• clothing declutter

    My Rules for Decluttering | Clothing Edition

    Hi Everyone!

    Similar to my Makeup Goals and Style Goals, I thought I’d set some rules for when I declutter beauty products and clothing. This post will focus on clothing and if you missed the beauty edition (click here)!

    I feel like I have a bigger attachment to clothes and accessories than makeup and skincare. Unless makeup or skincare is discontinued, I can always pick it up again if I need to, but for clothes and accessories, they might not sell it anymore. I’m a bit of a hoarder that way because I always think, “I might need this for a Hallowe’en costume or something.”

    If the clothes/accessories are still in good condition, I’ll donate them (unless it’s underwear). I’ll ask the following questions before decluttering anything:

    Where did I buy it from? 

    Any jewellery that I’ve bought from Claire’s, Forever21 and other similar stores, I’ve decided to donate them. If you read my Style Goals post, you’ll know that I am only going to buy better quality jewellery.

    Does it still fit?

    Obviously if it doesn’t fit anymore, I will probably get rid of it, but sometimes I’ll think, “maybe I’ll fit into it again.”

    Is it too young for me?

    I know I’m still young, but there are certain things I probably should stop wearing because they look too girly and cutesy. For example, my prom dress still fits me, but I don’t know if I’d ever wear it again unless I got it altered. It’s a light chiffon material which looks kind of girly and feminine. It’s pleated and it has a design at the bottom that makes it look like it has tiers which is what makes it more girly. It hits above the knee and has an empire waist. I think, for me, unless it’s a summer dress or made of a thicker material than chiffon, I should get dresses that are knee, midi or maxi length.

    The very left pic is my prom dress (it looks so much shorter on the very tall model, it’s just above the knee on me) and the second one is a dress that I think is too young for me because it’s mid-thigh, chiffon and the way that it flares. I think the window of opportunity for wearing the black dress would’ve been ages 15-20. I don’t think I own any dresses that are fit and flare and mid-thigh length. Any dresses that are mid-thigh are form-fitting so there’s lower risk of seeing underwear when leaning over. The two dresses on the right are ones I think are more appropriate. The maroon dress is above the knee, but it’s a cotton material which has more weight to it, so it’s not as flirty. Also, the way it flares isn’t as dramatic as the black dress because it’s still form-fitting and won’t make me look hippy. The blue dress on the right is at the knee which makes it more grown up.

    How long have I had it? Is it in good condition?

    Have I had it for longer than a year? Is it in good condition still? For me, I don’t usually have to ask myself if it’s in style because I choose more classic pieces. But every now and then, I decide to wear certain clothes as loungewear instead of wearing out of the house. For example, baby doll shirts were really in style when I was in high school and I have a few of those. They’re great for hiding those food babies!

    I usually go through my clothes every year or so to see what I want to donate. I have more clothes than I have closet space. I think my goal is to have all my clothes comfortably fit in my dresser, closet and shelves without overflowing. Like I said before, I’m a hoarder. For some reason, I have a lot of Forever21 activewear and I also have a lot of t-shirts from volunteering. I think it’s time to donate those and just get a few better quality pieces because I don’t need more than 2 or 3 outfits.

    I was curious to see if there were articles on how often you should throw out underwear and bras. I found out that you’re supposed to throw out your underwear after a year and replace bras every 6-8 months.

    For underwear, I used to buy new ones at least once a year, but I wouldn’t be throwing out old ones as quickly. I have a whole drawer full of bras and underwear and I probably only wear 1/3 of them. A lot are lacy and pretty and not that comfortable, so I don’t wear them that often. I just keep wearing the same ones over and over.

    For bras, it was the same; I’d buy some on sale every year, but still wear the same non-lacy, t-shirt bras on a daily basis. For a while, I had like 30 bras and then I was at La Senza (lingerie store) and the lady measured me and it turns out I was a band size lower and a cup higher. I was wearing the sister size to my bra (i.e. 34A is the sister size to 32B). So, I had a ton of bras in the ‘wrong size,’ they still fit, but the new ones definitely worked better. At first when she said I was wearing the wrong size, I was like pshh! She just wants me to buy new bras, but I went to try them on in the new size and I was like “oh, damnit, she’s right, this fits way better!” Get fitted for your size, people! You might be wearing a size that doesn’t fit you. I was wearing a 34 band size and when I used a tape measure, I was like 31 or 32 when I measured under the bust. I would always wear it on the smallest hook of the three. I’ve learned that you’re supposed to be hooking the last one (loosest hook) and then as you wear the bra more and it stretches, you start to wear it on the middle and tightest hooks. Makes so much sense!

    I think I might try that tip where you put everything in your closet with the hanger facing the other way and then when you wear something, you turn it the other way. That way, after a year, you can see what you haven’t worn and decide if you want to keep it.

    How often do you declutter your clothes?

    Love,

    jen

  • stella & dot jewellery

    Worth It? | Stella & Dot Jewellery

    Hi Everyone!

    Stella & Dot offers gorgeous jewellery pieces and other accessories (bags, tops, sunglasses, scarves, etc.) and they just released a collaboration with Rebecca Minkoff. So far the collaboration is just jewellery, I’m hoping that they might come out with some nice tops.

    Worth It? Absolutely! The pieces are gorgeous and so sparkly!

    Here is a haul of the gorgeous pieces purchased by my family, friends and me:

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    Clockwise from Top-Left: Pave Triangle Path Ear Climbers, Celestial Choker, Stellar Pave Ring, Tilley Ear Studs, The Wishing Necklace, Claudia Stackable Rings

    Celestial Choker – My cousin ordered this necklace in gold and I got the same one for free for my birthday (free with a $40 purchase). I got the silver one. In the display pictures on the Stella & Dot website, they paired this with The Wishing Necklace. It’s really cute alone or layered with other dainty necklaces.

    Pave Triangle Path Ear Climbers – I love ear climbers, they give you an edgy look without having to pierce your ears all the way up. I have two piercings in each ear and that’s enough for me. My sister got these and they are really cute. They start from the biggest triangle at the base of your lobe and get smaller as it goes up.

    Tilley Ear Studs – My friend ordered these and they are really cute, dainty earrings.

    Claudia Stackable Rings – I ordered these for myself and I love that you can mix and match the rings. You can wear just one, two or all three.

    Stellar Pave Ring – This is a really pretty sparkly ring. I got this for a friend and I was even considering getting one for myself, but I already have a few rings that look similar.

    The Wishing Necklace – My sister ordered this and from what I can tell from pictures, it’s a really cute, delicate necklace that you can wear alone or layer it with other dainty necklaces.

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    Pave Triangle Ear Jackets (no longer available) – I love that these are 6-in-1. You can wear the triangles alone or with the ear jackets (pave side or non-pave side) and then you can wear the pave bars alone or with the ear jackets (pave side or non-pave side). I loved the triangles and pave bar earrings, but I wasn’t sure how well the ear jackets would fit on my ears. But they are really cute on and I love that it has different levels, I use the lowest level on the jackets because otherwise you see a gap between the jackets and my ear lobe. It’s also great because you can wear the jackets with other earrings too.

    Sparkle Inspiration Bangle (no longer available) – This is a beautiful bangle and it’s engraved on the inside, it says “SHINE BRIGHT.” I wish my wrist was a bit bigger because it flops around, but I can just wear other bracelets with it to keep it in place.

    Seine Ring (no longer available) – I got this for my friend and it’s great because you can adjust the size if you need to. It is quite tall so if you have short fingers, you might have trouble bending your finger.

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    Tessa Top in Berry – My mom ordered this and it’s a really pretty raspberry chiffon top. It’s a high-low top where it’s slightly longer in the back as you can see in the picture.

    Hideaway Pouch in Navy Stripe – My mom, sister and I all got this pouch for free for making a purchase during my trunk show (we had a choice of four different pouches and we all liked this one). This pouch is a lot bigger than you would think. I thought it was a makeup pouch, but it’s a travel pouch (make sure to look at the dimensions).

    Thoughts: I absolutely love all the jewellery I bought. They’re even more sparkly and beautiful in person and the little gift boxes they come in are so cute and unique. It’s hard to choose a favourite, but I think I have to choose my Claudia Stackable Rings and the Pave Triangle Ear Jackets.

    Have you heard of Stella & Dot before? What are you fave pieces?

    Love,

    jen