Is it time to declutter your closet?
Maybe you checked out our advice in 2022 from professional organizers and fashion experts offering strategies for downsizing our wardrobes. Too often, they said, we hold onto our work clothes long after we’ve left the workforce; we save our one or two fancy dresses for an occasion that’s not yet on the calendar; we keep things that no longer fit our bodies or our lives.
Why, though? Is it the memories of how we felt in that New Year’s 2005 sequin top with matching handbag? The hope that we’ll be invited to a black-tie affair and finally wear that super fancy gown we bought on sale? The plan to someday fit back into that sleeveless 1990s jumpsuit?
If your closet is like mine, with all of the above and more still straining the rod, you’ve no doubt read similar articles about closet decluttering that, apparently, haven’t quite hit home. This one is a little different.
The pandemic changed so much about how we work and think about comfort and style. The old phrase “beauty is pain” no longer applies and even the haughtiest of design houses today are blending style with comfort. For me, it’s about finding cozy work-from-home outfits I don’t mind wearing to the post office or grocery store. The thought of putting on tight nylons and a stretchless blazer is one of the things that keeps me from seeking in-office employment. I know I’m not alone.
“When we went remote … the casual office attire became the mainstream in-office dress,” said Hillary Stone, a professor at Kent State University School of Fashion, adding that the pandemic fundamentally relaxed many workplace dress codes, with comfort being a priority.
Downsizing our closets doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve given up on our pre-pandemic plans and hopes, but rather that we’ve embraced our own versatility and comfort while dressing for the life we want now, says British psychologist Carolyn Mair, author of The Psychology of Fashion. Cleaning out the old “us” can be a kind of psychological reset. In fact, a growing health field called fashion psychology studies why we buy the clothes we buy and why we keep them, and Mair is one of its leading experts.
“What we wear can make us feel bad, insecure, awful, anxious, afraid of social embarrassment,” Mair told Strategy+Business magazine. “Or it can make us feel amazing — and the difference between the two is feeling comfortable, both physically and psychologically, in what you’re wearing.”
Mair, who helped establish the Psychology of Fashion graduate course at the University of the Arts London College of Fashion, explores why we become emotionally attached to clothing, why it’s difficult to let go and how our clothing relates to our identities.
Mair argues that clothing is much more than fabric. It represents our memories, aspirations and emotions, which explains why clearing out a closet can be surprisingly difficult, she says.
“Clothing is one of the most immediate tools for identity expression,” Mair explained in an article in Essence about dressing for the life you want. “When people dress in ways that reflect the person they aspire to become, it can reinforce internal narratives about who they are and where they’re going. In that sense, clothing can act as a bridge between a current self and a future identity, changing thoughts, attitudes and behavior which can be reciprocated by those they interact with.”
In other words, that ball gown in your closet isn’t just a great find you picked up on sale; it’s a symbol, perhaps, of a life you imagined. When you think of it that way, it’s no wonder cleaning out our closets is hard.
With all that said, is there still room for a closet purge and if so, how?
A 2024 study, Unraveling the closet: Exploring reflective decluttering and its implications for long-term sufficient clothing consumption, found that closet clean-outs are most effective when the process is reflective rather than just a task to complete.
The researchers found that people who took time to think about why they owned certain items, why they no longer wore them and what role the clothes played in their lives gained a better understanding of their shopping habits and were more likely to buy fewer clothes in the future.
The study also found that people who were motivated to declutter in order to free up closet space and reduce the feeling of owning too many clothes ultimately experienced emotional relief.
So while our 2022 closet decluttering suggestions still apply in 2026, here’s one more to think about. Instead of only asking should I keep this?, ask yourself:
- Why did I buy this? Was it for your current lifestyle or the person you hoped to become?
- When was the last time I wore it? If it hasn’t been worn in a year, what’s preventing you from reaching for it?
- Does it fit my life today? Keep clothes for the life you’re living now, not the one you had 20 years ago or hope to have someday.
- What can I learn from this item? If several unworn pieces share the same pattern (wrong color, poor fit, impulse purchase), use that insight to shop more intentionally in the future.
- Can someone else benefit from it now? Donating clothing that’s no longer serving you can make letting go feel more meaningful.
The biggest takeaway is that decluttering our wardrobe is most successful when it’s viewed as a chance to rethink our relationship with clothing, rather than just a chance to clear out a space. That shift in mindset can lead to a wardrobe that’s easier to manage and better reflects who we are today.
*featured image courtesy of Jakaovo via Canva
