I curate, or hand-select, each piece of clothing for my shop - and I am soo grateful when clients in the shop mention, "they love our clothing”! I find it amazing, almost "spiritual", when someone walks in our store, and find that one specific item they've wanted for such a long time, or that fullfil an exactly need.
Since I opened this shop, I decided to go in “with a bash”, and buy as many clothes as I possibly can.
But which clothes would I choose?
I would walk through thrift stores and pick up different items. Some I'd immediately just KNOW, “This I’m taking”; another I would not be sure about. So, I’d leave the item at first on the shelve, or even keep holding it in my hand while looking further at the other items. And true’s Bob, after a while I would know exactly if this particular item must be taken or not.
This might sound crazy, but I’d like to think the item would “speak to me” if I left it a while, or if I hold it for a while, it "shows me if it "wants or is ready for me" to choose it or not!
There are items that speak to you, but also those that don’t speak negatively or positively – if the answer isn’t yes, it is usually a no.
I was wondering why and how - when I go select clothes for the store - is it that I’m able to grab some items without a doubt, and others I waver about at first.
CLOTHING THAT "SPARKS JOY"
According to Marie Condo, well-known declutter fundi, whether something "sparks joy" or not is something we feel immediately in our hearts the moment we hold that item in our hands. Choosing what sparks joy is all about how your body reacts when you hold the item. Question yourself, does it make me happy? When you touch an item that sparks joy for you, you feel a sensation, like all your cells are rising! You feel that thrill when you’re holding a puppy. Or when you wear your favorite outfit. It’s a warm and positive feeling. That’s how it feels when something "sparks joy”.
The key is to hold each of your clothing items one by one.
When you touch the item, how do you feel? Do you vision yourself wearing it?
DECLUTTERING YOUR CUPBOARDS
Do you feel like this? Clothes is a passion for you. A creation. Obsession. You are guilty of retail therapy (whenever you and your husband fight, shopping is a diversion. It’s a way to calm down...destress...). I have clients complaining, "they are addicted to clothing!"
Maybe it's time for you to declutter.
Your attitude should be: “I LIKE TYDYING, AND I LOVE MESS.”
Decluttering means:
Pulling out all your clothing items. Take all your clothes and make a mountain on your bed, or your floor. Make sure you take everything out and create one huge pile.
Separate categories. Divide your clothes into groups: tops and bottoms, jackets, shoes...
Hold each item one by one, and choose the items that spark joy for you. Decide on those that bring you joy first. You’ll be able to be more attuned to what sparks joy for you if you start with something that you obviously like and you wear all the time. (You can let go of something that’s functional. If it fits you and is practical, but you don’t enjoy wearing it – you may let it go! Pick clothes that fit you right now, that you’re comfortable with.)
Once when done going through each one, figure out new bins where everything goes.
Joy is personal. Each individual’s ideal life – and space – will look different from the next. If minimalism is a lifestyle that sparks joy for someone, good; but in the same way, if someone has determined that many items in their life spark joy, that’s okay, too!
GETTING RID OF CLOTHES, OR DONATING
THROW SOME OUT AND MAKE SPACE FOR WHAT YOU LOVE.
Mentally you might think, “Well, it’s a shame to let this go, or, it’s too old so I SHOULD let it go,” but your body and your heart always know the answer.
You know how you feel when you wear it. Do you have an attachment to it?
Do you feel, “These are really comfortable, I wear these a lot?” Does it make you feel like you’re allowed to be yourself? If it makes you feel comfortable, you can be the person you feel like on the outside, on the inside.
If an item keeps hanging in your cupboard with the tag on, it’s a sign the item does not spark joy!
Some of you may not know how “sparking joy” feels like yet. Don't worry. Your sensitivity to joy will be honed as you keep sifting through your clothes and declutter. The“AHA!” moment comes to people at different times...when you realize what it means for something to "spark joy."
LET GO WITH GRATITUDE
All your things have memories, whether you feel they do or don’t. When you touch clothes, there's an immediate reaction of memory that sparks.
If you let go of an item that you have a lot of memories of - if this chapter is behind you - that’s when you want to say thank you from your heart. Many feel guilty letting go of items. By expressing gratitude to the items you let go, it will lessen the feeling of guilt. Be grateful when letting clothes go. When you do let go of an item, thank it. “Thank you very much", or, "Thank you for letting me wear you.” Thank the item you never wore - maybe it taught you: you just don’t like to wear something like this.
Be gentle with them as you throw them aside.
Place stuff you throw away immediately into black/clear string bags, or boxes, to donate or discard.
THE PROCESS
Tackle each item - calmly. If you feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath of air, take a moment to breath in and out, stretch.
Keep only those things that speak to the heart. Discard items that no longer spark joy. Maybe you just dress to be respectful and don’t put so much energy into clothes, so it’s difficult for you to select the best clothes for you. When you’re not sure, put it aside for a while and revisit those items again later on and decide.
Donate the rest to a shop, like Thrift Town, or even have a garage sale. Thank them for their service – then let them go.
CHERISH THE ITEMS YOU CHOOSE TO KEEP
Clutter obscures what’s most important. Discarding that which doesn’t support your ideal lifestyle creates space for treasured possessions to truly shine – and leaves room for future joy-sparking additions.
Marie Condo's tidying method encourages living with items you truly cherish. This method is quite different from minimalism. Minimalism advocates living with less, and is a single-minded focus on discarding that could have a negative impact on your health and stress levels.
One of the reasons the Marie Condo method is associated with minimalism, is because many people have discovered while tidying, that they’d been living with items they no longer love – or never did. Towering piles of clothes and bags of stuff ready to be donated made it clear that many of these items don't support their vision of an ideal lifestyle, and they suddenly feel empowered to let them go with gratitude.
But all of the focus on what people were discarding obscured the most important part of the method: choosing what to keep. The goal shouldn't be to get rid of as many things as possible, or to focus on what you need to eliminate. Rather focus on what you want to keep, and how you want to store them.
It’s important to keep items you love with confidence – and to truly cherish them. From shoes and bags, to jewelery and toothbrushes, our belongings work hard for us. They are worthy of respect and gratitude at all times. Well-cared-for items exude a positive energy.
TRAVEL OR DOWNSIZING
When you downsize, or when you travel, only take things that spark joy for you. Pack lightly to make sure you can bring back joy-sparking souvenirs from your travels (as long as you have room for it back home!)
So I certainly choose only clothes that "spark joy" for Thrift Town! (JOY and THRIFT TOWN are synonyms for me!)
And you can use this same technique in choosing clothes for yourself.
If you are exposed to so many beautiful clothing, like we are, HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR BEST CLOTHES?
MY motto is: wear that outfit once. If, by the end of the day, you still feel absolutely fantastic and yourself in it, you know it's a keeper.
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