I just read a great article over on Sparkpeople. It talked about how keeping those “skinny jeans” in your closet may actually NOT inspire you to lose weight. It said the practice of hoarding clothes to shrink into may actually hurt your weight loss progress. Go figure.

That was interesting and it makes sense (lower self esteem, demeaning yourself every time you look in the closet, refusing to see that age and childbirth changes your proportions).

The most interesting thing about the article was a reference to a survey conducted by Talbots back in 2006.

The survey results:

• Women know their size (which varies with styles and manufacturer) but 62% of the women surveyed do not know their actual measurements
• Women shop by size, not fit – often refusing to go up in size to get the correct fit
• 63% of women have “fat clothes” in their closet
• 58% have “skinny clothes”
• 40% of the women admitted to buying too-small clothes they hoped to shrink into
• 33% say the existing clothes in their closet are too small
• 36% had unworn clothes that needed tailored
• 20% said the unworn clothes in their closet no longer fit their lifestyle

And drumroll, please…

Only SIX percent of these women said they wore all of their clothes on a regular basis. So, 94% of these women have clothes in their closet that they have never worn, haven’t worn for years, or will never wear.

It seems ridiculous to me to realize that women’s closets have become permanent storage for items never actually intended to be worn.  And then I realize that I have a few items that are “too good” to donate that are a couple sizes too small. Granted, I don’t store them in my closet, I’ve moved them to a box in the attic… but the fact is, I still have them. I’m hoarding them.

Reading the Talbot findings gave me the strength I need to toss them. If I ever get down to that size, I’ll buy new clothes. I require and want so few pieces now that a whole new wardrobe won’t be an exorbitant amount of money — and what better reward if I do shrink than new clothes?

Do you hoard clothes that don’t fit? What are you doing to keep your wardrobe complex instead of simple?