Make room for your holiday haul

Get any good swag for Christmas/Hanaukkah/Winter Solstice? My parents are of the “Here’s some colorful socks and a gift card to J.Crew” gift-giving camp. It’s thoughtful in the, “We know you well enough to know we don’t know what to buy you…but we know where you’d want to buy it for yourself” kind of way. Usually I’m guilty of carrying gift cards around in my wallet until July before I finally spend them, but not this year. I’m heading back from the holidays with some clearance-priced, self-chosen clothes in my suitcase.

If you’re like me – new “clothes” stuffed in your underwear drawer, gift cards to burn – it might be time to clean out your closet out in anticipation of some new duds. I always do a quick inventory of my closet at least twice a year. Usually my appraisal comes when I swap out my summer clothes for my winter ones (and vice versa), but the post-holiday season is as good a time as any for a little wardrobe purging.

Here’s what to look for:

Clothes that don’t fit



Take any ill-fitting (but otherwise perfectly good) clothes to a tailor. It’s amazing what an inch taken in at the waist, or removing an extra break from a pair of pants will do to an item’s rotation in your wardrobe. 

If that feels like too much work, give those pieces away. You’d rather have clothes in your closet that you actually like, and will wear. Anything else is just taking up room.

Rips, Stains and Tears



First, try to fix the problem. Sew the ripped sleeve closed. Get the stain out. Find a new button for that jacket missing a cuff. If that doesn’t work, throw the thing out. Or make some new rags for cleaning day. Old t-shirts make great rags, especially those with dumb sayings on them from your frat days.

The Forgotten but not Gone



You know that stuff you haven’t worn in six months to a year? Too-light jeans. Blazers that never quite fit right. The sweater your mom brought back from Boca. Look at it. Really look at it. Will you ever? And not, will you wear it if you lose ten pounds, or will you wear it if you get invited to appear in a music video, but will you ever wear it if nothing else in your life changes? If not, get rid of it.

After all this, your closet will contain more of what you actually wear, and less of what you don’t. Meaning you’re finally ready for a shopping trip funded by your well-meaning but clueless relatives.

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