Getting Rid of Clothes That No Longer Fit

A wardrobe full of clothes that do not fit is not a wardrobe. A wardrobe full of clothes that do not fit is a museum of former intentions.

What follows is a simple method for clearing what does not fit, and a brief word on why the principle of dressing deliberately still applies.

You know which items are meant: the trousers from three years ago that you keep because you might lose the weight, the shirt that fits in the shoulders but not in the middle, the jacket you bought on sale that has never quite worked but cost enough that discarding it feels like an admission of something you would rather not name. They hang there, taking up space.

Remove them. All of them. Today if possible; this week if not.

The method is simple. Take every item from your wardrobe and put it on, not hold it up, but actually put it on, because the mirror is a more honest judge than the hanger. If it does not fit comfortably, it goes. If you would not wear it out of the house today, it goes. If you have not worn it in twelve months and there is no specific occasion for which you are saving it, it goes.

Do not negotiate with the clothes. The shirt does not care about your feelings, and your feelings about the shirt are not a reason to keep it. Sentiment is for photographs and letters; a garment that does not fit is not sentimental but rather clutter with buttons.

Sort what you remove into three piles. Donate what is in good condition, for a charity shop will find it a home where it will actually be worn, which is more than can be said for your wardrobe. What is worn but not damaged may be given to a textiles collector, for such services now exist. Discard what is stained, torn, or otherwise beyond rehabilitation.

What remains in your wardrobe should fit, should be in good repair, and should be something you would willingly put on tomorrow morning. If the result is a wardrobe that looks sparse, that is not a problem; that is clarity. A man with ten garments that fit him well is better dressed than a man with forty that do not, and the former will spend considerably less time standing before the rail in a state of quiet despair.

You are not the size you were. You are the size you are. Dress accordingly, and dress with purpose.