Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter

Seasonal Change

For many of my clients, it’s that time of year: the great closet swap. Banish the bathing suits, pull out the sweaters—and I always encourage people to do a little weeding. It’s much easier to let go at the end of the season, when you can say, “Gee, I didn’t wear this all summer,” versus the beginning, when it’s more likely you’re thinking, “This will be the fall I’ll fit into those leather pants again!” However, like everything else, 2020 has thrown a monkey wrench into this approach. Because you never wore those black linen pants this summer because you didn’t go anywhere. Your co-workers could see your nice, white blouse in your Zoom meeting, but they couldn’t tell you were wearing it with your pajama bottoms.

Like wearing pj bottoms to business meetings, it would be easy to tell you to just to keep it all and hope that next year will be different. But I can’t overlook an opportunity to let go, so instead, we need to ask different questions. Ask yourself, “Did I miss this skirt? Was I happy that I never had to squeeze into that dress? Did I wear this top so much that I associate it with this horrible year and I want to pass it on?”

While I hope there will be a vaccine soon, and I hope lockdown will end and theatres will open, I think Zoom is going to stay. People will spend less time in the office and more time working from home. So, while you shouldn’t get rid of all your office-wear and the clothes you wear to the ballet, you might need to get honest about what you are wearing most often and how much of your daily wardrobe these days is really “athleisure” and weed accordingly.

Once you’ve let go of what you can, make sure you set aside items that need to be laundered, dry-cleaned or mended before you box them up and pull out the cozy stuff. And, as you unpack your winter things, set aside pieces that you realize serve no practical or emotional purpose. It’s always better to give away clothing in season, when people actually need sweaters and coats, and I imagine that this year the need will be even greater than usual.

Despite all the upheaval we’ve experienced in 2020, the seasons are still changing, which is comforting. So, swap your closet, evaluate your current reality, and be as honest as you can in deciding what you should let go. For me, it feels like the pandemic has stripped me of some of my trappings and worn me down to my essential self. Which is fine, because it turns out, my essential self requires less closet space.