Posted on 6 Comments

Empty hangers

Today, I left the house for Trader Joe’s and got distracted by Target and Old Navy.  That’s what you get when you have 15 minutes of driving time to think, and you spend it daydreaming about having a closet full of clothes that fit properly, flatter nicely, and reflect the image that you want to project to the world.  It was thoughts of long linen skirts, woolen tights, and leather shoes that detoured me into the shopping center parking lot…

New clothes

I actually didn’t find any of that, aside from a few pairs of tights.  But I did find some other wardrobe basics that called my name, like a heavy gray zipped cardigan with a hood, and a pair of well-fitting dark wash jeans.  And, well, it was hard to pass up the turtleneck I found in my favorite green – the green that perfectly matched my mittens.  (Besides, when the perfect Winter skirt and shoes do appear, all of this stuff can be worn with them, too.)

Old clothes

So there I was, with a nice new outfit I was excited to wear, but feeling a little guilty for spending money I didn’t need to spend.  It’s not like I parted with a huge chunk of change or anything, but every little bit counts.  So… I spent the next 30 minutes tossing things from my closet – things I never wear, things that make me look awful in one way or another, even some of the things I’ve sewn for myself that just never worked for me.  I filled a laundry basket to overflowing, and emptied an impressive number of hangers.

Empty hangers

I am thinking, when I donate this pile of clothes, not only will they help to clothe someone who needs it, but they will get me a tax deduction worth more than what I spent on new stuff today.

(And if that isn’t a perfect example, of trying to justify a little retail therapy to get me out of my recent body-image funk, then I don’t know what is!  But I’ll take it… )

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Posted on 6 Comments

6 thoughts on “Empty hangers

  1. Or you can reclassify it all as “free fabric and notions,” and refashion away with zero remorse. And fill those hangers with stuff you LIKE and stuff that makes you smile. Bonus!

    See what Penny has been blogging about: Smoke

    1. Good point! I had better dig through that pile with a different set of eyes before I give it all away.

      1. What I do is look at each garment and think “What did I like about this in the first place?” If it’s the buttons or some interesting trim, maybe just keep those; if it’s the fabric or the color or the pattern, you can cut it up for another project and still love those; if it’s the general shape of the garment, maybe you can alter the size (sometimes this is surprisingly easy, especially if it’s just too short), or dye it to a better color, or applique over the unfortunate stain that makes it unwearable. If it’s the right kind of sweater, you can also felt it or unravel it for yarn to use later.

        I find it easier to justify keeping corduroy, denim, and cotton/linen blouses–those are things I find pretty easy to play with. Jersey knits and silky things I find more intimidating–and fussy garments are more trouble than they’re worth, they go into the donate bag.

  2. New blog post: Empty hangers http://tinyurl.com/57slc2

  3. I find that the less stuff I have in my closet, the more I have to wear. Sounds odd, but when I take time to purge what gets in my way, I see new combinations of what I love.

    See what Wendy has been blogging about: new craft alert

    1. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but now that you mention it… that concept works for kids and their toys, why can’t it work for a grown woman’s closet? 🙂

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