Emotional Attachment VS. Aesthetic Reality: Adventures in clearing out your closet.
Taking your clothing out of storage? Doing some spring cleaning? Use discretion before shoving everything into rotation again. If you're not sure whether to keep or toss something? follow my 3 C's of smart choices-
Condition:
Each item should be clean and have no loose threads, missing buttons, ripped seams, pilling, wrinkles, fraying or overly worn spots. Collect all your clothing that needs repair into one bag and bring to your trusty tailor.
Current:
Although men's clothing trends change slower than women's, they definitely still change. Specifically lapel size, tie width, and patterns date the garment. For pants it's the cut, the current day look is a much leaner fit than the baggy pants from the late 90's. With jeans get rid of any pairs that are extra loose fitting or very light blue. Don't even tell me you still have an acid washed pair.
Context:
Your wardrobe needs to match your present day lifestyle. If you own 5 suits that you haven't worn in years because your job no longer requires that level of dress, donate the majority. Only keep the one or two that look current and that you would actually want to wear for a special occasion.
Everything you have in your closet should be something that looks great on you and makes you feel confident. The cut and color must flatter your physique and coloring. Making an objective decision alone can be difficult. You probably know that faded polo shirt doesn't do anything for you but every time you think about donating it you envision the person who gave it to you and so begins the war of emotional attachment vs. aesthetic reality. Block out a chunk of time and have someone you trust by your side who can give you an honest and informed opinion. Perhaps your image consultant?