With a mere matter of hours to go, the New Year brings a much-needed opportunity for a clean slate in all areas of life but being the style person I am, you can bet that I’m narrowing in on the chance to rid my closet of any dead weight ahead of 2023. I figured it was the perfect time to do a massive closet clean-out and purge some items that now feel outdated to me.
I confronted my bloated closet to determine once and for all what will be entering 2023 with me and I won’t lie, I was ruthless with this particular round of gutting. I’ve tried my hand at countless trends over the past few years and a number of items I was raving about not too long ago—micro bags and shackets to name a few—are on the chopping block this time around. I like to think of this end-of-year purge as a time to lean things out and refocus on what is actually working, so I can build a more long-lasting wardrobe off it.
With that, continue on to see the results of my 2023 closet clean-out and stay tuned for any future additions in the new year.
The first thing I plopped into the donation pile was loungewear. And lots of it. I’ve acquired more sweat sets than any single person should reasonably own by this point and I blame it all on the stay-at-home lifestyle that’s prevailed over the past two to three years. Finally, I have no more need for so many sweatpants of all colors, prints, and trends. Tie-dye sweats?
Every closet needs a section for everyday sweaters, and I think the oversize crew-neck styles with a relaxed look are definitely worthy of becoming wardrobe staples. I’m so into the way the fashion crowd is styling theirs with languid tailoring right now and plan to do follow suit. Alternately, shrunken and micro cardigans are getting the boot from me as wearability ranks high on my list priorities.
Slouchy bags have been on the menu for a minute now, but in 2023, we’re about to see them become the default bag choice for the everyday. Bag shapes in general are getting bigger and designers like Khaite and Ree Projects keep making cool versions of these carryalls, which tells me that the micro mini is losing out both for fashion insiders and for myself.
Heavy-duty leather was a big theme on recent runways and it’s one that I’ve translated seamlessly into my own closet. I love the way a vintage oversized jacket toughens up any outfit and lends an instant cool factor. On the flip side, I’m not feeling shackets as much anymore and will be removing them from my closet to make way for their leather counterparts.
Never one to lose sight of comfort for the sake of fashion, I’ve never went all-in on high heels, but I did manage to acquire a few towering pairs over the years. The fact that they were always my least-worn shoes speaks for itself but with 2023 on the horizon, I’m fully pivoting my collection to kitten heels. Not only are the more walkable but they’re also having a moment and that’s a win-win in my book.
When it comes to jeans, the longer they fall, the cooler they are. I’ve been noticing the demise of cropped jeans for a while now, but come 2023, I’m completely wiping the style from my closet in favor of full-length hems, particularly baggy-fit pairs that create a pooling effect around the ankles. Yep, “puddle” jeans are my new go-to.
If you scroll back far enough on my Instagram (honestly, not even that far), you’ll find plenty of evidence of my obsession with retro aviators. I wore so many iterations of the chunky sunglasses that by the time I sat down to do this closet sweep, there were pairs I didn’t even remember owning. While they were certainly a fun look to try out, I’m afraid to say that they now feel like an overly trendy item that no longer feels like the coolest option. Instead, I’m refocusing on classic oval sunglasses, especially in black and tortoiseshell that pretty much go with anything.
