A Closet Of Intentions
Written by Olivia Peters, Culture Staff Writer, and Illustrated by Katie Herrick, Culture Editor
Ah, springtime.
Something about the sunlight pouring through my window panes makes me lighter. It’s a sudden shift, surprising me every year. I smile easier, wear less clothing (even when it’s still chilly) and I don’t feel as hungry as often. Spring is very much a relief after the struggles of Wisconsin winter.
I don’t scrub every corner of my house to “spring clean” like some people do—although I’m definitely headed in that direction. Instead, my springtime ritual is to get rid of clothes that I have scarcely worn in the last year. A major closet cleanout if you will.
Spring is a time to reflect on how I’m doing, how my school year went and who I want to become in the next year. I think that is what brings on the desire to change up my wardrobe. It’s a way to make a physical change in my environment and hope that my mind follows suit and hits the refresh button. Getting rid of clothes is therapeutic for me.
I start with t-shirts—I struggle to let go of these for absolutely no reason at all. Next, I move on to my going-out clothes. I pull out all the risqué things I purchased but never had the guts or ambition to wear—hopefully some other college student gets to live their best life in them. Finally, it’s time for pants—my rationale to get rid of these is usually just sizing and/or wear and tear.
I always feel twinges of regret when I drag a trash bag of clothing to my car to donate. If I glimpse inside the bag, I lose my resolve. I think it’s the familiarity of the clothing I’ve been glancing at for years—I’m well aware it’s easier and cheaper to keep what you have than to start fresh. If I’m lucky, a spring breeze interferes at this point to remind me of the larger cleansing I’m trying to encourage by making these little changes.
A lot of girls take their things to Plato’s Closet and hope to make a few bucks. I always take my highest quality rejects there, mentally making it rain with how much I’m gonna make on last year’s Lululemon. Every single time, however, I walk away feeling insulted with less than $20 in my pocket.
The majority of the things I giveaway, along with the things Plato’s Closet coldly informs me are out of style, go to my local thrift shop. Most towns have a thrift store that is affiliated with a church or hospital; that’s how you know they’re the real deal. For example, in Madison, this would be the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store or Dig and Save.
Thrift stores are great for communities because the small profits made go back to worthy institutions—hospitals, shelters and food pantries. Discount stores such as Goodwill are not bad places to donate either, as Goodwill supports an amazing national job placement program. However, I prefer to give my clothing to places that I know will price them extremely low and allocate profits more transparently. Sometimes while I’m dropping off the clothes, I’m lucky enough to pick something vintage up that’ll become a part of my new rotation.
Spring is a great time to set intentions for the upcoming year, and for me, a clean closet achieves this. All that remains is clothing that holds significant memories or promises for a new future.