so that I buy the “right” clothes in the future. I don’t want to have so many “wrong” clothes that just sit in the closet unworn.
I didn’t feel confident in tackling all that in my closet cleanout on my own, so I needed a little help.
Fortunately, I’d come across an online program a few months ago called “Adore Your Wardrobe” by Kelly Snyder that intrigued me. Here’s short description of the course from the sales page:
Adore Your Wardrobe is a life-changing course that teaches body symmetry formulas based in math and science. These formulas will transform the way you shop for clothes and how you put outfits together. You’ll learn how to pick clothes that work with your body and not against it to create an amazing silhouette.
After more investigation, I felt that the Adore Your Wardrobe online course would help me with goals #1 and #3 for my sustainablel closet cleanout.
I’m sure that there are many of you who have a better understanding of fashion and that don’t need an online course for help. However, I’ve never felt that I understood fashion or was very good at it, so something that used math and science to explain it sounded great to me!
Also, I discovered ThredUp where I could send all my gently used clothing for consignment, even though all the consignment stores around me are closed!
How’d The Sustainable Closet Cleanout Go?
I signed up for the Adore Your Wardrobe online “Signature” course (you can read all about the course here: https://bit.ly/3bnZVzQ). At $199.00 for the course, I thought it was a bit pricey. But, was hoping to learn what it would take for my “sustainable” closet.
As with all things, it matters how much you’re willing to put into it to get the most out of it. It is some work, takes some time, and you need to take “selfies” of yourself wearing the various articles of clothing from your closet.
If you follow the course “rules” you get yourself refit for a bra (I was embarassed by how long it had been since I’d done that). Â You’ll also rethink whether you’ve got the right foundations.
You determine what body “type” you have (by taking your measurements and having them evaluated). And then proceed to learn the rules around each type of clothing (pants, tops, etc.) for your body type. Then, it’s trying on those things in your closet, taking selfies, posting them online (along with your evaluation in a PRIVATE facebook group) and getting feedback.
Closet Prior To Sustainable Closet Cleanout
Over the course of about two months, I went through most of my clothing categories and sorted ot what worked and what didn’t. I found that many of the clothes that I didn’t like and didn’t wear, were indeed poor choices for my body type. Probably why I didn’t wear them – right? I just didn’t understand why they were poor choices when I purchased them.
Although it’s often possible to have the poor choices in your closet tailored to meet the “rules” for your body type, I’m not that good at sewing and all the alteration places are closed (due to our shelter-in-place restrictions). So, I consigned many things to ThredUp. As those things sell and money accumulates in my ThredUp account, I’m replacing key pieces in my wardrobe with used clothing from ThredUp (often they still have the tags on and have never been worn). And, it’s not costing me anything!
Bottom line, what’s left in my closet are things that I love, that fit, and that I will wear. I’m consigning the things that don’t work and buying things that do with the proceeds. I’ve learned a lot about what clothing to wear, brands that work, and tricks for maximizing how much you wear each item (thereby making each item you own more cost effective). So far, I think my sustainable closet cleanout is a success!
Closet After Sustainable Closet Cleanout
Want To Try A Sustainable Closet Cleanout?
My Adore Your Wardrobe class is finished but they’re starting another one on July 1st (registration is from June 21 – 30). Although I initially thought it was expensive, I believe I’ve gotten my money’s worth. I should waste spend a lot less on clothes overall in the future and the class was fun! You can read all about what’s included in the course or sign-up for the course HERE (just so you know, this is an affiliate link).
If you’re interested but would like to learn a little more before committing, Kelly’s teaching a “How To Dress Your Shape Masterclass” on April 23rd, at 8 PM. The class is FREE, just click HERE or on the graphic below to sign-up.
If you’re interested in doing a sustainable closet cleanout, but don’t want or need help with what clothing fits your body type, etc., then there’s also a helpful FREE class that Kelly offers called “From Frustration To Functional” that you can access here: https://bit.ly/34LyFIZ
Consigning Items To ThredUp
As far as consigning items to ThredUp, it’s super easy. You can sign-up for a CLEAN-OUT kit, and they’ll send a bag to you for free. You fill it with gently used items and can send it back for free. They inspect your items and consign the ones that they accept. If you use the code (http://www.thredup.com/r/OTM1E2) you’ll get free expedited processing on your first kit too (i.e. money back faster).
Also, if you use this code (http://www.thredup.com/r/GHIET1) you’ll get $10.00 off your first purchase of used clothing on ThredUp!
Here’s to happy sustainable closet cleaning! Let me know how it goes.
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