We certainly have been having some great full on Spring weather in the Northeast. It's time to spring clean and revitalize your wardrobe.
First sort out what you have. It's time to get the boots and sweaters away and bring on the pumps, sandals and summer dresses.
I suggest 3 piles of clothes you are putting away and then repeating the process with your Spring/Summer items as well.
Pile 1 - Keepers
Pile 2 - Maybes
Pile 3 - Let it go!
Keepers go right into cleaning and storage. The maybes need a good try on and inspection. You need to do this with each item and move it to Keepers or Let it Go! Make a list of the Let it Go! pile and package them for reuse at a consignment shop, reuse program or charity shop, or arrange a clothing swap with your friends followed by a trip to one of the stores listed.
I suggest you do this at the beginning and end of each seasonal change. Once this is done, you have a good picture of the items you need to replenish and then you can make responsible choices.
Here are some items you may like to pick up:
A smashing new umbrella for your inner Anglophile. Beat April showers with a brolly from London Undercover.
A Claudi Garzesi recycled necklace from Recycled Planet Store.
A coin purse from the Go Green collection at Ecoist.
Clothing from Stewart & Brown.
A Market/Beach bag from Rising Tide Fair Trade.
Bandeau and boy shorts from Daughters of the Revolution.
Shoes from Terra Plana - no stranger to How Green is Your Closet?
Enjoy the purge and the binge - Happy Spring!
till next week - Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew
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I always look forward to cleaning out my closet every Spring. Unfortunately I was between locations this year which not only divided my closet, but also made it very difficult to discern what clothes, shoes, and accessories I even own. I am finally settled and I look forward to this spring cleaning of the closet. As always, I will have two of my friends come over to help me sort through my things. They do this because they know they will be getting the "let it go!" pile which always seems to be the largest somehow. Luckily I have friends that love to take my unwanted belongings but if there are a few strays I do bring them to the local Salvation Army. If my friends happen to not want anything then I could bring them to Buffalo Exchange right here in Center City. This is great because not only are you recycling clothing but you also get the benefit of store credit or cash for your belongings. Well, once you sort through and eliminate of course you have to replenish! Although I'm quite tight on cash right now I will be putting a few pieces from Daughters of the Revolution on my wish list!
I used to hate cleaning out my closet. The idea of parting with clothing was impossible. Recently though, I have found that I am constantly looking through the items I have and removing pieces I no longer wear. Between donating to the goodwill, bringing to consignment shops for someone else to get some use out of it, and recreating clothing for other uses, I have become very green. Personally, I love second hand shops. On the one hand, all of the items are one of a kind. And on the other, they are much less expensive and most likely better quality than the items we can afford. Lately, I have been drawn to consignment shops to purchase denim. It's already been stretched out and is still usually nearly brand new. No gimmicks or hesitation needed with this. As for eco-friendly clothing, stewart + brown is one of my favorite designers. Their knits are so soft and they use a wide range of colors every season. Unlike other green designers that have small collections, Stewart + brown has extensive lines, suitable for many different types of people, and they have moved passed graphic t-shirts (everyone thinks they are eco-friendly if they print on an american apparel eco-tee) and boring colors to create a collection that doesn't scream "green", which is refreshing in the sea of eco-friendly designers.
I have not had a large clean-out of my closet since I was a kid but when I do get rid of merchandise my family always sets aside bags for goodwill. I tend to only shop when I have a specific item in mind for a certain occasion. I am not a compulsive buyer. However, I am especially fond of second-hand shopping because there are essentially no rules. Most garments do not have a size or a defined method of styling. I like experimenting with the clothes on my own frame without the influences of a particular brand image. In addition to this, I like the idea that each garment has a story. I like to think about the past owner, how she wore the garment and why she parted with it. Beyond this, when second-hand shopping, I do not feel as guilty about my purchases. I know I am extending the life of a garment instead of consuming a new one.
Sadly, I rarely clean out my closet, and for the most part I only get rid of clothing because I have worn them so much they have holes. By then it is too late to donate them to a second hand shop or Salvation Army. I do on the other hand, shop at second hand stores and love peoples left-overs. I am not shy at trying on pieces that may seem a little out there, because with the right styling most anything can become interesting to say the least. Of course at second hand shops it is most important to try things on since nothing comes from the same place and it has already been worn and stretched. I am very budget conscious right now, but maybe I should clean out my closet so I can go get that store credit at Buffalo Exchange and do a little shopping.
It is really hard for me to clean out my closet, since I usually have emotional attachment to most of my clothes OR I think that if I get rid of it I will then find myself looking for it someday and become frustrated because I no longer have it. My mom is constantly asking my family to please clean out our closets. My sister, on the other hand, is really good at knowing what she still likes and what she will really never wear. We then take these clothes (and the few I can let go of) to a local children's shelter.
There is a really cool "vintage" shop in Washington DC near Georgetown called Annie Creamcheese. Although they do have designer pieces which are fairly pricy, they also sell second hand clothes that are extremely fashionable and at a good price. If you are ever around, stop by!
The change of seasons is a great reminder to clean out your closet, although personally I try to do it every time I move. Obviously this method would not work for an adult with a consistent address, but for Drexel students constantly moving for coop and study abroad it's a great way to prevent dragging around extra items. Once I identify the pieces I no longer wear I sell them at a consignment shop near my home. Any money I make can be used to purchase new items.
I love cleaning out my closet. I love having organized clothes, it is easy to see what I have and what I need. I lost my voice at the end of march and spent two days organizing my closet and dresser. I made a whole bunch of piles and sorted the things I did not want even further. I had a bag of clothes for goodwill and another bag to hand down to the kids I babysit. One of the families I babysit has 4 girls and they love getting my clothes. Most of my stuff fits the oldest girl and then that is passed down to the younger ones later. Then once they are finished with it they give it to clothing drives at their church.
Now that I know what I need to add to my spring wardrobe, I will definitely check out the links you've given us! I see a lot of things I want.
Since I am from California, come spring break is when I take home my winter clothes and bring back my spring clothes. In that process, I go through my old clothes and see what I didn't wear in winter and donate it to charities. When I start to pack my spring clothes I am reminded of what I didn't wear a lot last year and sometimes I think to myself maybe I will end up wearing it this spring, so I tend to keep it and if I don't wear it that spring, I will bring it home and donate it with my winter clothes that I didn't wear.
My mom is the type of person to get rid of everything so usually she helps me go through my closet and say "are you really going to wear this again?" Which gives me that little edge to push towards donating it, instead of keeping the clothing item.
Donating to charties allows me to recycle the clothes that I have worn and let someone else get good use out of it.
Also, being from California, Melrose Ave. has the best vintage and hand me down stores with various vintage clothing from high end designers to just fun costume clothing. I love spending the day trying to find some good vintage finds, which allows me to be eco-friendly as well by reusing someone else clothes. It is a full cycle- by me donating clothes and other people getting wear out of it or me finding some good vintage finds and reusing someone else's clothes.
I have actually seen the handmade handbags from ecoist.com. They make the handbags out of various different wrappings including Starbursts.
Cleaning out my closet is more fun for my younger cousins than for me. They look forward to getting my old clothes and accessories, which are brand new to them. I on the other hand, dread giving up some of my favorite pieces. Generally, I have to part with clothing because I have maxed out the number of times people could possibly want to see me in it. My mother usually encourages me to move on and buy something else that is new and fresh. I am excited to shop at the online stores you provided in your blog post. I am becoming more aware of making purchases that are environmentally friendly and in doing so i hope to encourage others to so the same! The websites you linked are wonderful examples proving that organic can be fashionable and stylish.
One of the things I enjoy most is cleaning out my closet at the start of a new season! I always try to either give the "let it go!" pile to roommates or pack it up and bring it to consignment shops. One important consignment shop hint: do your 'spring cleaning' before spring. Sometimes the shops get picky about seasonal clothing and, just like any other retail store, start putting out the seasons styles a few months prior. It can be annoying to do all that work and then have your clothes denied....of course then you could always just donate them!
Usually I clean out my closet every change of seasons, however I hardly ever have access to my entire closet since I live far away in Chicago, so I haven't had a chance to clean my closet since the summer after my Freshman year of College. I only keep the most essential seasonal clothes with me here in Philadelphia so I am able to do a little bit of Spring cleaning, but not as much as I would like and clothes have definitely accumulated in my home closet from switching out my clothes every few months. In Chicago we have a place called Plato's Closet (I'm not sure if they have it here). Plato's Closet is basically the same concept as Buffalo Exchange, where I can go and sell back my clothes and then the company sells it again for a lower price. Most of the time I give my clothes to the Salvation Army, but recently I went to Plato's Closet for the first time and I have found that selling my clothes back to Plato's Closet is a great way to earn money while at the same time recycling clothes and positively impacting the environment.
I have to say that I love cleaning out my closet because it means I get to shop. I always donate my clothing because it helps me feel good helping others, and it really helps me justify my shopping. I have found though that since I have been in school I have definitely been more conservative in my shopping, buying less trendy items, and more staples that I can use throughout various seasons. This has made my spring cleaning much more difficult. Still feeling the pinch in my poor pocket, I have been very hesitant to begin shopping, I did however make one major fashion splurge... I bought a dress form. I got an amazing deal, and the cost is more of an investment. For what I spent on the dress form I could have bought a few great spring dresses, but now I have endless possibilities! I can't wait for it to get here! Looking forward to creating some really great garments, and I am sure once it gets here I will have no problem donating, or even shredding some old pieces to make new ones! C'mon Fabulous Fit!
I am always cleaning out my closet you may say it is a habit of mine and am often "made fun" of for it. However I enjoy it! Whether it is new season or I recently just went shopping I try to keep my closet less cluttered and more organized. Since my closet is usually very full, cleaning it out allows me to see what I wear and realize what I no longer need. This way there is less stuff just sitting there never worn, and I can donate it to someone who will have much more use out of it than I have. However I will say it is often difficult for me to actually get rid of much of my clothing. My keep and maybe piles tend to always be larger than my let it go. I end having to go through and really think will I actually wear this again, and often I know I wont. At the end of it, its like a fresh start getting rid of the old and bringing in the new, until the next I have to start it again.
I just did my Spring cleaning this year and it feels wonderful to get rid of the old and bring in the new! My family has always had a method to cleaning out closets and passing down clothing. As I am the oldest child, I pass down my clothing to my two younger sisters. If neither of them wants it, we take it somewhere to sell, such as a Plato's Closet or consignment shop. If the consignment shops do not want or need the clothing, we donate it to goodwill. This method not only helps circulate clothing, it gives me a feeling of satisfaction that my cast-offs can be put to some use, whatever it may be. I also am a firm believer in reconstruction- I take old tee shirts and garments, and find new ways to cut, piece, and sew them to make new creations. I also repeat this process when I switch my closet from summer to fall, and fall to winter.
While I do occasionally clean out my closet, I tend to just pack old things away in my closet back home. Just recently I decided to take a look at some of these clothes that I haven't worn in years. It turned out great because some of what I wanted to pack up then, I decided I could make work now and I still fit into these old clothes. After deciding what I definitely want to keep I am going to go through the rest and see if I can bring anything to Buffalo Exchange which I have done before, and then I will probably give the rest away.
So this reminds me of the fact that I went home to my house house this weekend and my mom buttered me up by giving me her credit card to get some fall/winter clothes and when I got back to the house she said okay I have 6 bags of clothes for you to go through. We made a toss pile, a pile for my cousin, and a keep pile. Little did I know my entire room was getting completely cleaned out. There is a whole other pile of stuff I won't wear but don't want to throw away for sentimental reasons, such as my little league world series jacket, old softball uniforms. Overall I got played.
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