For me, clothes and accessories are the representatives of different stages of my life. I have gone through different types of wardrobes. We had the period where my mom would constantly dress me. A lot of graphic tees from Puma, Bobby Jack t-shirts, clothes from Justice, and even shirts from the adult section of Macy’s. It was the growth spurt that did it for the last one. But as I grew away from my mom’s confusing choices, I was also growing away from headbands. They were symbolic of my childhood and adolescent years. It was a staple for me to have on a headband that hopefully matched whatever I was wearing that day. In fact, I probably was well-known at school for my headbands for a period of time. I had a few bags of them for all sorts of different occasions.
But over time, things changed. I wanted to try clothes that followed more of the trends. At the same time, I was learning how to find myself within the clothes that I wore. It took a while. I had more outside influences telling me what I should be wearing rather than listening to my own thoughts. In high school, my clothes were an odd mix of clothes that could still fit me from middle school and moving onto more basic clothes that I could tolerate.
When college started, I really was interested in thrifting clothes in order to find what I liked. I met a lot of thrifting accounts on Instagram that allowed me to explore different styles. I explored as much as I could allow myself since baby steps are important in this journey.
Now, I have tried to Marie Kondo the room. My current roommate’s mother came into the room during this year’s move-in day and said something about how little I brought. I would like to think about myself as a person who keeps it to a minimum if possible. That or I am really good at hiding things in small spaces. Whenever I did that, it was more of me folding clothes in order to fit more in the dressers. However, it was beginning to feel exhausting finding the next crevice to fill up. I could see that some of these clothes were ones that I did not favor too much.
Now, I can always work something into my outfits. It is not hard when you find the right pieces to put together. I have a basic image in my head of what I want. It is like Cher’s wardrobe program in which I mix and match until I find what is right for me.
The issue is that I cannot force myself to wear what I do not feel comfortable in. We all go through different phases. Some clothes are not suited for me to carry them into the future. There are some pieces that are more timeless, like black tights, for example, that will definitely stay with me forever.
Because my 21st birthday was coming up, I decided it was time to let go of what is not serving me anymore. It was time to work on Marie Kondo’s idea of letting go of what does not spark joy. There were clothes that had many great memories attached to them, but it was no longer giving me the same joy that it once did. It is not like I physically looked different when I was wearing it, but when I started at myself in the mirror, I was not the same person who used to wear that shirt.
I ended up making a huge pile in a box. There was a lot in there, but there was still plenty outside of that pile that I kept. I looked back and saw that it was a great journey with all these outfits I used to wear. I felt that I was much closer to finding my personal style than I was before. Even the jeans I am wearing now were ones I would never expect to love so much, but I do.
Therefore, I think that if you are ever thinking that you have nothing to wear, look back in your closet. You are going to find that there is a lot in there. You might even find that one shirt that makes you go, “Oh wow, I cannot believe I used to wear this.” Maybe it is time to let something go. Find a new home for it. I am considering donating what I have piled up. It feels so much better when you are looking at your wardrobe and seeing all these clothes that bring joy to your life.