Oh Dear...

I am a fashion pack rat. 

Now what I'd like you to think is that I am a neat pack rat; that I have bins of clothing neatly tucked away in my closet full of outdated and under-worn pieces. But, sadly, that is not the case.

   

In my defense... I am moving soon. So there is an element of "why bother" when it comes to putting things away. I'm just going to pack this stuff up and cart it over to my new home (in a tidy and organized fashion, obviously). But let's be honest. This has been a pattern with me for many years. And what's to blame for such disarray?

My closet, of course. I have had a series of nausea prone closets that seem to consistently project my clothing all about my room. It's not my fault! If only there were a cure for my ailing closet...

Ah, but there is.

The Wonder Hanger. It's like the "Dramamine" of closet organization. Michelle's mom, Linda has generously offered to give me a dozen or so of these miraculous hangers. My plan is to color code and arrange my clothing by season. My closet, roommates and those attempting to navigate the once vast fashion terrain of my room, will forever be indebted to the Wonder Hanger.

But I have been thinking about this pack rat problem and what the root cause might be, and I think I've come to a pretty solid conclusion. Anxiety. I worry that if I get rid of a worn and well-loved article of clothing that I maybe haven't dawned in the last year, that once it's gone it will be the ONLY thing that goes with something I want to wear. 

Point & Case:

This, of course, is an earring. One of two that, before today, I had not worn in at least two years. I have gone back and forth on getting rid of them several times, but this morning, in a moment of inspiration I saw these earrings with new eyes and coupled them with the perfect outfit. What if I had passed them along? What if I had said goodbye? My ears would have been left unadorned (or at least inferiorly so). This cannot nor ever should be.

How do I reconcile this with my need to purge and cleanse my wardrobe (and accessories)? How do I know that the perfect complementary item to some future fashion must-have doesn't, at this very moment, lie crumpled on my floor? The stakes are too high, my friends. And I just don't know that I have the courage it takes to part with such potential. 

What's a girl to do?