Diving Back into My 2014 Wardrobe: A Recent Clear-Out Story
Alright, so the other day, I got this sudden urge, you know? The kind where you look at your closet and just think, “This is it. I gotta sort this mess out.” And that’s how I stumbled upon this whole “2014 clothes” adventure. It wasn’t really planned, just kinda happened as I was trying to make some space.
I was digging through the back, behind all the stuff I actually wear these days, and there it was. A couple of those vacuum-sealed bags, all squished flat, and one of them had “2014 – Summer Faves” scribbled on it in faded marker. Honestly, I’d totally forgotten about them. My first thought was, “Oh boy, what fashion crimes did I commit back then?” I was a bit scared, a bit curious.
So, I figured, why not? Let’s open Pandora’s Box, or in this case, Pandora’s vacuum bag. I wrestled one of them open – you know how they make that satisfying whoosh sound when the air rushes in? And out popped these clothes. Some of them, I swear, looked like they belonged to a completely different person. Which, I guess, in a way, they did. 2014 me was… well, let’s just say my style was still “under construction.”
My main “practice” for the afternoon became trying some of this stuff on. Or, well, attempting to. Let me tell you, it was an experience, and mostly a funny one. There was this pair of skinny jeans, a super bright turquoise color, that I absolutely lived in back then. I thought I was so cool. I tried to squeeze into them. Okay, “squeezed” is being incredibly kind. It was more like a ten-minute wrestling match, and the jeans definitely won. My body has, uh, “matured” since 2014, let’s put it that way politely.
- First up, a whole load of peplum tops. Remember those? They were everywhere in 2014. I found at least three, in different, equally questionable patterns. I bravely tried one on. Looked in the mirror. Burst out laughing. Took it off immediately. Some things should stay in the past.
- Then there were these statement necklaces. You know, the huge, chunky, bib-like things. I used to think they made every plain t-shirt look instantly “chic.” Now they just look… incredibly heavy and a bit much.
- And oh, the band t-shirts! Some of those were actually pretty cool, still. Brought back some good memories of concerts and festivals. One or two even still fit okay, surprisingly enough. Those went into a tentative “maybe” pile.
It was quite something, just sitting there on the floor, surrounded by these clothes from almost a decade ago. It wasn’t just about the fashion, you know? Each piece kinda had a little story attached. That floral dress I wore to my cousin’s summer wedding. The slightly ripped hoodie I basically lived in during my exams that year. It was like flipping through an old photo album, but with fabric, and you could actually touch the memories.
So, what did I actually do with all this stuff after my little fashion show? Well, that was the next part of the “practice.” I had to be realistic.
I made a few piles.
A very tiny “keep for sentimental reasons” pile – this was mostly for a couple of those band t-shirts and a scarf that had a particular memory attached.
A “maybe salvageable for a themed costume party, if I ever go to one” pile – because some of that 2014 fashion was truly a look, and not necessarily in a good way.
And a pretty darn big “donate” pile. Seriously, someone else can try to rock those peplum tops and neon skinny jeans now. Good luck to them, I say.
The whole thing took up most of my Saturday afternoon. It didn’t exactly “spark joy” in the way that famous organizing lady talks about all the time, but it was definitely interesting. It was a bit of a reality check on how quickly things change – styles, our bodies, even what we think looks good on us. Made me wonder what I’ll think of my current favorite clothes in another ten years. Probably the same thing I thought about my 2014 stuff: “Wow, what on earth was I thinking?” But hey, that’s part of the fun of it all, right? And at least my closet is a bit emptier now.
