When I revamp a closet, be it my own or someone else’s, my plan of attack always starts with something I like to call The Closeto Principle. The Closeto Principle is kin (and rhyming counterpart, natch) to the better-known Pareto Principle, which states that for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.
Yup, you don’t care. Events, causes, effects – what is this, the Intro to Macro class you should have failed but didn’t thanks to grade inflation? (Wait, that was me). Chillax. The idea’s a hell of a lot easier to understand when applied to what’s in our closets.
The Closeto Principle: 80% of your outfits come from 20% of your clothes.
WHOA. Hang the eff on. You’ve got, like, sooo many clothes and sooo many outfits. There’s no WAY you wear less than a quarter of your wardrobe more than half the time. That would mean that OVER HALF of your closet is comprised of shit you wear only once in a while, if at all. And here’s the cold, hard truth about the aforementioned shit you wear once in a while, if at all:
YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE PURCHASED IT.
Don’t believe me? Think about just one of your multiple attempts to wear that pricey top that’s been sitting in your closet for months. You layer it; belt it; accessorize it; re-apply your eye make-up to match it; put your hair up, down, and up again; adjust and readjust in front of the mirror. All this fidgeting invariably makes you late for something, but instead of just wearing the pricey top in the interest of saving time, you toss it to the floor in frustration, guilt and disgust. You next don your favorite shirt, breathe a big fat sigh of relief, and find yourself astounded by how quickly you’re able to get ready sometimes.
Me too, dollfaces. Me too.
Tall, short, old, young, fat, skinny, black, white, gay, straight, whatever – we all have a pricey top we feel guilty about not wearing. Roughly 80% of our closets are filled with versions of this cursed pricey top, and it’s time to clean house, beotches. You’ll thank me later.
Details on how to reduce, reuse and recycle over half of the un-worns in your wardrobe to follow. Get that game face on.
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