The other day when I visited Janna Beatty’s studio I complimented my co-author on the necklace she had on. Janna’s reply: “Well, take a good look, because it’s the last time I’m wearing it!” I was shocked. What did she mean the last time?
She informed me that the necklace was on her clothing HIT LIST. Whaaat? I’ve spent the last 6 years writing and promoting a book with this woman, and this is the first time I ever heard of a Clothing Hit List.
Janna explained that, for her, weeding out clothing and accessories was not a seasonal or a yearly event, it was an ongoing process. Here’s how it works:
- Choose several garments/accessories you haven’t worn in a while and hang them in a prominent place in or near your closet. (We’ll call them the ‘questionables.’)
- During the next week, test drive the questionables by wearing them to an event (like church, lunch with friends, shopping, work, etc.).
- After you’ve worn the ‘questionable garment,’ ask yourself:
- Is it a great color/style for me?
- Is the fit impeccable?
Janna explains the ‘weed as you wear’ concept to her assistant, Diane. - Do I feel comfortable in it?
- Is it in good condition?
- Does it still go with other things I have in my closet?
- Do I have a duplicate garment that is BETTER than this one?
- Does it serve the lifestyle I’m living TODAY?
It’s the moment of truth for these clothes. The Last Call.
If you don’t look and feel great in it…KISS IT GOODBYE!
Even if you don’t know why it doesn’t work, this final-wearing frees you up to GET RID OF IT.
Janna says this ongoing examination allows us to give up items without angst or regret. We can stop wasting energy (and space) on those questionable clothes. And wear only our A+ outfits. WOW… what an empowering thought.
But where do items go after they’ve been axed? Janna has a hamper in the deep recesses of her closet. (The hamper actually resembles a ladybug.) She says she “feeds the bug,” with her discards. After she’s thrown them in, she never revisits those items again. She frequently takes whatever is in the hamper and donates all its contents.
Apparently Janna’s necklace didn’t make the cut, but it might just become a favorite for some other lucky lady!
What a great concept–Weed as you Wear. Honestly, Janna, you should write a book. Oh yeah, we already did that.
Do you ‘weed as you wear’? OR clear out your closet seasonally? OR wait until your closet is jammed-packed before you make a move to clean it out? Please comment below. We LOVE your comments!
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8 Comments
Our youth group has a garage sale 2 times a year, so I purge whenever it’s that “time of year”. But I look fairly often and have a pile of discards that I add to as I see something that hasn’t been worn in a while. I think I need a cute ladybug hamper!
Janet,
This is the first time I’ve actually seen Janna’s mysterious ladybug. But she has referred to it often in conversation.
Oh boy! This threw me for a loop!! haha Yes, I do donate a lot of my clothes every few years! But not everything old!! ( I can’t part with some things!!) And that’s only because I actually run out of space in my closet/s!! I’ll let my grand daughter do that! 🙂 BUT, I never get rid of my jewelry! I have about 3 or 4 big boxes under my bed with jewelry; costume and the “good stuff!” I know that I will never wear it again, but I thought my grandkids would enjoy going through all of it. They can sell it on e-bay – along with my shorthand books!!! haha
Hilde,
We all have items we can’t part with. But, the better question to ask may be: “Is this garment/accessory still ME? And is it serving the lifestyle I’m living TODAY? Sometimes the answer may be, “Of course!” Other times, “Naw, I can let it go.” Thanks for writing.
I do something similar to Janna but I use a clothes basket in the guest bedroom. When I come across something I know I don’t want to keep, be it clothes , jewelry, books, I place it in the basket. Many times I have worn something to work and realize that I simply do not like the clothing and out it goes. It is easier than doing a huge purge because I tend to get overwhelmed with that process.
Brava, Patti.
Even better. If you drop clothing in a basket in another room where you can’t see it. You’re less likely to pull the item back out and decide you want to keep it!
For years I have kept a box in my closet to put clothing and jewelry that doesn’t look good or I don’t feel great wearing. From time to time I have been known to pull something back out and give it another chance but most of the time the item goes back in the box for good. Once or twice a year I donate the contents to charity.
Such a great idea, Teresa.
We all keep so many things that we don’t really love or that we have fallen out of love with.
Thanks for writing.