What Do You 'Hold Onto' in Your Closet?

Like Desperate Housewives said "Every Woman holds onto one item in her closet"....

Lynette kept that "pre-baby" bikini.

Edie kept the wildly expensive pants in hope they'd come back in style.

Ha Ha - ONE item? Geez, where do we START? I've got more "keeping" items than I do "wearing" items!!!

1. The pre-baby bikini - BUT I use it for backyard tanning...so that doesn't count...right???
2. The super frumpy outfit - BUT I use it every other year for Thanksgiving at the in-laws...so that doesn't count...
3. The Tahari blue silk sheath that I never got to wear when I was a size six, BUT I'm SURE I'll get there again....so that doesn't count
4. The last 'Forenza' item I owned, a miniskirt (Forenza? anyone remember that? anyone??), BUT I'm sure it's a collectors item......so that doesn't count...

I could go on and on. Denial, not just a river in Egypt, huh?

What do you "hold onto" in your closet???

Cheers! Heidi

Comments

I moved a year ago and did a major purge. But I still have my Prom dress, a white jumper with globe pattern from high school, a Le Chateau t-shirt from high school that used to be black (but is in perfect condition!), and a pair of hand-me-down sweatpants that my brother outgrew in high school.

I have a few things in my closet that I just can't let go of. I have a pair of Gsus Sindustries pants that I have never really fit (although they are super duper cool and I love them eternally), a black wrap skirt that needs repair (and really, who wears those any more), plus a horrible heavy wool sweater that I keep thinking will be perfect for camping (even though I'd rather die than camp). I'm hoping that I will one day fit into those pants, even though they are out of style (horribly, horribly out of style).

I have always kept stuff hidden away that I just couldn't bring my self to throw out. Old prom dresses, my skinny jeans, jackets that went out of style 20 years ago, a hot metalic pink bikini (size 4) But that all changed about 2 weeks ago. I did some major spring cleaning. My husband and I are getting ready to move, and I vowed that all that crap, for lack of a better word, was not going with me. I made a huge donation to the Salvation Army,(not that anyone else would probably want any of that stuff either) The only thing I kept, was 1 pair of "skinny" jeans. They used to be my favorite pair. They are a size 6. My goal is to get back in them. My husband had a good laugh when I was bagging up what I call my "Hoochie Mama" shirts. You know the ones I'm talking about...."skimpy, push up bra inserted, screams I'm desperate, Shirts? The ones I wore to the Club/or bar. I'm way past that now. Got a good man now. Besides, cant fit my fat but in em' anyway. Some times you gotta let your youth go, and grow up.

I actually had one of those garage sales this weekend and found myself actually bringing the "old clothes" back inside. I couldnt believe myself. I actually talked myself into keeping a leopard mini skirt.

I still have all of my hoochie-momma shirts... I really need to throw them out though. Now, when I go out with the girls or to a party with my husband I'm more focused on covering the stretch-marked, excess skin (okay, fat) belly then showing off my killer abs. You know, dressing to disguise your flaws but enhance your good features. Which a girdle and water bra go a LONG way; especially when you're married and the man that you go home with already knows what you look like naked so there aren't any nasty surprises!

I used to keep jeans from before I had my kids 'just in case I fit into them again'. By the time I did, they were horribly out of style. About 5 years ago, I radically purged my closet and took out 6 (yes, 6) garbage bags of clothes, shoes, purses and accessories. I hauled every one to the Thrift Store. Five minutes afterward, I bawled. Five minutes after that, I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. No longer would I look into my closet and see tons of clothes I wouldn't fit into. Everything would fit. Or be in style. It made my mornings a whole lot easier.
I say stop living in the past!! Live in the here and now. Why hold on to your youth in clothes? Look at the chick new you in current fashion.
Everyone should do this.

I just did a major purge as well when I moved....what did I absolutely have to keep? Hmmm, probably my cheapy ole housecoat dress. It's not really a housecoat but it could pass for one! Yes, I will wear it out in public. It's so lite and comfortable, great for summertime lounging. Not a brand name, I think I bought it from Wal-Mart a few years back. LOL

Dude! Those pants are AWESOME!!!

ONE item? I'm supposed to pick ONE item? Do you read my blog? I don't throw anything away!

I still have every formal dress I have ever bought, even though I will never where any of them again.

Tesco, thanks for the walk down memory lane. I think that RSM post you linked to was the exact day my girl crush on RSM happened. Memories....

Shelly - I'm with ya - in fact, there are 'auxillary' closets for all that stuff...I have my moms formals also...

Celeste and all you "hoochie shirt" girls --- I'm impressed. I didn't start buying those until late 30s! (just call me Edie).

Oh, and rsm - you might not throw anything out BUT it all is HAWT stuff AND you are so damed neat. Damnit. (jealous).

I still have the wedding dress from my first wedding. I think. We may have finally thrown it out a couple of weeks ago while we were cleaning out the garage. I also have the dress I wore in my second wedding. Just in case we have a little girl!

I have a couple pairs of skinny jeans, not the style, the ones I wore when I was skinni(er). Last year I got rid of 6 other pairs of skinny jeans because it was time to let go of the past. However, I couldn't bring myself to let ALL of them go, so I kept 2 pairs. I think the hard part wasn't letting go of the jeans themselves, but of letting go of "the dream" of being able to be that thin again. When you're thin you somehow get to live a "magical life" where everything is perfectly happy. This of course is a fantasy, but nonetheless it's a fantasy that many of us hold onto because the thin message is so powerful in our culture.

You brought back memories with the mention of "Forenza"...I'm keeping the oh-so-fashionable harlequin-patterned turtleneck because I bought it in Paris with a man that I was in love with at the time. He's long gone, so I might just want to dump that damn sweater!

ooooohhhhlalala! "Forenza"... what a flashback to my youth the mere mention of that name has brought... the black Forenza pants with the oversized white button down shirt with the collar "popped" and the top button buttoned with the large "wannabe" :)gothic looking broach fastened in the middle topped with my leather jacket and 12 hole "Doc Martins".... and of course to tie it all together..plenty of heavy black eyeliner and red lipstick! There we were..standing in line to get into the hottest underage club in Chicago... MEDUSA's.. Those were the days! oh..sorry I got lost there for a moment ... as I write this I am trying to clean out my closets and purge my nostalgia and the "when I loose the weight I'll definetly wear that again" apparel to sell or giveaway at the weekend fleamarket. I swear I've done this already but somehow it just keeps coming back!

I have the rattiest T-Shirt collection EVER!!! There is something about the way an old tee fits that's comforting. Bad day at work, put on the Mardi Gras 1998 shirt! Gotta clean the house, I think I will wear my ASU Indians shirt I bought in 2000; its only 7 yrs. old but its had a hard life. The jeans with the ripped crotch that I can wear over boxer shorts if I dont wanna do laundry. I have 3 closets and a dresser and still have clothes in stacks in the floor for "just in case" sitchs.

I'm pretty good about getting rid of stuff. I just got rid of my pre-baby bikinis. I am hanging onto my size 2 Betsey Johnson dress that still has the tags on it.

I keep holding on to all of my business suits, which I haven't worn for two years because of a sudden separation from my lifelong career.

I keep some business suits, and items that might fit me again (I lost weight and wear a size 1/2 from a size 4), and older sweaters.