Detaching Feelings from Your Clothing

Look, I know, this look is probably more Thanksgiving appropriate than yesterday's look. However, this dress is not nearly as comfortable as a pair of culottes and an oversized, fuzzy monstrosity of a sweater. Thanksgiving is all about comfort and eating one too many pumpkin flavored desserts. I'm not here to look cute, I'm here to devour more food than necessary and like, spend time with my family and stuff. That's important too. 

But that's not what today's post is about. I'm chatting all about detaching your feelings from pieces of clothing in your closet. Look, we all do it. I remember what I was wearing to my first interview at the consignment store (I no longer have anything but the pair of shoes that I wore), I remember what I wore to my college graduation, my first and second One Direction concert. I know how much things cost and how good of a deal I got on them. I remember silly things about clothing as some kind of subconscious ploy to never get rid of anything ever. 

Well, subconscious, you've been found out!

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The basis of this blog post makes me sound like I'm a heartless person who has no idea what sentimental value means. If I didn't understand the meaning of sentimental value, I wouldn't still keep up the same corkboard that I had my senior year of high school even if didn't relate to me anymore. However, as a probable shopaholic, I like acquiring new things, which means that sometimes (read: constantly) have to get rid of old things to make room. I abide by the "out with the old, in with the new" rule, keeping a constant flow of things in and out of my closet to accommodate. 

It's not fair to the pieces in my closet that are sat unworn just because I have a special memory attached, especially when I know I have friends and family that could benefit from my closet cleaning, as well as my bank account when it comes to reselling or even the pieces that I choose to donate. 

Sometimes it's hard though! I still have my college graduation dress sitting in my closet, but I haven't worn it since. I might break it out for Christmas, but what if I'd prefer to wear something else? It's not a dress I break out on a daily basis, but it's a piece that's special to me because it's attached to one of my proudest moments. How long can I hold onto a dress that I've worn only once with no intentions to wear it again though?

I still have my prom dress, two of my homecoming dresses, and even a dress I wore to a winter dance that my section in a class held for a contest. I've worn only one of those dresses in the past three years, yet there they sit in the back of my closet, untouched, waiting for something to be done with them. Aside from one, they're just so not my style anymore, but I struggle more with getting rid of those that I do with any other items in my closet. 

I've had pieces that I've gotten from the consignment store I used to work at and found that another feeling beyond sentimentality that's hard to detach from clothing is probably not actually a feeling. I'm a lover of fashion. I really appreciate the craft and I'm fascinated by high-end–whether they're contemporary or luxury–designers and their pieces. Because of this, I find it extremely difficult to part with certain pieces because of the label sewn into the garments.

It's silly, really. I get emotional attachments to brands. I have a Chanel shirt that I've worn a total of two times and know I could consign, but I just can't seem to get rid of it. I've overcome the attachment to labels more than a few times, but there are just certain pieces where I can't part with them, no matter how infrequently I wear them. 

That House of Holland dress I wore in my secondhand luxury shopping tips post? That was the first time I had worn that dress longer than just trying it on. It's from the pre-fall 2014 collection and I never thought I'd get my hands on a House of Holland piece, so I relish in the fact that I have it in the flesh and hanging untouched in my closet.

I'm not in the business of telling anyone how to live their lives. However, if you (like me!) struggle to detach your feelings from clothing that you know you probably should get rid of, know you're not alone. Items are temporary, but memories are forever. Just because you don't own a certain item you've attached to a memory anymore doesn't erase it from existence. My prom night still happened even if I didn't have my dress anymore. I still have my college diploma and degree, even if I decide someday that my dress can be given away or sold. 

And when it comes to labels, well, really, how many people are going to know? I don't buy designer things to say I own designer things. I buy them because I like the way they look, just the same as I like the way my $10 Forever 21 ringer tee looks. If it really doesn't get the wear that it deserves, it's not serving any purpose besides a label that you can say you own if it ever comes up. And even if it does...why would it matter?

Unless you truly wear and re-wear a piece time and time again, having it take up space in your life is just causing clutter where clutter doesn't need to be. I have a post all about what to do with your old clothing and accessories when you're done with them. There are plenty of options, all of them ecologically (and sometimes economically) friendly too!

Dress: Nordstrom Rack | Shoes: Celine | Sunglasses: Miu Miu | Tights: Target

You know I love me some good blooper shots! About 50% of my shots on the days I'm wearing lipstick involve this face, even if I typically don't smile with my teeth in blog photos. Actually, I've noticed that I rarely smile in general in my blog photos. I'm always smiling y'all. Except when I'm not.