After seeing an episode of Tidying up with Marie Kondo , showing a couple going through their closet, I was inspired to do the same with my own “joy test” experiment. I love to shop, in person, online, anyway there is. Combining my love of shopping with my passion for fashion means clothe shopping has become my kryptonite. Nearly every time I see a new article of clothing that catches my eye, I immediately “have to have it!” As a result, I have a closet full of sweaters, dresses, and jackets in my apartment here in New Paltz; that is only a portion of the entire collection I have at my home. I also have two dressers filled with shirts, workout attire, skirts, and sweatshirts. Everything from statement pieces to everyday basic shirts to one-time wear Occasion pieces, which in the moment of buying them I couldn’t live without. I decided that this experiment would be best done on this collection of clothes I have, and potentially I could even learn a bit of pairing down and working with what I have for the time being. 

I decided to start with my dressers; each drawer separates a different article of clothing, some being full to the brim due to recent additions and online shopping spontaneous purchases. After emptying the contents of all my drawers, I realized this experiment was going to be very time consuming and could quickly turn into a whole day project, so I decided to break it down a tad more and focus my experiment on my dresser drawers focusing on my sweatshirts, shirts and  I didn’t dare open my closet door after making that decision. I quickly tackled my sweatshirts, for this was simple, I don’t have many, and the ones I do own, I realized quickly, are a necessity, for I do wear all of them regularly. So far, this joy test was going very well. Then it came to my shirts, and this is where some tough decisions were made. I organize my shirts in three separate categories, basics, t-shirts, and as I like to call it my “extra” shirts, they are just a little fancier and can be worn by themselves. I quickly realized I had so many t-shirts I didn’t even realize I had, and it also made me realize this experiment was doing this intended job. I went through and only kept five t-shirts that I genuinely felt connected to and knew I would wear either to the studio during an art project or even to sleep in. The basics went almost as simple as the sweatshirts, for I wear most of them regularly. However, I quickly realized even though these are very practical, a few to almost none of these shirts gave me that “wow” moment. I wasn’t in love with any of these shirts on their own. I sat for a moment and debated keeping or discarding these so-called essential pieces that I relied heavily on in my wardrobe. After a few moments, I realized that these basic shirts didn’t give me joy or make me feel  happy to wear them independently; however, they complete the outfit when paired with other sweaters, skirts, etc. Putting outfits together essentially gives me the joy that Marie Kondo expresses. Therefore, I feel confident and happy in the mundane essential pieces that don’t speak on their own, but rather  are a contribution to that wow outfit. As a result, I decided to keep all but two of them, for I realized I had a lot, and they were very similar, even down to the color. If anything comes out of this experiment, it will be that I don’t need any more basic shirts, as cute as they may seem on the shelf. Finally, it was time to go through the “extra” shirts, a moment I dreaded due to their quantity. Immediately I realized I almost disliked and didn’t feel anything special about most of them. These purchases were primarily made online through fast fashion websites, and I had only worn them once or some not at all; a few pieces even had the tags still on them. I was embarrassed and almost sad that I spent the money on these pieces that just sat there every day being overlooked. I knew I needed to pass these shirts on to a new home literally and metaphorically. All the shirts that did not wow me or I saw myself not happy wearing, I put in a bag that I plan to give away to the local Salvation Army. After I was done sorting them all out, I had paired down my “extra” shirts to about a half of what they used to be, and to my surprise, my mood had lifted. 

After experiencing Marie Kondos’s joy test experiment firsthand, I can see what all the hype is about surrounding her techniques. I only did this experiment on nearly a third of my wardrobe; however, even that slightest change I can say has genuinely made me feel better and a little less cluttered. I quickly found the shirt I wanted to wear, even today, and It made me a little more aware of how many clothes I have! As for that bag of shirts, I intend to go to the Salvation Army after my class and donate them to provide them with a new life, one where they will be worn happily and displayed in the light they should be.