The big clearout

I am currently sitting in the post bomb-blast situation that is my bedroom. Yesterday I decided to have THE BIG CLEAROUT. Apologies for the shouty capitals but in this instance they are all that will do, seeing as I haven’t done a wardrobe cull since the turn of the century.

Being a dedicated shopaholic and consummate hoarder, this poses something of a problem. I currently have a shoe collection somewhere in the region of 500 and, as for the clothes, I simply stopped counting. So this clearout? Big effing deal!

I decided for the first cull to divvy the clothes into piles of : bin, charity, ebay and keep, Out came clothes that hadn’t seen the light of day for years: jeans and trousers whose gussets had worn away through over use, t-shirts, tops and dresses that I’d last worn when I was size 8, clothes that I had been unable to find at that crucial moment when they were all I wanted to wear simply because they were hiding under a tonne of other stuff that I’d got bored of wearing… on and on the list goes.

In the end I got together quite good haul for charity – a huge suitcase and two binbags full to be precise. From the ebay pile I found a few choice pieces that I had bought in a haze of shopping madness at TK maxx. I love TK maxx but for me shopping there is like the equivalent of Superman walking through a maze made entirely out of kryptonite. I go all fuzzy in the head and the next thing I know I’m walking out the shop, laden down with massive shopping bags, my wallet several hundred pounds lighter and my entire being filled with a vague sense of dread.

Anyway, back to the cull. So, in the for the ebay pile, I manage to find, not one, not, two, but three pairs of fashionably high-waisted flares, which unfortunately no longer fit over my size 12 booty but will make someone out there in the shopping ether very happy indeed. Also in the haul is a lovely tomato-red, cotton tunic dress with ties, a pretty flower pattern and bell sleeves. It’s gorgeous. It’s never been worn. I bought it in a grab and run from H&M last year under the erroneous impression that when it said size 12 on the tag, that meant that it would fit my size 12 body. So, here I would like to do a quick shout out to H&M… guy’s, sort out the sizes. Please. The whole sizing Russian roulette thing? Getting really annoying! Thank. You. So. Much.

Other goodies abound. I will be posting up pictures shortly with links to my ebay… go on, grab yourself a bargain.

On to the keep pile and Oh Sweet Jesu, there are still masses of clothes left. This is after I’ve hung up the favourite skirts, blouses, dresses and coats and put the winter woollies on the shelves at the back. The wardrobe is full, the hanging rack on the other side of the room is full, I am still looking at a very healthy pile on my bed and it is now 2.30 in the morning!

In fit of pique brought on by lack of sleep I pull out another large suitcase and throw all of the rest of the clothes in it. They are now just sitting there waiting for me but I can’t even think about doing anything with them right now. All I know is that I did THE BIG CLEAROUT and I still can’t move for clothes.