I was one of the people who self-evaluated after bingeing on “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.”

There are many areas that one can declutter in a breeze. But wardrobe, especially for women who love fashion, is not one of them. It took me a while.

Between going through everything I own, sorting, reorganizing, and figuring out how to store them, there were a few tears but also a lot of triumphs.

Aside from applying the things Kondo taught, I learned a few tricks along the way. What I realized is, every decluttering session is not the same at all. The general steps may be identical, but what we choose to keep and how we keep them is unique to each person.

Don’t be afraid to organize according to your personality and to your everyday needs.

There is also a lot of self-discovery—how many crazy belts you loved in high school and college, how many trends you fell for, buying them in every color imaginable.

Don’t be ashamed. Embrace the changes! Then let go. Fashion is about experimenting until you find what you’re most comfortable with.

Relaxing and stressful

Decluttering is both relaxing and stressful. It’s relaxing to fold your shirts the way Kondo advises. It creates order in something that you have in abundance. There is peace in looking at drawers that have been sorted out so you can see everything you have.

The thing about one’s wardrobe is, it’s “out of sight, out of mind.” When you don’t see exactly what you have in your closet, you tend to forget that you have it. After decluttering, I felt like I shopped again. Isn’t that always a good feeling?

The stress comes from learning about your past mistakes—how you hoarded certain things that you didn’t need, how you’ve forgotten the things at the very back of your drawers and now they don’t fit you, or they’re not your style anymore.

This kind of stress makes you see how much better you could do moving forward when it comes to shopping habits.

On the practical side, I found that decluttering is about figuring out the right storage solutions. At home, my wardrobe is crammed into the attic. It’s a blessing now that I’ve decluttered. The limited space that I have means I have room only for what’s necessary.

So I went to SM Home and bought big clothing boxes, multi-level hangers, wooden boxes for accessories, and woven baskets for various knickknacks. I also discovered individual plastic boxes for shoes, which are space-saving because you can stack them sans a shelf. If you need more stuff, The SM Store has more picks which can cater to your lifestyle.

So, what did I end up keeping? I kept the vintage pieces that still look good and that I can wear again, now that I’ve unearthed them. I also put aside the pieces which were once on trend and I know will be back in vogue. Fashion is cyclical anyway, so you’re bound to need a few of those items.

I also kept winter clothes in big bins. They’re stored separately from my everyday wardrobe so that I won’t have a hard time packing when I leave for a trip.

For items that I still like but no longer fit or are no longer my taste, I gave away to people I love. These items still sparked joy as they had sentimental value, but they deserved a second life with someone who could wear them.

Other items I gave to friends, some I sold as well for a small profit. In fact, I felt like I’ve earned much from Marie Kondo.