Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Cleaning Out My Closet!


Now that we’re all starting fresh due to the New Year, taking inventory of our closets is definitely in order. This past weekend, I decided to purge some items that are no longer welcome in my wardrobe. For a few of the garments I found myself asking, “What was I thinking when I bought this,” or “was this ever in style?”

Those unflattering fashions were donated to my local charity while others were turned in for cold-hard cash at Beacon’s Closet, a NYC-based store where you can sell, trade and donate clothes.

If you decide to clean out your closet, be sure to hang on to these timeless pieces that will take you from season to season!


LBD (these frocks are my weakness…you can never have too many!)



Lightweight scarf (perfect for chilly days or summer nights)


White cotton/Spandex blend t-shirt (long & short sleeve - the most versatile item I own!)


Cashmere cardigan (if not cashmere, any fabric in this sweater style will do!)

What do you do with your unwanted clothes? Do you swap with friends, donate or hold on to them hoping you'll fit into them again or they'll come back in style?

23 comments:

Secretista said...

I donate unwanted clothes, but hopefully I am smarter with my clothing choices that I don't need to get rid on anything.

Kwana said...

I so need to clean out my closet, but don't have the energy right now. I usually donate.

K-Bear said...

BGG, we are so on the same page! I just cleaned my closet and I had to have a moment of silence when I said goodbye to my size 8s! Now I plan on having a huge garage sale! Whatever doesn't sell goes to Goodwill!

Anonymous said...

I just recently decided to clean my closet out. Especially since I could no longer fit anything in it. LOL. I have been holding on size 2s for the past year. I gave all of my clothes to my neice.

Anonymous said...

OMG! I've been trying to do this for years.
I just starting cleaning my closet and I have realized that how impulsive I'm at times when it comes to shopping. One of my new resolutions is to question if I really like the item or do I really need it.

Anonymous said...

haha did i 'inspire' this post?
my problem is that i buy too many things that are on sale that i dont love or that i cant incorporate into my wardrobe.

Brown Girl Gumbo said...

@KittyVodka - YES you did inspire this post from our conversation yesterday! LOL

Anonymous said...

I usually donate my unwanted clothes to my teenage cousins, or I take them to a woman's shelter. Goodwill's make profit off of something I'd like to "give" so a woman's shelter is the best choice for me, because these clothes are "given" to women who need them, and will appreicate them. I've been trying to put off cleaning out my closet... but I think I'll take a stab at it in the next upcoming weeks.

Anonymous said...

P.S. Glad you're back!! I was clocking BGG like you wouldn't believe!!

lymariposa said...

You read my mind bgg. I always get rid of some clothes after Christmas to make room for my new goodies. I clean out my closet twice a year, winter and summer and it's about time for my winter purge.

MakeupByRenRen said...

i donate them to a place that also buys gently used items...if not, i give them to my friend whose mom ships them to family in columbia

Anonymous said...

I NEVER throw out old clothing. I figure that one girl's trash could be another girl's treasure. I donate my used clothing to charity or someone I know.

###### said...

I really need to sell some clothes. I did a clean out and had 3 big bags of clothes. I was gonna throw them out ( I know, I know) because it was the fastest way to get them out the house. But I gave them to my mother. Better than the trash. But I want to redo the closet with better organization.

Calming Corners said...

I was cleaning this weekend. I donated and recycled. It is so refreshing!

Anonymous said...

OH FUN TOPIC. I live in those scarves, I may be addicted.

LBD, sigh. It has bailed me out of way too many fashion ruts and offenses. It is no-fail. Do you remmeber before the recent dress explosion how hard it was to find a LBD. Now they're eveyrwehre thank god! Timeless!

Anonymous said...

i donate my old clothes.

Phyllis Bourne said...

I donate 'em, but toss anything ragged or butt ugly.

Melissa L. said...

I have serious separation anxiety but two weeks ago I went through my closet, threw some stuff out, donated some things, and took others to Beacon's Closet as well. Next time I won't watch as they evaluate because I kept wanting to say "Give me that back!"

Brown Girl Gumbo said...

@Melissa L. - I didn't stick around for the evaluation because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle their "critiques" of my fashions!! LOL

Anonymous said...

I am so glad I happened across your blog. You know half my small living room is cluttered with bags of clothes and shoes and stuff from my cleaning my room.....I'm going "French"! I am down to a small closet and dresser and I love it. I only wore about 30% of the stuff anyway and this is so much easier to maintain.

I am also resolved to stay out of the discount stores. When the clothes are marked down so low, I buy more and find I don't like them after a while. Bad impulse urges in TJ Maxx.

Thanks again for the listing for Beacon's closet, I had been giving my stuff away. I'll be headed over there tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

Fun! Can you tell me where that black dress is from? I need that in my life. LOL!

Brown Girl Gumbo said...

@Milan - That dress is by Nanette Lepore for $143. Sorry for not listing it originally. Here's the link:

http://www.revolveclothing.com/DisplayProduct.jsp?product=NL-WD171&c=Nanette+Lepore&s=B&sc=Dresses&n=n&source=shopstyle

Anonymous said...

I tried selling some clothes at Platos Closet but it was a complete bust! They offered me 20 bucks for 3 pairs of boots and 4 belts! 20 bucks! Id rather donate it all to the Salvation Army.