How do I decide which clothes to keep and which to let go?
The short answer
Keep what you've worn in the last year, what fits the life you've now, and what pairs with at least three other things you own. Everything else goes in a maybe box with a date on it — if you haven't opened it by then, you didn't miss it.
The three questions
- Have you worn it in the last year? Not “would you”. Did you.
- Does it fit the life you’ve now? Not the job you left or the size you were.
- Does it pair with three other things you own? A piece that goes with one thing gets worn about as often as that one thing.
Two noes is usually enough to let something go.
The maybe box
Anything you can’t decide about goes in a box with a date on it, out of sight. If you’ve not opened the box by that date, you didn’t miss any of it, and it can go without a second round of deliberation.
Do it in categories
All the tops, then all the bottoms. Working category by category is what makes the gaps obvious, and it stops the process turning into a nostalgia exercise.
Cladwell counts pairs, not pieces
Your stylist tells you which categories are short and how many outfits each addition unlocks. Free to catalog your closet.
More on owning less
- What is the best way to donate clothes you no longer wear?
Give wearable clothes to a local charity shop, shelter or refuge that has said it wants them, and send worn-out textiles to a dedicated recycler rather than the bin. Call ahead: most charities are short of specific things and overwhelmed by everything else.
- How can I tell whether a clothing brand is actually ethical and sustainable?
Look for specifics rather than adjectives: named factories, a published wage standard, material composition, and third-party certification you can verify. A brand that can't tell you where something was made usually knows and would rather not say.
- What can I do with clothes I no longer wear?
Sell what is current and in good condition, give wearable pieces to a charity that has said it wants them, alter what nearly works, and send the genuinely worn out to textile recycling. Almost nothing needs to go in the bin.