Is your closet overflowing with clothes, yet you still feel like you have nothing to wear? Do you frequently impulse buy trendy pieces, only to have them sit unworn, taking up precious space? If this sounds familiar, you might be dealing with a common problem: owning too many clothes.
Having an excessive amount of clothing not only clutters your home but also your mind. Decision fatigue sets in when you’re faced with too many options each morning. You waste precious time and energy trying to put together outfits from a mismatched assortment of items.
Moreover, a bloated wardrobe is hard on the environment. The fast fashion industry encourages us to view clothing as disposable, leading to massive textile waste in landfills. By being more intentional about what we allow into our closets, we can reduce this harmful impact.
So how can you tell if your wardrobe has gotten out of hand? Take this simple quiz to find out! Just tally up how many times you answer “yes” to the following questions:
1. Do all your clothes fit you perfectly, or are you holding onto pieces that are too big, too small, or simply not flattering?
2. Do you wear every item in your wardrobe at least once per season, or do you have clothes you haven’t touched in years?
3. Do you limit yourself to no more than three of each type of garment (like three pairs of jeans, three white button-downs, etc.), or do you have excessive multiples?
4. Do you have a strong sense of your personal style, or is your wardrobe a mishmash of past phases and impulse buys?
5. Do you regularly donate or sell clothes you no longer wear, or does your closet just keep expanding?
6. Can you easily put together outfits you love, or do you often feel like you have “nothing to wear” despite a stuffed closet?
7. Are the majority of your garments in good condition, or are you holding onto stained, ripped, or worn-out pieces?
8. Do you regularly wear all your shoes, or are some pairs just collecting dust?
9. Have you worn each item in your wardrobe at least once, or do you have clothes with the tags still on?
10. Would you enthusiastically buy each piece again if you didn’t own it already, or are you keeping things out of guilt or “just in case”?
11. Can you quickly think of multiple outfits to create with each garment, or do you struggle to make cohesive looks?
12. Before shopping, do you make a list of specific items that would fill gaps in your wardrobe, or do you buy on impulse?
13. Do you buy secondhand or resell your clothes, or do you only purchase new and discard unworn items?
14. Does your closet have some open space, or is it crammed to capacity?
So, how did you score? Give yourself one point for each “yes” answer.
If you scored over 10 points, congratulations! You likely have a highly functional wardrobe filled only with pieces you love and wear regularly. Keep up the great work!
If you scored between 6-10 points, you’re doing well but could probably benefit from a bit of downsizing. Try to focus on quality over quantity and only buy new clothes that fit your current lifestyle and aesthetic.
If you scored 5 points or less, your wardrobe could use some serious decluttering. Don’t worry – letting go of excess clothes is incredibly freeing. Start by removing items that don’t fit or haven’t been worn in a year. Donate, sell, or responsibly recycle these pieces. Then going forward, aim to only purchase garments that you truly love and that work with the rest of your closet.
By paring down to a more minimal, cohesive wardrobe, you’ll streamline your getting-ready routine, always have something wonderful to wear, and reduce your environmental footprint.
Fewer clothes, tastefully chosen, will serve you much better than a crammed closet full of chaos. Use this quiz as a starting point to assess your wardrobe and begin your journey toward more mindful fashion habits.
