Stylebook and the Great Purge
In the midst of redoing my entire living room, I decided that cleaning out my closet would be a good idea as well. I know...I am a glutton for punishment. But, the thought did not come about willy-nilly. No, I kept seeing ads and Pinterest posts and all kinds of junk for an app called Stylebook. So, I did something I have never done before and shucked out $3.99 for an app. And the husband laughed at me because I need an app to tell me what I own and wear.
The thing with this app is that you have to take pictures of literally every single piece of clothing, every pair of shoes, and every accessory that you own. And those pictures need to be taken against a plain background that is a different color than your clothing. Therefore, one white sheet hung over the linen closet door with a hook attached and I could begin. Several hours later, with a ton of help from the male adult child in my home, I was only half finished. It became clear that this would be a larger process than I thought it would be as, apparently, I own far more clothes than necessary.
And so the great purge of 2018 began because I was not going to waste my time photographing and cataloging clothes that did not fit or that bothered my fibromyalgia. So away went the size medium tops as nothing can cling to my arms or sit too close to my underarms anymore. And gone are shoes that fit, but only if my feet did not swell as I sat at my desk all day. Also gone are the flip-flops and sandals that our sweet rat girls chewed through without me knowing. No pants that pinch or rub shall dwell in my closet. Sweaters that made me want to claw my way out of them or were to tight in the arms have been banished. And sadly, a fond farewell was said to a plethora of band T's that will never fit over the new constant weight that came to me when I turned 40 a few years ago.
I am left with a smaller, but quite a substantial wardrobe that I will be tracking over the next year. I disposed of three trash compactor bags of items. If an item is not worn over the next 365 days then I clearly do not need it in my closet. Currently, I have 221 items showing in my Style Stats section of the app. I have not finished loading accessory pieces like jewelry and scarves and belts, so that number will increase. And I found that I do not own a bathing suit that fits...which means I have to shop for one which will clearly bring me nothing but joy and allow me to exude confidence.
The goal is to dwindle down to a more manageable stockpile of clothing that I love rather than a large pile of clothes that I own. I do not want anything to hurt or pinch or rub. Fibromyalgia causes enough pain without me adding to it by wearing clothes that hurt and do not make me happy. I am hoping for a capsule wardrobe in the next few years, but I just can't quite make the leap yet.
And of course, getting rid of a ton of clothing let me see some holes in my wardrobe for the warm weather...so I bought just a few items. One pair of pants, four shits, a pair of flats as mine are on their last leg, and a new sunny yellow lightweight scarf. Y'all, my office gets cold all year 'round.
My inspiration is below:
A great big thank you to Everyday Savvy! Here is what she selected:
It is a start. And I feel so much more in control of my chaos since cleaning out my closet. I highly recommend it. Go ahead and jump in and get rid of things that you cant' wear. We all know the truth...I am never going to weigh 115 pounds again. And I think I am finally ok with that.
The thing with this app is that you have to take pictures of literally every single piece of clothing, every pair of shoes, and every accessory that you own. And those pictures need to be taken against a plain background that is a different color than your clothing. Therefore, one white sheet hung over the linen closet door with a hook attached and I could begin. Several hours later, with a ton of help from the male adult child in my home, I was only half finished. It became clear that this would be a larger process than I thought it would be as, apparently, I own far more clothes than necessary.
And so the great purge of 2018 began because I was not going to waste my time photographing and cataloging clothes that did not fit or that bothered my fibromyalgia. So away went the size medium tops as nothing can cling to my arms or sit too close to my underarms anymore. And gone are shoes that fit, but only if my feet did not swell as I sat at my desk all day. Also gone are the flip-flops and sandals that our sweet rat girls chewed through without me knowing. No pants that pinch or rub shall dwell in my closet. Sweaters that made me want to claw my way out of them or were to tight in the arms have been banished. And sadly, a fond farewell was said to a plethora of band T's that will never fit over the new constant weight that came to me when I turned 40 a few years ago.
I am left with a smaller, but quite a substantial wardrobe that I will be tracking over the next year. I disposed of three trash compactor bags of items. If an item is not worn over the next 365 days then I clearly do not need it in my closet. Currently, I have 221 items showing in my Style Stats section of the app. I have not finished loading accessory pieces like jewelry and scarves and belts, so that number will increase. And I found that I do not own a bathing suit that fits...which means I have to shop for one which will clearly bring me nothing but joy and allow me to exude confidence.
The goal is to dwindle down to a more manageable stockpile of clothing that I love rather than a large pile of clothes that I own. I do not want anything to hurt or pinch or rub. Fibromyalgia causes enough pain without me adding to it by wearing clothes that hurt and do not make me happy. I am hoping for a capsule wardrobe in the next few years, but I just can't quite make the leap yet.
And of course, getting rid of a ton of clothing let me see some holes in my wardrobe for the warm weather...so I bought just a few items. One pair of pants, four shits, a pair of flats as mine are on their last leg, and a new sunny yellow lightweight scarf. Y'all, my office gets cold all year 'round.
My inspiration is below:
A great big thank you to Everyday Savvy! Here is what she selected:
- Worthington Slim Fit Ankle Pants, Black
- Mixit Slim Fit Stretch Leggings, Denim
- a.n.a. Zip Pocket Jeggings, Desert Clay
- Worthington Ankle Pants, Black/White Stripe
- Mixit Stretch Crop Jeggings, White
- St. Johns Bay Round Neck Tee, White Floral
- Worthington High Neck Tank Blouse, Pink
- Worthington Tie Crepe Blouse, Black Dot
- Worthington V-Neck Blouse, Black
- Belle + Sky Cut-Out Shoulder Blouse, Blue Floral
- Pop Helen Ballet Flats, Blush
- Journee Ballet Flats, Black
- Liz Claiborne Work Tote
- Design Imports Skinny Scarf, White
It is a start. And I feel so much more in control of my chaos since cleaning out my closet. I highly recommend it. Go ahead and jump in and get rid of things that you cant' wear. We all know the truth...I am never going to weigh 115 pounds again. And I think I am finally ok with that.
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