clothes sorting

So, inspired by my recent post on ensembles I decided to clean out of my closet and dresser.

I’ve lost a bit of weight and I have to supplement my clothes to tide me over till I reach what I think is going to be my stable and sustainable weight for the next few decades.

Before I spend any money on new clothes I realized that I needed to make an assessment of what I need and what I had.  I also needed to get rid of what was worn out or no longer fit.  So I cleared out my closet and my dresser and piled everything on the bed and started sorting things into piles.

In some ways it feels like I’m moving.  I suppose I am in a way.  I’m moving away from the person that I was and moving to the person that I want to be.  Just as in any move some old things have to stay behind and some new things have to be acquired.

The old stuff that isn’t too badly worn is going to charity and the rest will go into the waste bin.

Some things are easy.  Winter clothes can be bulky and oversized so they’re not hard to sort and it’s time they went into storage anyways.

Suits and sports coats.  They fit remarkably well but need a good cleaning and pressing and maybe an alteration here and there.

Shirts.  My old office clothes.  Some frayed and worn out, some oversized.  A few still useful.

Pants.  I didn’t realize how large I got.  A couple of size 46 pants.  I’m tempted to keep a pair to compare my old waist size to my new but that’s so cliche.

t-shirts.  Most of these I keep.  They’re such handy clothes.

socks.  I have way too many and most of my time is spent sorting them.  I look at two nearly identical ones and try to determine if they’re both navy blue or black.  Most of my white tube socks end up in the charity pile.

handkerchiefs.  How did I end up with so many?

Some things still have stickers and tags on them.  Most of them gifts I would guess as some of them I would never wear.

I’ve filled two giant trash bags full of charity clothes and another bag for the garbage.  My closet seems empty now but I have a good idea of what I need to buy.

I feel good about this in different ways.  I’ve cleared out some of the clutter in my living space and made room for the new.  More importantly I’ve made a clean break with the old me.  Those old oversized clothes were a sort of safety line to my old self.  As long as they existed I could lean on them; see them as a place to retreat to, even if just unconsciously.  By doing this I commit myself to a new life and don’t have any choice but to move forward.

Post Navigation