Detox your closet for better style & less stress (Free Guide inside)

You know the feeling of staring into a jam-packed closet, half-dressed (in your 4th outfit), clothes strewn around the room, thinking to yourself, defeated, “I have nothing to wear”?

Yeah, me too. And it sucks.

The truth is, most of us aren’t lacking in options—in fact, the problem is usually that we have too many clothes! I realize it’s counter-intuitive that having more clothes would make it more difficult to put together an outfit you like (it definitely flies in the face of modern consumer culture.)

The Jam Study

Hear me out.

Have you ever heard of the paradox of choice? It’s a phenomenon discovered through several studies by behavioral economists. In one study, a group set up a jam (yes, like jelly) sample station in a grocery store. Customers could come by and sample however many jams they wanted to before deciding whether or not to purchase a jam. There were 2 test conditions: in the first version, the station had 6 different flavors; in the second, they had 24.

Guess what happened?

When customers had more options, they were more like to stop and sample jams and they also sampled more jams. However, when they only had 6 jams, customers were more likely to purchase jam.

What does that mean?

It means that when we’re faced with too many options, our brains can’t handle it. They shut down and we prefer not to make a decision at all. Cut to:

Me, standing in my closet, half-dressed, crying out of frustration and stress.

Or me, running to the mall after work because I hate what I have on and I need to buy something new to feel better before I head to a networking event.

Or me, accumulating more and more clothes to the point that they don’t fit in my walk-in-closet(!!!).

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If you’re new here, I’m Missy of Simplified Wardrobe, an Ethical Personal Stylist & Capsule Wardrobe Curator. I help ambitious and eco-conscious womxn who want to look great, feel confident, and simplify their lives.

Find more information about personal style, capsule wardrobes, and color analysis over on Instagram. You can also download my free 10-page Guide to Defining your Personal Style.

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Enough was enough

At a certain point, I decided I wanted to look on the outside the way I felt on the inside. I wanted my outfit to reflect who I was. I wanted to look the way I look in my fantasy life, like the photos my eyes bug-out for in magazines, or the pins I save to my style board, or the Instagram posts I drool over.

I started learning about defining my personal styling, curating a cohesive wardrobe, and streamlining my closet. Instead of jamming it full of many different items with different styles and colors, I focused and built my wardrobe intentionally so that I could make many outfits with fewer pieces—pieces that are high quality and make me feel amazing when I put them on.

Sounds good right?

So how do you detox your closet for better style & less stress?

The first step to this sartorial bliss is evaluating, streamlining, and organizing what you already own. That’s why I teamed up with Carly, the professional organizer behind Tidy Revival to put together the Ultimate Closet Detox Guide. This guide is packed full of tips and secrets we both use with our actual clients all the time.

Carly Adams, professional organizer behind Tidy Revival, and me, Missy Titus, Ethical Personal Stylist & Capsule Wardrobe Builder behind Simplified Wardrobe.

This guide is for you if:

• Getting dressed in the morning is always a stressful experience

• You dread opening your closet door because it’s pure chaos and you can never seem to find what you’re looking for

• You know you need to clean out your closet, but you don’t know where or how to start

• You feel like you have nothing to wear and you hate all your clothes even though you have ton (and some are maybe even new!)

• You love free advice from experts (who doesn’t?!)

We’re giving you all the tools and tips you need, but know that cleaning out your closet is a process. I usually switch my wardrobe out 4 times a year (at the beginning of each new season) not to mention I help my clients go through their closets—meaning, I’ve had a lot of practice at this. If you haven’t, that’s okay! The more you do it, the better you’ll get at it and the easier it will be (also because you’ll have less stuff to purge!)

The first time is the hardest, but don’t fret—we’ll guide you through the process.

Included in the guide:

• How to get the most from the process

• Practical tips on how to prepare

• Where to start, and what order to do your clean-out

• My favorite wardrobe tips

• Carly’s favorite decluttering tips

• Addressing items kept out of guilt

• How to contact us if you need more in-depth assistance

Share your progress with us!

We both had a blast putting this guide together for you. From brain-dumping and designing the content, to getting together for a super fun photo shoot with Danny Hernandez of Danny Foto, to prepping for a segment on GoodDay Sacramento!

We hope you get a lot out of it, too. We’d love follow along you’re detoxing your closet! Tag us on social media in any stories, photos, or posts as you’re going through the guide. I’m @simplifiedwardrobe and Carly is @tidyrevival on Instagram.

Carly of Tidy Revival and Missy of Simplified Wardrobe having way too much taking photos for this guide!

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