Cleaning closets

Remember when I talked about frump? I'm minimising again.

The other day when I got to the school to drop off Little S, I was late. Myla was late too and she was out of breath because they were about to do the lockout (which by the way just means you have to ring the doorbell and they don't let you walk your child to his class, not like most French schools). These days I'm always late because of Charlotte's morning fussiness and Myla always teases me about it because she's never late, one of these superwomen who runs a business from home, bakes cookies and repaints her hallway once a month. She's perfect and I'm always jealous. How can I be that put together? How can I keep my house that clean? I walked back to her house with her for a coffee and noticed, the perfectly looped scarf casually flung, the belt, the jewelry. That scattered yet put together look. Like many French women she makes it look effortless each time, even that day, late and rushing. It's flawless every single day. Once I even came by her house by surprise. She was doing yardwork and she still looked perfect, ratty navy blue converse, a pair of khaki fishing shorts, cotton tank t-shirt and a chunky belt. She had her hair twisted up in a scarf that looked like something off a runway, I'm sure she'd not done it in a mirror, just threw it together, and it just worked, casual chic. She always looks elegant but it never looks forced or planned.

I've been cleaning out my closet for the past few days and paring down. I'm motivated partially by Myla and her sleek look and partially (mostly) by the fact that I don't have a closet and my clothes are stacked in two boxes. I can't find anything and so to get dressed in the morning I have to shift through old clothes that no longer fit. It's driving me nuts to have to search through the same old things searching for something presentable.

I made five piles. The give away to people I know pile, fun little packages of things I'm tired of but I know others will like. The give away to charity pile (five bags!) and the sewing pile, (meaning I love the fabric but the clothes don't fit or I don't like them). Then I had a sportswear pile. I'll only wear these things to hike, jog or bike and never in a hurried rush like I sometimes do. Finally there was the keep pile divided in to two seasons. The summer one (huge) and the winter one considerably smaller. Then I went through each season's pile and took out the things I really love and couldn't part with. The piles were really small by then. And then I resorted each leftover garment and said "why didn't I immediately put this in the adoration pile, hmmm? Do I really like it after all?" And in that I really got things pared down to nearly nothing. At the end everything, minus the jackets would fit into a single medium sized box. I was really happy.

My new goal is to start a little fresher. I'll buy wisely, a new pair of jeans each fall and winter and a smart new white blouse each year. I'll splurge on a few things like boots and a skirt every so often but also purge one old skirt that I'm not completely crazy about if I buy a new one. I'll avoid the sales without something specific in mind, and I'll avoid thrift stores or at least stay focused if I do go in them. I love vintage clothes! One thing too is I vow to shop more online because I think you can find more specifically what you like instead of settling for what's in the shops.

I've also cleaned out the kids closets but since they change sizes it's pretty easy to know what to get rid of. We're becoming minimalists and it feels good.