Losing the Battle, Winning the War(drobe)

Have you ever said, in a moment of frustration, that you hate 75% of your wardrobe? What if you got rid of all those clothes? Then you’d love 100% of your wardrobe. That was the message I read recently on a blog entitled Breathing Room.

The author of that blog and I are kindred spirits, it turns out. I recently decided to take up this challenge after years of feeling frustrated by a wardrobe dominated by pre-pregnancy clothing that no longer fit me.

I was sold on the value of decluttering and welcomed the idea of only having clothes in my wardrobe that I was actively wearing. What I didn’t quite expect was the emotional attachment and memories tied to some of those items. I felt like I was going through old photos and, with each clothing item, was reliving those memories all over again: where I bought it, when I wore it, how I felt at the time.

There was the halter top I remember buying during my younger clubbing days that was such a go-to item in its day. Gone. There was that adorable honeymoon dress which my husband had loved so much. Adios. And what about all those work clothes that were such a staple in my wardrobe pre-kids? They hit the curb too.

Rather than feeling like I was saying goodbye to those fond times in my life, I tried to focus on the positive. I was donating those clothes to New Circles, a Toronto-based agency that offers clothing services to clients with limited income. Most families are new to Canada and many are refugees. There is no argument that others would benefit from those clothes more than I ever could.

With those clothes out of the house, my closet (and I) both feel lighter and more liberated. My wardrobe, though much sparser, reflects who I am today: a happily married mother of two who spends more time on the floor building Lego castles with her kids than navigating office politics or maintaining a busy social life.

I’m sure, in time, my wardrobe will evolve to reflect other new personas but, for now, I’m embracing the yoga pants and cotton wrap cardigans. It’s near impossible to build a Lego masterpiece in a pencil skirt.