Eighteen Month Rule

This is not one of Nina’s essentials, but this has been a wardrobe essential for me for quite a few years now. The rule is:

If I haven’t worn it even once in 18 months, it goes.

12 months is too short a time. 2 years is too long, and I probably wouldn’t remember, anyway. 18 months is kind of nice middle ground.

Recently, I’ve been browsing through the “Who What Wear” book by Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr (see WhoWhatWear.com). I was interested to see that they also advocate the 18 month rule!

This rule means that the items I have

• Fit
• Still suit me
• Are in good condition
• Keep up with any changes in style I’ve made

The only only only exceptions are collectables and special “occasion” pieces such as a silk sequinned Dinnigan cardigan, a tuxedo, that sort of thing. And sometimes even these are not immune.

I don’t have a stack of vintage Comme des Garçons or Valentino, or an inherited stash of Chanel, so this rule isn’t going to clear me out of coveted designer pieces.

What the 18 month rule provides a measuring stick against the relevance of the item you’re holding up in front of you, considering whether you’ll ever wear it again.

Again, a certain ruthlessness and clear-headedness is necessary. There’s not much room for sentimentality. I wouldn’t do it with a glass of champagne in my hand, nor would I let my friends get involved unless I thought I wasn’t up to it.

A good time to apply the rule is at the change of seasons, such as when you start packing away your heavier winter stuff and heavy knits and start bringing out the shorts and sandals. You’ll have a good idea if that start-of-season buy actually got used, and you’ll have had enough of a break from your stored clothes to be able to look at them a little more objectively.

If you have ample wardrobe space and don’t ever pack away seasonal clothes, you should seriously think about trying it. It clears everything up, protects clothes from pests when you’re not using them, and helps you get organised, making it much, much easier to find what you’re looking for. Go on, try it. You’ll thank me :-)