Where did the sloppy come from?

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For those of you that love leaving comments/sending me emails about my sloppy style, I can present you an explanation as to why that is.  The ugly truth is that I’m living in a shambolic and sloppy mess with the way that I organise my clothes.  It’s not so much ‘organise’ as trying to cram everything I have all into a limited space with all the strength that I have.  This involves hanging about ten things on one hanger, rolling and scrunching things up to squeeze into a tiny space, stuffing things into drawers that won’t close, using several suitcases to hold things, heaving bags littered everywhere, cardboard boxes full of tights/leggings/slips and just general mess mess mess…

Why the jumble?  The place where I’m living now was supposed to be a transition period.  This transition having lasted well over a year now and I still don’t really have the time/energy to get it into shape.  Still, I see light as I will FINALLY be moving out and in with the boyf to a haven somewhere….preferably with many fitted wardrobes.  The boyf and I both have plans ahoy as to how to get the best out of my numerous garments and I’m hoping something pretty-pretty will emerge from all the mess berow but all shall be revealed later when I find said haven. 

For the next month or so I shall also be doing something that I’ve rarely done before which is ‘cleaning out my wardrobe’.  Yes this concept is a ritual for some but alien to me.  I’m a hoarder.  You ask me to throw away something and you’ll get a  terror-stricken expression on my face.  Parting is difficult.  The last time I culled anything was when I left student halls in 2003 and I still get pangs about a certain something something that I donated to a charity shop.  Or when my mum chucked away some Rick Owens AW08-esque curvy wedge platform boots that I bought from Hong Kong, I’m still feeling the pain.  Nonetheless, be it via eBay or charity shop, a cull must be done… 

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73 comments

  1. just like my closet… don`t worry, it`s normal, SOOOO many girls/women do the same with their clothes, I commend you for having the guts to show it to us, Susie honey, you are one of my styleicons,(along with Kingdom of style,a.o) thank you so much for your superb daily repports, never starts a day without popping in for some inspiration. big hug from Monica (oslo, norway)

  3. My clothes look like they’re in a similar state! Spread between My mums house (filling my old bedroom, my really old bedroom, the spare room and the downstairs walk-in warddrobe) and now taking over my boyfriend’s house. All biding my time for when I finally move in to my new place, for my second year of uni. Sheer quantity is terrifying!! So I’d really apreciate it if you talked us through how you get through it over the next few weeks, because I am at a loss. AARGH!
    xx

  6. My clothes look like they’re in a similar state! Spread between My mums house (filling my old bedroom, my really old bedroom, the spare room and the downstairs walk-in warddrobe) and now taking over my boyfriend’s house. All biding my time for when I finally move in to my new place, for my second year of uni. Sheer quantity is terrifying!! So I’d really apreciate it if you talked us through how you get through it over the next few weeks, because I am at a loss. AARGH!
    xx

  7. i am truly shocked. not sure if the shock comes by the amount of clothes you actually own (you can’t really tell from one outfit or two a day but i guess they do pile up) or their state 😛
    well who cares anyways? goo thing that you will be moving somewhere worth of that collection soon, and that is anyone’s ultimate dream (yes sex and the city might as well be overratedly silly, but her closet is a dream to anyone with a dress or two).
    thus said, will you be coming to ITS this year? i managed to get myself in, and would love to meet you (at the fashion on the internet event aaages ago there was an intimidating line to come see you i didn’t dare queuing up at all, but would love to say hi this time!)
    rosa

  8. If you really do decide to create some space for new purchases, i say good for you. I have just moved house and i’m loving the uber-condensed look my wardrobe has taken on. But please let us know of any thing we can inherit. Best luck x

  9. ahhh, susie, despite the fact that half of my tiny wardrobe is usually piled up in a corner of the room, i’m desperate to get my hands on your wardrobe.
    tidying other people’s stuff = so much fun!

  10. EJ: You won’t get your mitts on the wardrobe because it won’t exist in about a month’s time! It will be colour/texture co-ordinated goodness at the new place I’m telling you….

  11. I have lived in my flat for six months. I still haven’t properly unpacked.
    finally, I took all of my clothes off the floor/out of bags and piled them on the bed in a vain attempt to FORCE me to organise them in some sort of fashion.
    I am currently sleeping on the floor. no word of a lie. fashion ruined my life. but ironically I’m sleeping very well…
    love,
    Alex.

  13. God you’re not sloppy! Please don’t throw any things away – you know you’ll regret it…

  14. where did you get those pictures of my closet??? huh? no, i guess i own a fraction of the clothes you have ^^ but in technique, my closet is the same, i just squeeze everything in. i have only three proper shelves (plus one sock drawer) in my closet, and i have to stuff everything in like there’s no tomorrow. in the fourth shelf, it’s mayhem. i just squeeze all the things i don’t wear anymore in. and my hangers are all on my bed, which probably isn’t the best solution as the clothes get dusty, but well… there is one hanger section in my closet that i share with all the family, but it’s mostly coats and jackets that hang there.
    on another note: how cool you will be moving in with your boyfriend! i guess you’ll need a walk-in closet.. ^^
    and yeah, cleaning out would definitely be an idea. starting is hard, but you’ll see it’ll do your closet some good ^^ plus, then there’s space for new things! when i start throwing things away, i can’t stop…scary. but that’s what the fourth shelf in my closet is for: stuffing all the things i don’t wear anymore away, because i’m too lazy to take them anywhere but don’t want them wasting my regular closet space. but the throwing away thing is such an issue: at some point you will find yourself thinking “i had this thing…oh NOOOO! i’ve thrown it away! how could I??? what’ve i done?” but well.
    thanks for commenting on the music!

  15. Impressive! I’m the kind of person who has to keep throwing stuff out…everytime I come back from a shopping trip, especially when it involves thrifting I spend a good few hours over organizing everything.

  16. Oh gosh it’s like looking in a mirror! I don’t know who invented small wardrobes but they failed on so many levels. Just wait to you get your new one, it’ll be like heaven for clothes! ‘Cleaning out’ is always fun, you’ll rediscover everything you’ve forgotten about!

  18. How exciting! I adore culling my wardrobe because I cannot stand the chaos of not being able to find somethingamongst mess.
    And it always brings about a surge of shopping power straight afterwards, where you can buy without guilt.
    My favourite thing to do is to give culled garments to friends I think would appreciate them. Then it feels less sad and you can always recall things if you’re desperat!
    Have fun with it.

  19. GIRL!
    I wish I was there to help you. I am very good at organizing things, and I love to do it.
    When I was in graduate school, I lived in a TINY place. It was a house that someone had converted into an apartment, and my space was only one small room, which included two micro closets (more like nooks), that you could barely put any thing in (conventionally that is). Not only that, that room held a fridge a small oven and had just enough counter space to put a coffee maker on it, so when I say small, I mean small. The bathroom was in the hall (it was mine only, of course). It had one of those claw foot bath tubs where the shower curtain that went all around. I used this as one closet, and had clothes hanging. For the whole time I lived there, I could only take baths, as a shower would have ruined my clothes.
    Oddly. the place was kind of cute, because I painted it nicely, and it had really big windows, so there was a lot of light.
    I have had other ridiculously wardrobe unfriendly (transitional) homes, with little to no closet space. Since I can’t stand clutter, I had to get really creative with my storage. My clothes became part of the decor. I had fun with it.
    I finally have a house of my own, and had a closet made from a tiny room that the previous owner used as a sewing room. It is not my ultimate dream closet (but I love it!), as this is probably not my final home, but I think my clothes deserve to be treated with respect, since they are a medium for one way that I express myself.
    Really, it would not be hard for you to organize, you just need to invest in some time (I know that is a trick, but take a breath and create it, because you and your clothes are worth the time) and containers. It is going to be a mess for a while, and it will feel overwhelming in moments, but you will be soooooooo happy if and when you do it. Think of it as a creative project, and don’t wait until you move to put some order into your clothing world. I promise, you will open up even more potential for creative styling.
    Your new space is waiting for you, but you have to find some semblance.
    Purging is a really good thing to do. It opens you up for more possibilities. (the Rick Owens platform boots that your Mom threw away is grounds for divorce though 😉 )
    I hold on to a lot, because many clothes, shoes and bags are special and are keepers. I am mad about certain things that I have gotten rid of, yet very few of those items give me a feeling of remorse, well, a couple do. but alas… We are talking about clothes, and while they can be viewed as art, in some circumstances, we don’t need to hoard. Even some things that you may want to hold on to, would be better served on someone else. I admit, I have kept some things just because… and I selfishly did not want anyone else to have it. (that sounds terrible doesn’t it)
    It becomes overwhelming when there is too much to see, and you scantly know what you have, because things are wadded everywhere.
    ANYWAY> if you are interested, and when you carve out some time.
    1) get some bins from target (do you have target in London?)
    there are some in all sizes, that will fit your shoes and tights, etc, there are also bigger bins for sweaters… You get the picture. I have layered many clothes on one hanger, and still do, that is not a problem, just give it some visual sense.
    2) go through what you have and start to sort out things by color, then style. Jackets, Dresses, skirts, pants, jeans, sweaters, shirts, tshirts, shoes/boots. accessories….
    3) Take an honest look at what you have, what you wear, and what you know you will wear. (not what you think you may wear)
    You have good instincts, and a great eye, so you will know what is a “keeper”, and what is not.
    4) start a pile of potential “hand me downs” . You can think of purging some of your clothes as a way to help another person become well dressed. That is a nice thing to do, and I am certain that some lucky girl will be very happy to help… (you can send your purges to me, we are about the same size. Just kidding :))
    5) Make your bf help you 😉
    Thank you for sharing this part of your self. I am one of those who asked to see your closet. I appreciate your doing this.

  20. i’m in a very similar living situation, though with less clothes. it gets me so down seeing everything in a mess so i’m in the middle of a huge wardrobe cull and ebay selling session.
    i do it semi-regularly and though time consuming it is fantastic when the money starts rolling in and you have hundreds of pounds to spend on new clothes… though i suppose that isn’t really the point.

  21. I would be shocked but until very recently that was the state of my room too… it was soo depressing to see everything such a tip, taking ages to find anything! Getting it cleared up, via culling (painful!) or just re-organising, is really a huge breath of fresh air…
    and don’t get rid of anything!

  22. I don’t know why, but I thought you had this big walk-in closet or something! Cause, I’m sorry for saying this, the space you have for your clothes doesn’t really do it justice! Every piece should have a hanger and all of your shoes should be on some kind of shelf…You should have like a room for your clothes with lots of space for everything…
    Sophie

  23. and get your things on ebay! I ‘d love to get my hands on your wardrobe 🙂

  24. whilst i love a good rummage and would love to have such a quantity of clothes to just delve into those pictures bring back my OCD. lol

  25. wow. from the description i expected it to be far worse.
    That looks just like my room (but your’s is far tidier)

  26. Hey Susie! Those photos look familiar… did you sneak into my place and take photos while I’m away?!
    Jokes aside, it gets that way for me sometimes when I’m in a slob mood. When there are social events to go to, shoes to hunt, and new items to wear out, mucking around at home and being ‘organized’ doesn’t quite have a draw in comparison!
    Having said that, having each dress belong to one hanger is extremely gratifying, so I try to be neat every two weeks and tidy up my room.
    Hope your haven will be spacey and boutique-like, I want photos!!! Esp. of the shoe collection!

  27. It might help to go through it all and see what you’re still into and what you’re not into. I hope you have good luck, and that you get some clarity and clear space!

  28. HOW ABOUT, HOW ABOUT, HOW ABOUT… giving them away the castaway to your READERS!!!! 😀 😀 😀 (wishful, hopeful, semi-pining) HAHA. that way you know the pieces will be lovedddd (:

  29. Lucky London girls, getting the chance to grab your wardrobe culls (I’m guessing you might donate them to the charity shops, is that correct?). But seriously, just cut the volume of the clothing by about three-quarters and turn the background into a grotty little college room, and that could be my wardrobe! (only with far less fabulous clothes)

  30. I tidied my closet yesterday. . . just the shoes. . . I took all the shoes out from underneath the bed, the closet, the floor. I took pictures of them and finally I counted them. The number. . . makes me faint.

  31. Omg… I am exactly the opposite. I clean out my closet ALL THE TIME…. I have the smallest closet in the house, and I go to some extreme measures to organize stuff, but every season I get rid of tons of stuff I just don’t have room for….

  34. Your wardrobe looks a little bit like mine actually, only bigger. I kind of like having a messy wardrobe though as I enjoy having a rifle..

  35. hmmm.if you sell anything on ebay, do let us know! it would be fabulous to have something from Susie’s Bubble’s wardrobe!!!!!
    (and you can make some extra money for your move!)

  36. I honestly find when faced with a similar wardrobe crisis, I get brutal and get rid of anything I haven’t worn for the last 6 months and is no longer to my taste ( there for wont wear again )
    It hurts at the time, but you soon forget what you lost and refill the space…
    I also add to the list of ladies demanding you put what you don’t want on Ebay, I would pay to own something from your amazing wardrobe.

  38. I have the same problem. Except I just leave my clothes on the floor and leap over the piles as to not interrupt my mountains of clothes. I don’t remember what the carpet in my room looks like.

  39. Tee hee! What a haul!! I loathe getting rid of clothes too but I have come to terms with the fact that you can’t hang on to everything. Once you get organised the key then is to get rid of one or two things a month (my sister says that she has never had to shop since I do enough for both of us and she gets first dibs on the cast-offs) far less painful that way.
    Saying that I still have a chair-of-shame where there is a pile of stuff that I have to paw through whenever I can’t locate anything!

  40. I can totally relate since I have a small closet space and I never dispose and the collection just piles up!
    For a hoarder like me, the hardest thing really is to part with things. Even if they’re the WTF pieces of clothing and I know it would be ages when I’ll wear them type of clothing, I still don’t want to part with them.
    I think cleaning up or the parting part would surely take some time to sink in with me esp. with my hoarding tendencies.

  43. I desperately need to do this too — I’ve been hoping that the need-to-move-to-a-bigger-better-place would kick me into doing it, too. I’m definitely a hoarder and a nester (I need to have stuff around me!), so I definitely need to just go through and unemotionally do it. I’ve been doing little mini-cleanouts every now and then, but it needs to be fully and truly done. Sigh!

  44. i don’t know if i’d want you to tidy that up. it’s kind of awe-inspiring in its crazyness. i have some crazy like that. but on a smaller scale.

  45. dear miss bubble,
    here is some good advice i got
    and it helped me with my own
    badly needed wardrobe, er, update.
    1. imagine coming back to your apartment,
    a fairy godmother having gotten rid of everything that’s too much. ahhh! sigh of relief!
    2. don’t wait for the perfect day
    or the perfect mood to do it.
    they will never come.
    just start somewhere, just a little,
    you will get the hang of it.
    it feels pretty good pretty soon.
    or should i say: rewarding.
    3. be kind to yourself.
    don’t throw away anything you feel
    you will regret in the future.
    just keep it, and have another look
    in a coupla weeks/months.
    hey, it worked for me,
    and i’m one big hoarding-nuts-for-winter
    squirrel.
    carrying out sack after sack
    of used clothing every week
    yours truly
    person

  46. Very brave of u-it looks like my place-my problem is I’ve been in the same place a long time, & the stuff just keeps accumulating.

  47. I have the same sorta problem only I don’t have much stuff at all. My problem is that I share a box room with my sister and have to fit both our stuff into an average sized wardrobe and a top box on top of my dressing table. It just isn’t happening so it’s all so cramped yet I still have nothing to wear!! lol
    It wouldn’t be so bad if we were the same size but we’re total opposites – I’m tall and almost boyish shaped and she’s short and curvy. We don’t even have the same shoe size..
    My sister does however have the added bonus of being able to fit into our mums clothes AND shoes.. Gah.
    By the way I can so relate to that horrible guilty feeling you get when you’ve thrown something away and regret it. I keep getting it constantly because I cut a pair of my jeans into shorts but gave up half way through and ended up throwing them away. Now I have no idea why I cut them jeans and keep going to wear them and they’re not there!!
    It’s the worst feeling in the world.
    So I guess my top tip would be to not try and organise your wardrobe through boredom! lol It could go horribly wrong..
    -Cheryl x

  48. i bet you’ll have flocks to your auctions! i have magazine pangs, i soooo regret getting rid of most of a years worth of magazines argh

  51. Susie: I can imagine it will take a few strong g&ts and some great tunes, but your gorgeous things will be all that much more appealing when they are hanging and folded in a beautiful, organized fashion. Gotta say, yours is one closet I’d pay to clean up! 🙂

  52. I prune my closet once every three years or so. I always have to have a friend help me. She’ll force me to try things on that I believe fit. She’ll tell me if something is too worn looking. And she’ll help me come up with ideas of how to upcycle some clothes too.

  54. I don’t think you dress sloppy–artistic would be a more appropriate word. Sloppy to me is saggy jeans and sweatshirt…but of course most people would deem that acceptable!
    It’s terribly difficult to get rid of things and regret always chases me as well. I sincerely hope you don’t rid yourself of anything too wonderful!

  57. Wow – I thought I was the worlds worst horder of clothes. I dream about having a whole dressing room with rails and rails and shelves and shelves to put my clothes.

  58. This is what happens when you have a penchant for charity shopping – it all looks perfectly normal to me 🙂

  60. I live in Manhattan, NYC, and your closet looks just like mine! I can hardly see what I have because everything is shoved in! Sometimes I find things that I never wore and forgot about and that is a nice surprise haha! I have double hung one side of the closet and I have clear plastic cubbies for shoes on shelves and on the floor to mazimize my shoe storage space. On the side with the longer garments I have stacking wire shoe racks, 2 behind and one in front.

  61. oops, i posted before I was done! I also have shoes and clothing that might not fit at present but don’t want to get rid of in plastic zipper chests. I am moving to a new apt soon, and i think I will have a similar problem, but I am going to get a closet designer to really make the most of my storage space. I do try to group clothing be color, because, say, if I want to wear one of my black dresses, I know exactly where to look. I have to tell you that you are a daily inspiration to me, and living in NYC, I do get plenty of inspiration from just being on the street. Even the little old ladies inspire me! I kind of envy (in a good way only) that you have parlayed your innate love of fashion/style into a career change. I am a bit older than you, and it will probably not be possible for me to do that, so I avidly await your future posts on the Dazed site!

  62. People send you emails about how sloppy you are? Do these people still manage to get food into their mouths and hold down steady jobs?
    Some people have too much time.

  63. you know, i lived in a studio for five years, and my closet… well…
    http://the-coveted.com/blog/2007/11/16/im-showing-you-my-closet/
    since i had to part with all but what would fit into two pieces of luggage, i must say that in four months, my new, bigger closet is starting to look the same.
    i dont’ know if it’s any consolation, whether to part or not to part. i miss my stuff, but i’ve found some great new stuff in a short amount of time. but if you are selling on ebay, i want your seller id, and rss feed.
    😉

  64. I have some major clothes WHORE-der problems as well. I need a professional organizer to come and help me with my shit! Can’t wait to see the finished organization! Perhaps it will inspire me as well… 🙂

  65. Susie it warms the cockles of my heart to know your doing a wardrobe sort out! I always use the snog, marry, avoid technique (actually that’s the clean version of my catagorising)
    The stuff you really really love is always going to stay. the stuff you’ve had a quick flirtation with gets a roudn two check before chucking and the avoid is stuff that bores you!
    Have fun x

  66. Susie it warms the cockles of my heart to know your doing a wardrobe sort out! I always use the snog, marry, avoid technique (actually that’s the clean version of my catagorising)
    The stuff you really really love is always going to stay. the stuff you’ve had a quick flirtation with gets a roudn two check before chucking and the avoid is stuff that bores you!
    Have fun x

  67. Susie it warms the cockles of my heart to know your doing a wardrobe sort out! I always use the snog, marry, avoid technique (actually that’s the clean version of my catagorising)
    The stuff you really really love is always going to stay. the stuff you’ve had a quick flirtation with gets a roudn two check before chucking and the avoid is stuff that bores you!
    Have fun x

  68. Susie it warms the cockles of my heart to know your doing a wardrobe sort out! I always use the snog, marry, avoid technique (actually that’s the clean version of my catagorising)
    The stuff you really really love is always going to stay. the stuff you’ve had a quick flirtation with gets a roudn two check before chucking and the avoid is stuff that bores you!
    Have fun x

  69. Susie it warms the cockles of my heart to know your doing a wardrobe sort out! I always use the snog, marry, avoid technique (actually that’s the clean version of my catagorising)
    The stuff you really really love is always going to stay. the stuff you’ve had a quick flirtation with gets a roudn two check before chucking and the avoid is stuff that bores you!
    Have fun x

  70. my mum caught me reading this post and started tsk-ing. she then went on to lecture me about keeping MY wardrobe clean.
    …this is a very random comment.

  71. what a coincidence! I’ve been cleaning out my closet for several weeks now, debating on items to sell. you have WAY more clothes than I do! I most would like to get rid of my extraneous accessories, but I wish you well on your release from the piles! I myself am still digging through the trenches…hehe

  73. fashion is a billion dollar industry, every women owns hoards and hoards of clothing. you’d think by now organizers or closet technology would have caught up. Like Carrie’s closet BIG built for her from SEX AND THE CITY movie!
    but this makes me sad. that there is always something new, something beautiful to acquire but we just can’t own them all can we? Not only do we lack the money, but there just aren’t enough space for them.
    haha, but if it makes you feel any better, I am a much worse hoarder I still have outfits from grade 5 i just can’t seem to part with. Especially with fashion ever changing so rapidly every season, I can’t help but feel that every piece is “special” and that it’d be difficult to come by again.

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