Wardrobe Detox: Help me get rid of my partners UNWANTED Clothes
If you haven’t already read, you would be familiar with our 5 step guide of our Wardrobe Detoxing. The tips and recommendations from that post are vital because you will need to apply these to this three part topic. We would never advise (depending on the nature of your relationship) to take full reign of ridding your partners items - you have to be somewhat empathetic and understanding. So below are a few answers to your questions to bare in mind. This post has been inspired from our creators life experience, which we know most if not all of our readers can relate too. This topic will be broken down into three parts so that you can maximise all of our tips and practices on how to best approach what seems to be a delicate conversation to have.
How should I approach him/her about it?
Firstly, we would like to emphasise that we do not know your partners personally, so approaching them about something potentially delicate to them should be done in a manner of respect and to tread carefully. Not everyone is forthcoming to such change and it being a big change. We would best advise to bring inclusivity i.e “WE” rather than “I” in this way it gives them the choice and some sort of control as to what they are ready to let go off and what they aren’t.On the plus side it would be a great way to work together as a ‘team’ on this. However, should you find yourself in a situation where you have full reign of your partners wardrobe - count yourself lucky - however still make sure to include them in the process every now and again. What we feel will look and feel best for our partners is not always the case.
What if they say “NO”?
If they say “NO”, do not argue with their answer, in fact what we advise what you should do is ask them their reasoning and acknowledge that. The whole point in this is so that you can plant a seed in their mind for them to later come back to. Do not push the idea onto them as they will come round to the idea quicker than you think, and quicker than what they are willing to accept. A lot of the time why partners decline the idea is because they feel that their personal space, i.e clothing is very personal to everyone; is being infiltrated. Therefore, not many partners will find the idea ‘exciting’ but in fact terrifying.
What if they say “YES”?
If they say “YES” this is for sure great news, this could also mean that this is something that they have had their mind on for quite some time and needed the push in order for them to start. Another possible reason could also be that as individuals our style do evolve a little as we get a older and want to refresh our stylistic ideas with the help and opinions of our partners - this only applies to some as some already know what their stylistic ideas are and will only agree to get rid of old items to replace them with new ones.
How do I advise him/her that they should let go of that one or few items I don’t like or aren’t great fit for them?
The important thing to always remember is that you are doing this together. Do not have expectations that this will happen over night but will in fact take some time. As previously mentioned, we all have some form of attachment to our clothes so therefore maybe the next detox in three months time that you will together again will be when they do decide maybe it is truly about time to let go of the item. We repeat, do not force them to rid the item - subtly plant a seed in their mind and give a subtle explanation as to why you think that they shouldn’t keep that/those items - a simple “I just don’t like it” will not always suffice unless they are easy going and don’t mind. For example - maybe the item/items do not go with their personal style and it is a complete mismatch - this is a great way of pointing out the why’s and try to come up with an alternative.
Should I offer alternatives?
Lastly, always offer alternatives during your quarterly detoxing regime. Reason being you do not want to completely offend your partner by just getting rid of everything and it just be that. This can be done by simply replacing items with what you think will look best on your partner and giving them little hints. Additionally, you can also plan shopping trips for the two of you occasionally so they also have some form of input. Always remember it is always about planting the idea and things will fall into place.
We hope you have enjoyed this read, and will bear in mind the above points to your wardrobe detoxing journey and should you want to apply this to your personal styling journey you can do so with your partner. Always involve them to a degree in the process so they can also feel that their opinion matters just as much during the decision making, unless you are lucky one and have full reign of your partners wardrobe - then you can (to a degree) do as you please.
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