What Does Your Closet Say About You?

One of my colleagues recently cleaned out her closet.

Really cleaned it out.

As in, eliminated at least a third of her clothes. 

She was inspired after reading the book The Fourth Quarter of Your Life.

The book suggests that when you are nearing the latter part of life, it’s all about being intentional with who you are and what you do. This means it's a great time to look at all you have and decide what you can share with others. 

“I don’t need all of this,” my colleague said. “But someone out there does.”

So, she went through her clothes, keeping only five or so work outfits since she’s mostly retired, and seriously paring down everything else. 

Her husband came in to see her progress, and said, “Well, this says a lot. A third of your clothes are your elegant cruise wear!”

They do like to cruise.

What did you accumulate in the first three quarters of life that you might be ready to let go of? 

And what does your closet say about you?

Right now, mine says to be comfortable. I have a dozen pairs of sweatpants and sweatshirts and that’s the first thing I throw on in the morning when it’s still dark outside and the house is not yet warmed up from the pellet stove.

My closet also says my mother loved scarves. I have scarf hangers with over a dozen, most of which were hers. A Halloween scarf with pumpkins on it, scarves with maple leaves, and some fuzzy infinity scarves that make me happy. Lately, I run too hot to wear any of the fuzzy ones, but I still have them (just in case). 

These scarves are the little that I have left of my mom, as she passed away over 15 years ago. 

My closet also says that I am obsessed with shoes, and I am more about comfort than I am about frilliness. I have boxes and boxes of Danskos and Eccos and Hokas and Keens and any shoes I can wear while I'm standing for long stretches of time.

My closet also says that I like the idea of nylons and tights more than the things themselves, because all kinds of nylons and tights are in clear plastic bins.

It also says I have a lot of pants, and apparently I added a little weight in the last 10 years, but I just don't want to get rid of that next size down.

It's also apparent that I travel for work because I have a carry-on already packed with toiletries and cosmetics, ready to go from my next trip, which happens to be two days from now.

But after left this conversation with my colleague, I'm left totally inspired. I'm feeling ready to clean out my closet. I want to live lighter. I want to give clothes from my first three quarters to those who can use it. I want to stop acting like I need to consume in order to be happy. 

Stylist Stacy London says "Your closet needs to be a place of joy and celebration of who are you now—not who you were."

Who am I now? What do I want to celebrate here?

I'm going to keep some of the scarves. 

But otherwise, I'm going to be ruthless when I start sorting my clothes. I'm praying I’m still in my third quarter, but you never know. Why not live as if the buzzer is about to sound?