How To Do A Reverse Closet Clean Out

So far this year, getting dressed has been all about pairing down and simplifying – about not shopping or consuming, but figuring out how to make the most of what I already have in my closet. And for the most part it has been straight up FUN!

The only problem? Since we moved back in November, I’ve literally been hoarding boxes of clothes that don’t really fit right, are no longer my vibe, or that I just straight up forgot about and haven’t worn in 2 years.

Because of this, the idea of KonMari-ing (going through and cleaning out/purging everything at once), has felt more than daunting to say the least. The overwhelm is all too real.

And so I thought.. what if I did the opposite? What if I started with a small section of what I own and went from there?

The Reverse Closet Clean Out

So way back on December 31, I literally threw everything in my closet on the floor.

Next, I pulled a few pieces of clothing out of the pile that I found myself grabbing constantly: My favorite pair of jeans, some standard black leggings that I wear virtually everyday, two pairs of booties, a really comfy sweatshirt from work…

It was alarmingly easy to quickly pull out the few pieces I was consistently coming back to again and again. To round things out I tossed one dress in the mix, and another pair of pants I’d recently purchased that fit well and seemed promising. (This process so far has excluded pjs, gym clothes, outerwear and underwear. Planning to tackle those soon!)

Creating A Base Closet

I created my Base Closet – a starting lineup if you will. And it consisted of the 15 things left in my closet. That’s it.

Then I took a whole bunch of Home Depot boxes and threw everything else in them. Special occasion dresses, jumpers, jeans I hadn’t worn lately, high heels, etc.

The boxes were stored away, and suddenly I – and our closet – could breathe again.

And Now We Rebuild

The goal isn’t to live this minimally forever. (Because who am I kidding.) The goal is to only bring into my closet things that I really love and will truly wear consistently. Each Sunday I’m bringing one item back into the fold, until I have only items I love that span every season.

And here are pics of the starting lineup! 3 pairs of shoes, a dress, a sweatshirt, 2 cardigans, a pullover sweater, 2 pairs of pants, leggings, and 4 oversized tunics (which are very much my thing).

The plan is to document my outfits daily and do a Week In Outfits post one day a week (maybe Thursdays?) By the end of the year I should have a huge list of outfits that keep me from ever declaring again, “I have nothing to wear!”

What an exciting thought, right?

If you’d like to try a similar Closet Clean Out along with me, I’ve created a free worksheet to help you get started! You can download that anytime right here.