What is the worst thing to happen to a girl who eats, sleeps, breathes fashion? No, not a bondage tape trend, though that would be horrific. I’m talking about a personal style slump. I had a phase where… I’ll admit it, I hated EVERYTHING. I’m not a victim to trends, I usually like what I like, and I know it when I see it. My tragedy was simple and a few good friends who “get it”… reminded me who I am… I got SWAG 
We all do. We just haven’t seen it in a while because it’s hiding under the bed, still inside the suitcase from your Eurotrip, underneath stacks of magazines, jammed into an overflowing closet, or your swagger could have packed up and went on vacation waiting for you to get it together.
More isn’t better. Quality trumps quantity. Quality, while usually more expensive actually saves you money, less stuff saves you money. (we’ll dive into the math of it another time) What are you going to do with all that extra money you’ve saved by clearing out and committing not to buy crap? Splurge! You’ll have earned it.
If you have trouble putting things together, that’s what we’re here for. Here are some simple yet empowering “todo’s” to get started on your own.
With a clear head, totally ready to reinvent the new you, start small and FAST! How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. (That’s pure wisdom straight from my mom, she said my elephant could be pink but that wasn’t the point).
Start it… FAST.
Fix a time
Anything not used in 12 months
Someone else’s stuff
TRASH!
It’s simple, grab your smart phone and dedicate 1 hour at first. Fix a time and stick to it. Anything you haven’t worn or used in some creative way in the last 12 months… buh bye. Someone else’s stuff? Return to sender. If Def Leopard pops in your head when you see it? Well honey, love bites, let’s move on. With your pile of corporate interview clothes, stone washed jeans, plaid shirts, and whatever other monsters you found in your closet: make 4 piles.
1. Trash. Pitted tee shirts, quitters with holes, and those white hangers from the $1 store, RUBBAGE BIN!
2. Donate. Donate isn’t the same as trash. If its so busted you wouldn’t wear it. Why try and push it on the less fortunate? If you wouldn’t wear it in its current state then it belongs in the TRASH!
3. Repair. So last year you forked over $1700 for a classic Armani Collezini suit and on a terrible swollen day blew out a side seam? That’s an easy fix. Some dry cleaners offer simple alterations services. Tailors are your friend. They are reasonably priced, and they can be the cure that your poorly fitting clothing long for. Reach out and love your alterations person!
4. Sell. Why not get a little dough for your better branded, quality items? Current season is important in most cases but PLEASE: I don’t care if it’s straight off the runway, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Lesage Tweed Suit…be realistic on what you expect to get for the item and talk to the owner if your going the consignment route. They will know their client base. Unrealistic expectations when doing consignment will add more drama to your life. Your sanity and the store associates sanity are worth far more than what that suit weighs in gold, and with current gold prices that’s a lot. If you have a special piece, but you don’t wear it, you’re robbing it of having a life. Give the garment the life it deserves! Don’t fret on cost, that ship sailed when you bought the item. Obsessing about what you’re making on your used clothes… well its for the birds, and you have better things to do.
I hear so many organizers recommend having a garage sale. The time value of money equation when doing a garage sale seems to be more work than reward. Here is my point: Let’s say you make $80,000 a year, at a 40 hour work week, your job forks over $38 an hour. Your time is worth $38 an hour, $1.57 a minute, $.37 a second. Do you want to spend your weekend organizing, pricing, and haggling with your very valuable free time? I can’t answer that for you. Just don’t forget that your time is worth money. Donation can be a nice juicy tax write off at the end of the year. If you’re planning a garage sale or an estate sale, make sure you’re confident in the return on your time spent, or you’ll be pissed off and that is the opposite of the goal here.
In life we have to get rid of the excess to make room for the new. Clean out that closet, your contacts list, your cd collection, and with a thankful heart, welcome what is planned for the new you.
