Sunday, March 27, 2011

The Uncluttered Closet: Keeping Only the Clothes You Love



I just finished a book about eccentric glamour written by a clever wit Simon Doonan who says throw out all your ordinary clothes and wear your most fun and fabulous things. -- Franke James; illustration used with her permission

How many of us have closets full of clothes we don't really love? If you're one of those people, head over to Franke James' blog and read her complete illustrated post about how she originally laughed at Doonan's advice - and then decided he might indeed have a point. "My closet will be so spare and uncluttered," she writes. "I will wear only my favorite clothes." You'll want to see the far-from-ordinary clothes and accessories she speaks about keeping!

And you'll be glad to know Franke wasn't considering actually throwing out the "ordinary clothes"; they would go to her sisters and their children, to Goodwill, or to her Freecycle community.

Some people thrive with a personal uniform; Doonan has a different approach which might appeal to others. They are two different strategies for reaching the same goal: closets containing only the clothes which truly serve us, be they functional or fabulous.

And on a personal note: You may have noticed I've not posted much the last two weeks. Sadly, this is because I was out of town visiting my dad; my stepmom just died last week.

11 comments:

JustGail said...

Interesting. I must admit my first reaction was "but I'll only have 3 pair of jeans and 7 sweatshirts and some tops!". Then I realized I only *wear* 3 pairs of jeans, 7 sweatshirts and some tops. Either I need to start wearing some of the other items (wardrobe upgrade without shopping) or declare that jeans/sweatshirt IS my style and keep only a couple pieces for wedding/funeral wear and re-home the rest.

Franke James said...

Thnx Jeri!

So pleased to see that my 'Green Eccentric Glamour' story inspired you to write this wonderful post. Imagine how differently the world would see us if we really did wear only our favorite clothes!

Many thanks!

Franke James
Artist and author
Bothered by My Green Conscience

Pauline Wiles said...

Very sorry to hear about your stepmom. I will go check out Franke's blog.

Megan@declutterdaily said...

Good idea. I wonder about this from time to time, but dare I do it? Perhaps, I'll just pack my ordinary stuff away in box for a while and see how it goes.

Debra said...

So sorry to hear about your Stepmom, Jeri.

Debbie said...

So sorry for your loss. I know those words may ring hollow from a stranger, but be assured they are heartfelt.

Jeri Dansky said...

English Organizer, The Road Taken, and Debbie: Thank you very much for your words of support. Debbie, they do not ring hollow at all.

Franke: I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog yesterday! I loved your post, and was delighted to share it with my readers.

Megan, the "pack it away" idea is always a good one for things we're unsure about.

JustGail, you're in the same position as many people I've seen. If "jeans and sweatshirts" fits your lifestyle and makes you happy, then maybe you really don't need (most of) the rest. You could try Megan's "pack it away" approach for a while, to test that out.

JustGail said...

Jeri, I'm sorry about your Stepmom. I think I didn't read your full post, and missed the news about her yesterday.

Jeri Dansky said...

Thank you, JustGail.

Rachel said...

Sorry to hear about your stepmom, Jeri.

Jeri Dansky said...

Thanks, Rachel.