Rachel Kiser
Blogger | Mom of Two

Winter is finally over, and Spring is here! I don’t know about you, but there is something so tangibly refreshing about this season. Like many, I feel inspired to throw open my windows and clean out my dark corners, literally and figuratively. These past few months, one of the processes that has brought me health and clarity has been cleaning my closet and paring down my wardrobe options.

While I am by no means a minimalist, simplicity is something I increasingly gravitate towards the older I get. I’ve written before about how busyness feels like my enemy, and in that same vein, so does an overstuffed closet. As life progresses, I realize how much time I waste just staring inside of it, confused and discouraged. While it’s been chock full of clothes for a long time, I all-too-often feel dissatisfied with my options, many times retreating to the same handful of outfits (I’m looking at you, cut-off jean shorts and gray v-neck T-shirts!).

What I have come to realize is that our closets, our clothes, can be serious baggage. Personally, I know that in the past my identity has been, at least somewhat, wrapped up in what I wore. Our clothes are items that we put on and hope speak for us. Have you ever had a bad day because of what you were wearing? I have! It sounds ridiculous to me, and I have chosen to shed that part of my selfhood. My clothes shouldn’t bear the burden of representing me, and I shouldn’t entertain the idea that they even could. The purpose they serve is solely to cover me and get me outward and onward with my day and my life!

At the same time, I realize that clothing can also hold sentimental value, and that’s what makes closet-purging difficult for many. Memories become tied up in certain items. I remember the jacket I was wearing when my husband proposed to me. The too-small black strapless dress that I wore in our engagement photos hangs in the back of my closet. My favorite jeans that fit my eighteen-year-old frame with the well-worn knees sit at the top of my closet shelf, probably because I remember crossing state lines and moving into my college dorm wearing them. Although they aren’t pieces that I reach for anymore, to get rid of them feels wrong.

Well, no more. No more fast and cheap clothing that unravels and loses its shape after the first wash. No more Well, I may wear it at some point! No more holding onto those awesome jeans I can no longer fit into, in the hopes of someday. No more quirky thrift store pieces that need a nip or a tuck to be wearable, because let’s face it, I probably won’t ever get to it. While I am not yet prepared to go full-on capsule wardrobe, I have loved researching the main principle behind creating one: cleansing your closet so that the only pieces left standing are versatile, quality, and flattering. So that is what I did.

I put on some motivational music (hello, Rage Against the Machine!), pulled everything out of my closet (and I mean everything! No hanger or lone sock left standing!) and created three piles: Keep, Donate, and Toss. I tossed everything that was ripped, stained, or pilled. I donated items that no longer fit, that I didn’t reach for in the last year, and that weren’t my preferred style. I kept pieces that suit my current lifestyle as a stay-at-home mom of two: comfy neutrals, clothes that both allow me to get down on the floor with my kids and still make me feel put together. Flattering dresses and blouses for nights out with my husband. When I evaluated each piece, I decided that if I wouldn’t wear it that day (for whatever reason), should the occasion arise, it was gone.

And you know what? It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I haven’t missed one single item from any of my mountainous give-away piles so far, and don’t plan on it. What I enjoy even more is the freedom of being able to choose an outfit from my closet with relative ease. I’ve found myself feeling less of a need to shop to fill gaps, because I can better see what I already own. If you’re worried about not having enough to wear or grieving the loss of a certain item, I read a tip that suggested putting sentimental items in a box tucked away in your garage. If you get through a month without digging around for the item, donate it. You don’t need it, and this proves it!

I’ve heard it said before that your closet can easily be a metaphor for your life, and I have to agree. Goodbye to snap decisions and impulse-buys that are supposed to put a band-aid on a bigger issue. Goodbye to filling voids with more stuff. In much the same way I evaluated my ‘busy’ life and the activities my days are filled with, I also want to evaluate where I spend my resources and time. In an endeavor to stop letting my stuff own me (instead of vice versa), I started with my closet. And it feels great.

About Rachel Kiser

Rachel is a wife and mother living in Raleigh, North Carolina. She’s a fan of good coffee, wearer of gray t-shirts, and is constantly starting books she will never finish. Her family is her joy, and she loves to engage with other moms and dads on matters of parenting. Her blog posts have also been featured on the Today Show Parenting Blog and Scary Mommy.

View all posts by Rachel Kiser here.
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