dilemma o' the day

Clothes.

I have quite a few of them. I have even MORE that I've bought, worn once or twice, and have never worn again. But every year, when I look in my closet, my trunks, those suitcases that have been packed up for half a year until the season is right, I have the same problem.

If I haven't worn them in the past year, do I give them away just because I haven't worn them and probably will not? OR do I keep them, because I COULD wear them in the future--if I felt like it?

Example: The summer clothes I packed for this 2 month trip included beachwear, and nice clothes for summer.
I wore HALF of what was in the suitcases. And it's not that I even repeated outfits so often! It's just that I liked what I liked, and I happened to bring about 8 cute tops (that were OVER a year old) that I just never wore. They are CUTE. Don't get me wrong. But I also had maybe 3 or 4 newer tops that were just an easier pick out of the closet for me, and were also newer.

I want to downsize since I'll be living out of a suitcase for two upcoming gigs, but I don't want to one day need a whole new wardrobe!!!

Unlike MOST girls I know, I really really really hate shopping. And I mean a lot. If I need a dress, I'm on a mission for that dress. In and out. Basta
.
I don't browse, I don't try things on and think about them...I just need things and get them. And what's worse, when I DO go on a "spree" and actually feel like buying something that I don't need that second, I feel like I have to buy all of the accoutrements, including a bracelet to match that one color of the top, and then, wait, which shoes do I have that go with this? Ok, ok, I'll look at shoes. Now, one outfit doesn't add up to much when you consider that I don't buy that many things, but that is precisely why I don't want to give my clothes away. More shopping. In the future.

Because maybe, one day, when I have a real house, I'll want those TWO corduroy mini skirts (wine and dark brown) that I can wear in the winter with black tights under them and look really cute.
Maybe, one day I'll want all of the cute summer shirts that I didn't wear this summer (plus the other 10 that I DIDN'T pack).

Right now I have a give-away pile, a maybe-give-away pile, and a pile of stuff that I like, haven't worn in ages, want to keep, but SHOULD give away (but just can't decide yet).

Is it wrong that I own more J-lo booty sweat outfits than jeans and nice pants put together?

And what about the college stuff? It was cool to walk around wearing my University sweatshirt ...during EXAM week!!! ...when I was in my PJ's in Undergrad. Do I really need three shirts with our logo on it? Plus one pair of very short shorts with the logo on the butt?

And all of those summer YAP tshirts with our names on them, and the opera season--I mean, hey, I use those for yoga or working out! (When I take yoga OR work out...ha).


So. What to do?
I think my choices are as follows:

a. Buy clear plastic bins and keep MOST everything, but labeled and by season, KNOWING that I will most definitely not wear it anytime soon, but keeping it for when I have my own walk in closet and shoe rack (ha.)
(ok, that option would involve buying a LOT of clear plastic bins).

b. Give what I haven't worn in the past year away--someone else will get better use out of it, and if I need another cool top, corduroy miniskirt, or pair of beat up comfy college jeans and logo tshirts, I can buy them and break them in again.

c. Give up things that are not "nice" clothes--meaning, those 2 suits that I bought when I thought I wouldn't be a singer, and would be doing interviews and interning at the UN, the dresses, the sheet tunic tops, things I have that are NICE for dress-up time, but have been unworn because I have OTHER things that are NICE for dress-up time as well.


-g, surrounded by unworn clothes and discovering that I had more suitcases of them here in storage than I thought.