Mid-year wardrobe declutter: 10 items you need to get rid of immediately

Wardrobes must get a yearly purge, given the fact that we live in an age of ultimate consumerism, where the “buy sh*t or die” mentality is truly pervasive. We are constantly inundated by ads on Facebook or Instagram, and face ever-changing billboards around us each day. The social media stars we follow have never-ending OOTDs that don’t ever seem to be rotated, reused or recycled.

And so, we buy. But statistics show that we use 20% of our clothes, 80% of the time.

Mid-year presents a great time to get into that closet and clear it of anything you don’t use. We are mid-season in terms of fashion, and this means there’s a little less temptation to re-fill any empty space you create. Plus, the yearly festive seasons are now truly over, and this year’s parties are a long way away.

There are always things one can throw out, and I’ve narrowed the list down to 10 trends that have to go like, NOW.

So take a breath, get stuck in, and throw out. You know you’ll feel lighter and fresher, living with less.

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In 2017, the jumpsuit officially supplanted the cocktail dress, showing up at red carpet events, every brunch you attended, and at weddings and parties. But beware – the one-piece wonder is getting stale. Plus, I’m willing to bet that in the hunt for the perfect piece, you bought several that are taking up space. “They’re iconic!” you said at the time. But do all your jumpsuits fit absolutely perfectly, or do they actually ride up your butt? How many times did you actually wear each one – if at all?

Pick one or two pieces you absolutely must keep (for now), and throw out any extras.

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Like political views and zealously religious thoughts, it’s best to keep your love of magical creatures to yourself. Anything emblazoned with a unicorn, or for that matter, a mermaid, needs to be tossed – unless, of course, you’re actually 5 years old. The “I wear it ironically” argument does not work here, either.

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Festival fashion is well and good – at a festival. Ultimately, it’s a costume-y look, and fringe can only really go with heart-shaped sunglasses, crochet cropped tops, feather hair accessories and flower crowns. Ditch the fringe and all that goes with it. Now.

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The world does not need to see your bum cheeks. Really.

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The distressed thing got taken way, way too far when the holes exposed the entire knee and thigh area and started flapping around the leg. Let’s pull it back now, mmkay?

Keep: Classic denim. Throw: Any denim that the Kardashians wore in 2017.

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The high-topped, puffy Willow sneaker from Isabel Marant rose to fame in 2012. Let me repeat that for your eyeballs – 2012. You’ve convinced yourself that they’re great with skinny jeans; that they’re comfortable for running errands in, and for wearing on the plane.

News flash: they’re actually never OK, not even with head-to-toe athleisure. If you want to wear sneakers, you can actually wear… sneakers. “But,” you argue, “the wedge adds height to my frame.” Girl, get over it. If you’re tiny, you’re tiny. Wedge heels (which really accentuate the fact that you’re short because they’re blocky) ain’t really gonna help, only God can. #sorrynotsorry

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Scroll back to #4. Same goes here but replace the word “buttcheeks” with “boobs”. Besides, don’t you have too many T-shirts already? Which brings me to my next point…

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So you’re in the midst of your purge and you just can’t bring yourself to throw away “practical” things you could use, like T-shirts. But you’re ending up with a big pile of things that you’ll “use as pyjamas”. This doesn’t help lighten your load.

This is where you’ve just got to be brutal. How I’ve done it is this: Even if they’re jammies, they’ve got to make me feel sexy, special and put-together. So, my sleep-pile must not a) have holes, b) be too baggy, and c) be too long or short. Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, everything’s got to be just right.

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Slides are cool. Even socks with slides are OK. Fluffy slippers, not so much. Ditto for feathered heels, furry sandals, and anything fur-based that belonged to Rihanna’s Fenty x Puma collection of 2016. Toss, please.

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Out: Big, open lace skirts paired with cropped lace tops, or full lace dresses.

In: Delicate, lingerie-like lace details. Right now, lace is classy with eyelet dresses and peekaboo lace details. Anything else can go.

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Ask yourself the tough questions as you go through your closet. Besides the clichéd “when was the last time I wore this?”, you must consider how your clothes make you feel. “Do I feel good in this only if I am a certain weight?” is a useful question. If the answer is “yes”, then consider that you’re keeping something for your fantasy self.

Be willing to try things on. During my own wardrobe purge, I was aiming to throw out some bodycon dresses. But when I actually put them on, they really worked with my shape, and I ended up keeping them.

Finally, edit your wardrobe in stages. You may not get through it all in a single day, so allocate up to a week to go through absolutely everything. It’ll be worth it. Promise.

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