My Ongoing Edit

I feel like style in life is a constant process of editing. Editing your closet, sheets, towels, nicknacks, etc. Some of these things we are going to keep forever. Some are family heirlooms, some are things you got in middle school that you’ll never be able to part with because it carries a memory. Sometimes it’s a pair of old jeans that just fit so well and get better with age, you know you’ll never part with.

I try to edit (or “purge”) at least once a year if not twice. I find that when I do this with either my clothes, the kids toys or my desk drawers that it brings me a deep sense of self cleansing and sets my mind on a clearer path. When I was a child, my mother always told me that a clean room was a clean mind. She was probably just trying to trick me into cleaning now that I think of it but, either way I feel that her theory holds true. As an adult, sometimes when I am looking for a piece of mind, am feeling overwhelmed or can’t find my focus, I like to rearrange a room or clean a closet. My husband isn’t always thrilled to come home to this but, it truly helps me to clear away the cobwebs in my head, so to speak.

Oftentimes when this clearing or editing process happens, we find things we haven’t seen in a while or have a chance to put away something we use too much. For example, I have these amazing Marc Jacobs wool skirts from the late 90’s that I am sure I will never be able to part with. I remember that collection like it was yesterday and feel very connected to those pieces. It was the beginning of my career and just when I was beginning to be successful in fashion. I have rotated them through my closet a dozen or more times over the years and just this fall when I was “fall cleaning” I found them tucked in the back of my closet and it felt like Christmas morning to me. I wore them throughout the holiday season and even enjoy just looking at them in the morning when I get dressed. Eventually they will find their way to the back again with a “new” old favorite surely in their place in front but, isn’t that what makes these amazing pieces in our lives so special? They’re a joy to us year after year.

Whether it’s your toybox, pantry or garage, don’t forget to edit it all down once in a while. You can get rid of the cobwebs you don’t need and who knows what treasures you may find.