I’m definitely a bit of a hoarder, or as I like to call it,
a sensible-keeper-of-things; I like to hold onto things for sentimental value
like certain pieces of clothing that I wore ‘somewhere special’, vintage shoes
and bags, hair ribbons and childhood jewellery like sparkly bracelets even
though they couldn’t possibly fit around my wrist anymore. Now being a
keeper-of-special-things means I always seem to have very limited closet space.
That old rule of ‘when you buy something new, throw something out’ just doesn’t
sit well with me. But every now and then the mood strikes me when I’ll have a
big clean-out, because if you’re like me you’ll know that sorting through your
closet when you’re stressed or upset seems to work wonders for the psyche. Who
needs a therapist when you have overflowing shelves?
Trouble is every time the cleaning urge strikes, it’s
followed by regret. The first day I do so well in sorting through everything,
making piles, putting things away, giving things to charity and throwing others
out, but the next day I will be sorely regretting it. No doubt I have given
something away or thrown something in the bin that I really wished I had at
that very moment. It didn’t seem to matter to me yesterday but today the need to
have the item back is a matter of life and death. Of course this seems to
happen 24 hours after every time I have a clean-out.
My latest regret was my beloved denim jacket.** Whatever possessed me to ditch this one I’ll never understand. Here was I thinking ‘denim jackets are officially out’ yet the next day I read an article detailing the fabulous uses for your retro denim jacket and now I see them EVERYWHERE.
This feeling of regret seems to happen to me a lot. I hold
onto all these fashion items for so long to finally let them go when, low and
behold, the next season they are back in style. Denim jackets, fedoras, long
socks, high waisted shorts… Perhaps next time I should throw away everything I
currently wear, knowing that all the other things will recirculate.
**To the welfare recipient out there who’s got my jacket you
better consider yourself damn lucky and I hope your pairing it with your
favourite summer dresses and maxis (because that’s what I would be doing).
Photo by Xakirzat.