Decluttering Questions with a Difference

Decluttering clothes can be quite the conundrum after all. Sometimes there are very practical reasons for keeping something.

I have been experiencing this myself lately. And, to be honest, I think I was in the same dilemma about this item last summer, which is not like me because I normally know when it's time to let go. The offending item is a very practical pair of walking sandals. They are a bit of an outlier in my wardrobe, as I've talked before about liking things that are quite earthy but minimal, etc. So most of my summer shoes include lovely chocolate brown leather sandals, simple flip-flops for casual style, of course nice trainers, and some pairs of woven leather ballet flats, all of which I've had for years. Then there are my comfortable but practical walking sandals.

To be quite honest, they don't really fit my aesthetic, but they are so practical if you want a long walk on a hot day. My sister-in-law wears them all the time, and they really fit her aesthetic with her colourful patterned dresses. But for me, I need function, but I also need to feel they fit my style and harmonise with everything else, and these just don't. But being a practical person, I have kept them in the hope I can make them work.

But it's recently been heatwave hot, and even though I've enjoyed some early morning walks, have I reached for these? No. In fact, I've noticed I actually don't want to wear them to the school drop-off, which is further information to me that I don't really feel like I'm honouring myself in them.

Now part of me says to myself, "Oh come on, who cares what you wear?" And it's not that I strictly care what other people think, but really, as I've talked about in other posts, it's about feeling off. When I wear them, I feel like I'm wearing another person's shoes.

And the worrying thing is, when I look down, I feel like my Dad. Bless him, I love my Dad, but I'm not trying to rock his style. He also rocks these type of sandals, and they are very in style, and I've seen them look amazing on so many women. However, they aren't me.

So this niggle is definitely feedback on how I feel. It's funny how, when you're in a shop, it isn't always obvious why things won't work, and it's not until we step outside and into our everyday lives that we get the real feedback about an item. Which is why I worked so hard to get my style words together, to prevent this scenario happening again. I do think running items through these words acts as a reminder when you're in a shop and helps you filter things when you're enticed by all the distractions of the shops. So anyway, I hadn't honed my words when I bought these, so I do wonder if I would have bought them if I had.

Anyway, we are where we are. We have a formula for future purchases, but this is about decluttering what we currently own. So one question could be:

How do I actually feel when I step out of the house wearing this item?

If, like me, you put them on and take them off again, then that's surely got to be feedback right there. But if you go out and just don't feel great, that's a sign. Sometimes it is what you're pairing something with, so I think you do need to try the item with something else. But if the same thing happens, it's a clear signal that it might be time to let it go to a new home.

Another thing I thought the other day was:

Would I want to be photographed wearing this item?

It was while I was sorting out some photos that it occurred to me that the photos we always want to keep are the ones where we feel like we look and feel our best. Well, would you want a photo wearing this item? A photo that could potentially be hung up in your house and that will last for years.

And, to be honest, this was the one that really made me think the most. Actually, no, I don't want photos of myself in these shoes.

I'm not saying that all my photos have to be amazing, absolutely not. I am all about action shots and real life. My preference is not for staged stuff, although admittedly there is a time and a place for this. But I want to feel authentic in what I'm wearing when I'm photographed. It's not about the outfit being my absolute best, but rather it at least representing me.

So here are the questions to ask yourself when decluttering that item you arent sure about:

• How do I actually feel when I step out of the house wearing this?

• Would I be happy having a photograph taken wearing this?

• Does it fit my three style words?

• Knowing what I know now, would I buy this again?

I think, deep down, we usually know when something isn't really us. The difficulty is that we've spent money on it, so we become emotionally invested and can feel guilty about letting it go.

But if an item isn't making you feel like yourself, even if it's practical, perhaps it's time to let someone else enjoy it. Instead of sitting unworn in your wardrobe, it could become someone else's favourite piece—and that's a far better outcome than keeping it out of guilt.