When I started the KonMari Method to declutter my whole house, I followed Marie Kondo’s advice outlined in her book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and began with clothes. Reason being, people are generally less attached to their clothes than other things in their homes, so you start off easy and work your way up to the more difficult, sentimental items, honing your keep-or-toss decision making skills all along the way. Problem for me is, I’m pretty attached to my clothes. I, like many other fashion-obsessed ladies out there, view my clothes as an extension of myself. It’s what makes me, me. I hand-picked every single article of clothing in that closet (and that other closet…) and, more importantly, I paid good money for it!!
At the end of the day, I knew that my clothing collection was out of control, considering the very limited amount of closet space we have in our 113 year old house. I knew I needed to pare down my collection of clothes, especially because most of them have been packed away in my attic for the past 4 years since I became pregnant with my first child.
I began my KonMari style closet cleanout on a whim on a snowy Saturday in January when I felt particularly detached from my belongings. That is my first bit of advice. As great as it would be to plan ahead for which days you want to declutter your home, I seriously recommend going with your gut. For me, it hit like a ton of bricks one Friday after work. I was preoccupied with some of the other, more important struggles in my life when the thought occurred to me that I really didn’t give a damn about my clothes at that point.
Use it! Embrace that moment of indifference and start your purge. That’s what I did, and I haven’t regretted a single thing I discarded. And, as cliché as it sounds, I rediscovered so many beautiful pieces that had been packed away that are now hanging proudly in my closet.
My next bit of advice is to do exactly what Marie Kondo describes in her book. Don’t skip over steps because you think you know what you are doing. Assume that you know nothing and she is your guide in life. Listen to her wisdom. Heed her advice. For heaven’s sake, just do as she says.
I seriously thought I would save myself the trouble of emptying out my entire closet and just leave the stuff I wear all the time on their hangers. Don’t do that. It defeats the purpose of assessing everything in your life and really connecting with those objects. The point of the exercise is to eliminate the things clogging up your life, and be left with only the things you truly love or those items that support the lifestyle you want. For example, I want a lifestyle with light after the sun sets, so, therefore, those lightbulbs spark joy for me.
That day, I pushed myself to do exactly what Kondo recommends, and I gathered all of my clothes from around the house. The clothes in my closet, the clothes in my drawers, the clothes in plastic bins in my attic, and even the clothes in my hamper. I dumped them all out on my bed in a big heap, but you can use your floor if you need more space.
At this point you will have a spark. Not a spark of joy, but a spark of horror. You will momentarily feel nausea and overwhelm at the absurd amount of clothes you have been hoarding away. You never even knew it was that bad! It is that bad, but that is why we are here, now, doing this.
You see, that process of taking every piece of clothing down and heaping it all into one giant, overwhelming pile is intentional. It is making an alarming statement to your psyche: look at all of this sh*t! How much of it do you really need? How much do you want? Is it even useful if you have to pack most of it in boxes and struggle to get it out that one day in the future you might need it?
At this point you need to start going through it. Kondo recommends taking one piece at a time, opening it up, holding it, and listening to your heart. Does this piece spark joy? Here are some of the questions I asked myself:
- Do you feel excited or filled with hope?
- Do you feel a spark of confidence?
- Are you inspired to make an outfit with this piece of clothing?
- Is this the style you want to embrace going forward?
Something I discovered throughout this process was that many of the older items I decided to keep were because they perfectly aligned with the sort of items I am still drawn to today. Essentially, the KonMari Method of discarding clothes helped me to refine my personal style and to become more confident in my clothing choices going forward. For example, I rediscovered a long zip-front cable knit sweater in off white, a floral print peasant top, an ivory lace shirt, and a white swiss dot dress all from about 10 years ago that I am still over the moon about.
When I really sat back and admired those pieces I realized that my underlying style (regardless of current trends) is very light and feminine. I am drawn to soft colors, floral prints, flowy cuts, charming details, and layers of soft texture. So why then did I have so many bright, bold items in my closet? What was with all of the polo shirts and tapered trousers?? Those are totally not me, at least not now and not going forward into my new, light and flowy life where I am no longer struggling to get ready in the morning and packing in 8 loads of laundry on a Sunday.
Some of the items I donated were items that I was still wearing at the time but I didn’t even like them! For example, a bulky, Sherpa-lined sweatshirt that I felt uncomfortably large in. I’m already tall at 5’10, so I tend to resent clothing that makes me feel even larger than I already am.
Another item I was still using but got rid of was a pair of basic black jogger sweat pants. They were too short on me and the waistband felt uncomfortable, something lounge wear should never be.
I also realized just how many maroon items I had, which is odd because I really truly don’t even like the color, which is likely a result of having to wear faded maroon and gold uniforms throughout my high school athletic career. I mean, I had no less than five maroon items hanging in my closet, taking up space, even though I get bad vibes just looking at that color. So for future reference: dark red, yes. Oxblood, yes. Maroon, resounding no.
A Final Note or Two
Don’t confuse Marie’s approach with minimalism, unless of course, minimalism is your thing. Even maximalists can use these ideas. The KonMari Method, if done correctly, is a once in a lifetime event where you closely examine all of the items in your life and figure out what you truly love. Your goal shouldn’t be to get rid of everything, but rather to be intentional about your belongings by making room for the items that make you happy and support your ideal lifestyle and clearing out what doesn’t.
Beyond the discarding, this method is teaching me to be more organized so that everything has a place and is readily accessible. For example, I made a dedicated place on the back of my bedroom door to hang those vexing in-between clothes that have already been worn but aren’t yet ready to go in the hamper. Giving everything a dedicated home really helps keep the piles of “clutter” at bay.
I think that after going through all of my things like this, I keep thinking “why did I even buy this?” That thought has really shed some light on my purchasing behavior and I think that I am becoming more intentional about my purchases going forward.
