Back in October I signed up for Cladwell, a new app/platform on the fashion scene that argued you could simplify your wardrobe, escape consumerism, and create a more sustainable (and much less stressful) wardrobe no matter where you were in your career or your life.

For $5 a month you got tips and hints at how to simplify your wardrobe down to just 36 outfits. I ponied up my money, and laid out a grand total of $30 to see if their formula would work for me. 

How it Went

A good friend and her family stayed with us for the month of December. It was an awesome experience. We had a house full of creative people and kids doing their thing and enjoying each other’s company. It was a perfect way to spend the holidays. It was also the perfect time to get some help on the simplifying front.

Beth has a certain something about her. She’s a phenomenal mother, an incredible photographer, and has the self-proclaimed super power of getting her friends naked. Really. She does. And yes, I got naked with her for some awesome photos.

Her other super powers, she says, include finding lost things and helping people get rid of things that no longer serve them. I was most interested in the last one, at least for the purposes of unburdening my closet.

One afternoon while her daughter napped we tackled the seemingly insurmountable task. After sorting through the piles of things I loved, just kind of liked, and absolutely hated, I had a mountain of stuff that I needed to get rid of. Beth, in her industriousness did a bit of legwork online and discovered a fantastic local consignment shop that would pay me for the good stuff if and when it sold.

Moss is located over on South Lamar and I stopped in with three giant boxes of stuff as I was headed to Goodwill to drop off the other stuff that I knew they wouldn’t take. Two of the women quickly sorted the contents into things they wanted and things that they didn’t and had me fill out an information sheet complete with all of my personal and contact information. By they time they were done sorting and I headed to my car, I had an email list of all the pieces they’d accepted. All I had to do then was wait.

Just a couple of short weeks later, I got an email from Moss. I had a check waiting for me! When I stopped in, I discovered there was actual money to be made off the things I had hated (and not worn) for so long. Three months later I’m still getting checks. After the third month, the remaining clothing (which turned out to be just two pieces) can either come back to you, or they go to a local women’s shelter.

So while I didn’t personally find Cladwell to be incredibly helpful in and of itself, I did find that helped me get ruthless about what I was hanging onto and what I decided to leave behind. Thanks to Beth’s research and ingenuity, I was able to make some money on those pieces that no longer brought me joy  and get rid of a ton of stuff that simply wasn’t me any longer.

In fact it was such a success that I’m about to start selling my wedding china (because really, who needs china these days?) and a few other things that I am ready to part ways with. I’m actually looking at selling some things through TheRealReal soon, as they can send someone to your house to take a look at your things and give you a realistic price.

Stay tuned for more on the latest pairing down, to come.

Like this post? Here’s some more:

Putting the Magic of Tidying Up into Practice with Cladwell

Would You Buy Om Malik’s Second-Hand Clothes?