What Techniques Are Used to Analyze Clothing

Have you ever looked in your wardrobe and cannot find anything to wear despite having hundreds of pieces of clothes? It may be time to analyze the clothing in your wardrobe and decide which clothes to keep and which clothes to throw out. There are several techniques you can use to determine which clothes make the cut.

The clothes in your wardrobe should be analyzed every season to determine if you should keep the piece or throw it out. By analyzing your clothes regularly, you will prevent your wardrobe from becoming a disaster area with no creative outfits.

Things You'll Need

• Large plastic bags for the clothes you will be donating to a thrift store.


• Large plastic bag for the clothes that are beyond repair and will be going in the trash.


• Large plastic bag for the clothes you will keep, but store until the appropriate season.


• Pen and paper to write down the shortcomings of your wardrobe and to make a shopping list.

Underwear

First start with your underwear to include bras, panties, tights and other under clothes. When looking at each piece ask yourself these questions:

1. Does this piece still fit?


2. Does this piece have stains, holes, other damage?


3. Is the elastic too stretched to repair?


4. Do I wear this piece at least once a month?


5. Will I wear this piece if the weather changes?

If the answer to any of the above questions is "no" then the piece either needs to be thrown away or donated to a thrift store. If the piece is beyond repair or soiled, it should be thrown in the trash.

Shirts and Blouses

Pull all the shirts and blouses in your wardrobe out and lay them on the bed or the floor. For each one, answer the following questions:

1. Does the shirt or blouse still fit?


2. Is the shirt of blouse in good repair (no stretching/color fading)?


3. Do I like the color of the shirt of blouse?


4. Have I worn this piece in the last month?


5. Will I wear this piece if the weather changes?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, then the piece needs to be sorted either into the bag to go to the thrift store or to throw in the trash. It might be best to have a friend help you with this part as sometimes it can be hard to part with pieces you may find sentimental.

Pants and Trousers

Pull all the pants and trousers from your wardrobe and try each of them on. After you try them on, answer the following questions:

1. Do these pants fit comfortably? Was I able to zip them up completely?


2. Are the pants in good repair with no frays, holes, or missing buttons?


3. Can I wear these pants with many other pieces from my wardrobe?


4. Have I worn these pants in the past month?


5. Will I wear these pants when the weather changes?

If the answer to any of these questions was no, then the pants should be sorted into one of the bags to go into the trash or to the thrift store.

With this simple question and answer technique, you can analyze most of the clothes in your wardrobe and make room for new clothes that will spruce up your already existing pieces. After you have completely finished sorting your clothes, you can make list of the items that would be good additions to your wardrobe. This technique should be used a few times a year to ensure that your wardrobe remains manageable and stress free.