A Wardrobe Hoarder

I'm going to go off topic again today. I spoke last week about my inability to part with items of makeup and I think this probably carries on from there. I spent yesterday decluttering. It's something I try to do quite regularly. I find that cupboards and storage filled with 'stuff' makes me uneasy. However, I've come to the conclusion that, although I want to be tidy and streamlined, a hoarder lurks inside. Inside my wardrobe to be precise.

My wardrobe is home not only my clothes but also to my makeup and shoes. I suppose I put my makeup in there just to ensure I go in there daily. For my wardrobe is home to a large collection of clothes and shoes that I will most probably never wear again. I'm quite good at getting rid of day to day stuff when it's worn out but it's the special items, the treasures that I just can't let go. Even though my sensible side knows I'm being a silly.

I'll start first with the shoes. I always loved shoes. My entire family has a bit of an Imelda Marcos thing going on. I loved nothing better than shopping for shoes pre-children but pregnancy did something strange to my feet. To start with I assumed it was fluid and hoped my feet would return to normal but I've been waiting for almost six years now so I accept that my feet have changed shape for good. All my precious shoes that I wore to special events sit gathering dust as they just don't fit me any more. Part of me knows that I should just give them up but there's also another part of me that is hoping that by some miracle my feet will shrink when (and if) I eventually lose weight.

Which brings me on to the clothes. About 70% of the clothes hanging on my rail don't fit me anymore. Some of them are just tantilisingly out of reach but a good deal of them are from the fleeting moments of thin in my life. I can't recall whether I've spoken about this on here but I've had a life long battle with my weight. I started my first diet at 12 years old. I have been everything from a size 18 to a size 10 and back again. This was a problem prior to children but my poor relationship with food saw me pile on weight with my first two children. I didn't put too much weight on last time but I'm still not at a happy weight and failing to find the motivation to start a healthy eating plan again.

Smuggled at the back of my wardrobe I have a selection of my favourite occasion dresses. Including my wedding dress. They range in size from 10 to 14, in fact it's the wedding dress that is a 14 so ironically the one I'd fit into first but I'm not sure I'll ever be attending an event that call for a bridal gown!! These dresses have survived endless culls. I do wonder if it's not healthy to hang on to them. I have happy memories attached to these items but looking at them does make me feel a little sad too. With the exception of the wedding dress of course.

I'm posting this in the hope that outing myself might act as motivation. Whether it's to get rid of these things or kick start a diet I don't know. But I did also wonder if I'm not alone in this strange habit. I know I'm not the only box hoarder so maybe I'm not alone in my wardrobe hoarding either? What do you do? Are you dedicated to streamlining your wardrobe or do hang onto special items 'just in case'?