Winter has gone, for now, and it’s time for warm weather, that means short sleeves, thinner materials and trying to stay cool in the office while still staying classy. You can clean out your closet and get rid of old, outdated attire any time of year, not just during spring cleaning. We’re going to offer some advice on what to get rid of—nothing spoils an image more than outdated clothing. Next to dogs, style is man’s other best friend, and we’re going to give you some tips on how to stay in style’s good graces.
Throw Away Anything That Doesn’t Fit
Whether you’ve gotten taller, or shorter, or if you’ve gained or lost weight, if that piece of clothing doesn’t fit, and you don’t think you’re going to be fitting back into it, get rid of it. Sometimes, pieces of clothing shrink—don’t wait for a smaller version of yourself to come along—throw it away!
Sometimes things don’t fit for other reasons—maybe you’re trying to turn your life around or you are changing your style to be more (or sometimes, less) professional. In that case, you should get rid of any outdated or immature clothing— have you outgrown that beer-fest shirt from your college fraternity days? Get rid of it—you’ll thank yourself for it later.
There’s something to be said about keeping clothing as a motivator to lose weight until it fits again. We won’t tell you to throw that shirt or pair of pants away, but if you’ve been trying for a few years, stop stressing yourself out over your weight gain and just let it go—the clothing, that is—don’t stop dieting.
Throw Away Things in Bad or Poor Condition
It’s easy to want to keep a shirt or pair of pants you love because of sentimental value, or because they’re worn in the way you like and they just fit more comfortably than your other clothes. However, it’s time to let these clothes go. Remember that your clothes and image are an extension of yourself. Get more comfortable clothes in good condition—it will speak volumes about your character as well as your opinion of yourself. Wear clothing that’s damaged or frayed and you may be showing people that you don’t care about your appearance as much as you should.
Keep Clothes That Make You Feel Confident
Body language is a huge part of what people use to judge the quality of your character and personality – clothing is just one element. Wear and keep clothing that makes you feel confident. Comfort and confidence are two things. If you’re wearing clothes that don’t fit or look sloppy, you’re going to be less confident when it counts, regardless of how comfortable you are—try going to a job interview in sweat pants and a tank top and see how confident you are. Find clothing that brings out your best qualities and mutes the negative as much as possible. It’s just as important to feel confident as it is to dress confidently—sometimes more important.
Don’t Throw Away Clothes Because of Fashion Trends
Trends come and go, and frequently come back. Where do you think the term “retro” comes from? There’s things that go out of style because of trends, and things that go out of style because they’re plain unattractive—there’s a difference and it’s important to know this. There’s something to be said about a classic style reminiscent of the early 1900s, or a flashy style paying homage to the 70s and 80s. It all depends on who you are and what makes you feel confident—don’t pay attention to trends, pay attention to what works for you, and what makes you feel great about yourself. The rest will fall into place.
Find a Friend With Good Taste—Ask Them.
Consider cleaning your closet a battle- a fierce one. It’s never good to go into the battlefield alone, unless you’re MacGyver or James Bond. Find someone whose taste you trust, someone who will be brutally honest with you and has a decent idea of what’s acceptable and what isn’t. They will be your eyes when you need consultation. Instead of using your own personal tastes for every decision, ask an outside source. It’s important to dress for what makes you comfortable and confident. However, sometimes you must dress to open other people’s eyes, and it’s best to have someone else around to let you know just how well you’re pulling that off. You want to open people’s eyes in a good way, not a bad one.
Faded Black Clothing is Never in Style
You heard us right. Regardless of how comfortable it is or how you feel wearing it, do us a favor and please get rid of your faded black clothing, especially if it’s meant for a professional environment. Whether it’s your intention or not, wearing faded black clothing shows a certain level of neglect in one’s personal appearance.
After Cleaning, Organize What You Have
This is just as important as the cleaning part itself. Separate the clothing you’ve decided to save into sections. That way, when you clean next year, it’ll be more organized and you’ll have a better idea of what to keep and what to toss—if you do it right, you’ll be keeping more quality clothes and seeing less throw-away attire in your closet. The next and possibly most important step is:
Stay In High Spirits
This is possibly the most important part of this ordeal, and one of the best ways to ensure that you’re not throwing away perfectly good clothing. Maybe you picked up a pair of pants that made you remember the 25 pounds you’ve put on in the last few years. Maybe you found a suit that reminds you of a bad job or even a bad date. Don’t let negative stigma like this influence you on what to keep and what to throw away.
Get a friend, put on something humorous, drink a glass of wine, do whatever you have to in order to remain level headed during the experience, no matter how massive or seemingly impossible the cleaning endeavor is.
Schedule an appointment with us today—we’ll build you timeless clothes that’ll never end up in the trash can. We also provide consultations on what colors work best with your personality, skin and body type, as well as your profession. Through working with us, you’ll get a better idea of what works for you stylistically, and what doesn’t. We’re more than happy to help, so schedule an appointment with us today by phone at 215.310.0219. We’re one of the few places to offer Ariston suit fabric in Philadelphia, as well as many other things that will bring your style to the next level.
