ladelfina
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2005
- Messages
- 2,713
Does anyone have a problem with what I'll call "archival" clothing? These are clothes you don't wear but keep for various reasons.
Category A: the Stockpile
I am inching up on the latter category in the poll in that this stuff seems to be the bulk of our clothing. HELP! I can imagine being more severe with the Stockpile than with the Museum but I am basically weak all-around. Any ideas or techniques for an attitude self-adjustment welcome, but the common "one year or toss it" recommendation is too drastic (for me.. whimper).
What's hard about throwing ANYthing away is that it seems to close a door in life that was left ajar. Can I admit to myself that it will be unlikely that I go to a discotheque in the future, so I won't need stiletto heels and wild jewelry? Do I need to keep reminders of a college-era London shopping spree (rubber bracelets and clothes that were great when Madonna was first on the scene)? I can imagine the same thing happening to someone getting rid of a tennis or riding outfit (hanging up their spurs).
I also have a weakness for keeping things when the leather/silk/mohair/cashmere, etc. is luscious, even though the items are out of date or unwearable for other reasons.
Category A: the Stockpile
- Clothes that fit, but you don't wear
(they have a tiny stain, or are a bit out of style, or have a color/pattern/texture that never convinced you) - Clothes that don't fit now, but might if you gain/lose weight
- Special clothes that are OK but are just not part of your lifestyle anymore
(work clothes, clothes for a sport you no longer practice, etc., clothes to go out clubbing)
- Clothes that have special significance and perhaps some retained value
(wedding dress, evening gown, designer outfit, tuxedo) - Clothes that have special significance but may be little more than rags
(college T-shirts you keep for the slogan/artwork/memories, old Halloween costumes you MIGHT put together again) - Clothes that are "unique" in some other way that makes them hard to part with
(an embroidered vest, a souvenir hat, an authentic Arab get-up, a weird sweater with a picture on it your mom knitted).
I am inching up on the latter category in the poll in that this stuff seems to be the bulk of our clothing. HELP! I can imagine being more severe with the Stockpile than with the Museum but I am basically weak all-around. Any ideas or techniques for an attitude self-adjustment welcome, but the common "one year or toss it" recommendation is too drastic (for me.. whimper).
What's hard about throwing ANYthing away is that it seems to close a door in life that was left ajar. Can I admit to myself that it will be unlikely that I go to a discotheque in the future, so I won't need stiletto heels and wild jewelry? Do I need to keep reminders of a college-era London shopping spree (rubber bracelets and clothes that were great when Madonna was first on the scene)? I can imagine the same thing happening to someone getting rid of a tennis or riding outfit (hanging up their spurs).
I also have a weakness for keeping things when the leather/silk/mohair/cashmere, etc. is luscious, even though the items are out of date or unwearable for other reasons.