Cleaning Out Your Closet Can Turn You Into A Smarter Shopper: Stacy London Explains

Constantly overspending on clothes that you only wear once or don’t actually like? Or, do you have a closet full of pieces that either don’t fit or don’t look great on you at this moment? 

If so, Stacy London — who is hosting a live online sale of her clothes for charity — says it’s time for a closet clean out. 

The style expert says doing a big edit will make you see which clothes you actually love and which ones you don’t; they either don’t fit your body, don’t fit your taste or can only be worn for one occasion. 

“I don’t want demons in my closet. I want things that bring joy to people,” she says. 

With this in mind, you will become a “smarter shopper” as you will have a better understanding of what clothes you’ll wear and which ones will just sit in your closet. 

Here are Stacy’s tips: 

The 80/20 Rule  

When doing a closet purge, Stacy says to think about the 80/20 rule: 20% of your clothes are worn 80% of the time and 80% of your clothes are worn 20% of the time. This means there are a lot of clothes you’re not wearing. 

The 80/20 rule will show you what’s actually important in your wardrobe and will make you reconsider buying more clothes that you know you won’t wear as much. Translation: not buying unnecessary clothes will save you money! 

“This is a way to save money and have a closet of things you love,” Stacey says. “There is something about cleansing our wardrobe that brings clarity. This is a way to be a smarter shopper.” 

How to Make Money on Clothes You Don’t Wear Anymore 

In addition to potentially saving money on future purchases, Stacy says you can actually make some dough on your old clothes. 

Stacy recommends putting these great pieces  on consignment, in which a retailer will pay you for your merchandise. She says you could potentially make a quarter of what you paid. 

“And if you’re going to donate them, take the tax write off and determine what that dollar value is and use that to buy new pieces you love,” she adds. 

How to Clean Out Your Closet Without Getting Overwhelmed 

To avoid stress, Stacy says to go through your closet in sections. She adds that you don’t have to edit your closet all at once—you can do it little by little every week. 

“Pick one part of your wardrobe— i.e. t-shirts,” she says. “You’ll go through just your t-shirts and then move on to the next part, and that might mean doing one section each weekend until you’re done.” 

What Do You Keep + Get Rid Of? 

1. Does It Fit? 

If it doesn’t fit, get rid of it! 

“We always talk about getting rid of things when they don’t fit anymore, which is absolutely the case!” Stacy says.   

“We should not be holding onto things while we wait to lose those last 15 pounds. But sometimes it’s not just about fit, it’s about really thinking about who you are NOW and what clothes reflect that. A lot of this is a talk with yourself.” 

2. Does It Look Great Now?   

When it comes to keeping or getting rid of certain pieces, Stacy’s litmus test comes down to one question: “Am I holding onto this because it looked great 10 years ago in a photograph or does it look great on me now?” 

Stacy ultimately says, “My number one rule for knowing what to keep and what to get rid of is when you try something on, if you’re not saying ‘hell yes’ to an item, then it’s a no.”  

3. Can I Wear It More Than Once? 

Stacy says you should consider getting rid of clothes that are a “one-time use time.”  

For example, “that sequin dress you bought for that one party or an influenced item—something that your sister insisted you buy because it looked so good on you [at the time].”   

4. Still Can’t Decide? 

If you’re still on the fence, Stacy says to ask yourself these three additional questions: 

-How much of this is still me and how much do I actually love to wear this?   

-Will I wear these outfits the way I’ve always worn them?   

-What would be ways to modernize the look?   

How to Breathe New Life Into Old Clothes  

Speaking of which, Stacy also shares tips to transform some of your retro pieces into modern looks.   

Stacy says the easiest way to change up an item is to add a 3rd layer, which can be a cardigan, blazer, scarf, necklace or shoes.  

“Those are the places to start with [if you want to get] the biggest bang for your buck in transforming an item,” she says. 

Second, she says to add print, texture, shine and color as a way to jazz an outfit up.   

For example, Stacy is getting rid of a red dress she wore in 2014 for her show “Love, Lust or Run,” but says you can modernize it by adding boots and a biker leather jacket.  

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Additionally, Stacy is giving away a denim jumpsuit but says you can adorn it with a velvet coat, leopard-print heels, and a silver necklace. 

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