Hi, Erica, you again, and we're back for soul. We're talking to Erica and I and we're in her closet. She wanted us to come to her closet because we are talking in this episode about editing the closet. But the first thing is you had everybody do a bunch of homework and, um, and it was really about kind of digging deep and trying to figure out who they are. So I hope that you've done that. You've written down everything that you need to know about who you are, where you're going, where you wanna be, and then, um, as well as, you know, what's going on in your life right now so that you can kind of figure out, I guess, figure out what clothes we need for that, because I think we're all hanging on to a lot of stuff that we don't need. Well, if you haven't come to, you know, you don't need the final answer yet, you don't need the final draft, um, we're still digging, uh, in the trenches today, and it's gonna be a little bit, uh, if anything, I think this is probably the most emotional part of going through a closet cleanse. Um, so if you're already in the mindset by digging around in your brain a little bit, now we're gonna dig around in your closet a little bit. Um, I find this to be probably one of the, the real meat of going through and, uh, finding your Order. Yes, yes. When I did this with Erica in my closet, um, there were a lot of tears. It took two days, there was a lot of stuff. Um, but it, but you know, I will say that cleaning your closet out is really the start. It's like rebirthing yourself when it's all done and, and it's all beautiful and organized like this. So, uh, so I'm just gonna ask a couple questions first before we even start. What is this thing here? Well, you know, this, um, it's amazing, This beautiful black cloth is to protect clothes from UV rays. So regardless if you have a sky skylight in your closet or not, or no matter what, uh, one half of your clothing is always going to be exposed to the elements, and the other half is gonna be, you know, shoved into the darkness. And if you don't protect, you know, the edge of your clothes, um, UV rays can come down it and you'll almost always end up with a one side of your clothing, have sun damage or UV light damage. Uh, and the other side will be nice and fresh. So this is actually hiding, um, my clothes. I have a lot of jeans always on the perfect fit on search, the perfect fit, and a lot of glasses. So this is more protective. Um, and for the, I Love that I get, I get a lot of dust in my closet too. So with this help with that, or it Does, does help with dust. Um, I think there are other ways if, if you're really dusty or if you know, there's maybe a lot of high winds or construction nearby, there are other things you can buy. Um, actual garment bags, dust bags, if you have a different, you know, closet set up, you can keep certain things, you know, zipped away. I do have a few garment bags where certain items are zipped into cloth bags. Um, so there's a number of ways to protect your investments because again, it's not about quantity, it's about quality. Yes. And keeping it for a long time because, um, because everything seems to always come back in style or something that fits Really well, will Always look great on you. So it really doesn't matter what the trend is or what's going on. I mean, if you feel great in it and you look great in it, um, keep it safe and, and good. And you're gonna teach us about that too, about how to take care of our clothes. Yes. So yes. Yes. So what's first, Your closet? My closet. Anybody's closet, which you wanna do is take a good hard book and what you have. So, um, what you're gonna wanna do, get some standalone mirror just so you can see really, really have a good, um, you know, clear view. You need to be very honest with yourself. Um, you know, ready to, it's, it's not easy, ready to give a hard yes or hard no. Um, which you're gonna wanna be doing is going through every single piece in your wardrobe, um, trying them on one by one. And we're going to be very honest about the condition and the fit. And if it works for you, put each piece on one at a time. Don't make it whole outfit. No, I would go one by one. You know, take each piece and go ahead and, you know, put it on. Take a look in the mirror and be honest. Does it fit? I know that there are lots of issues on identifying how something fits correctly, but key things here are going to be, you want to make sure that you have enough room to move. You have enough ease that you can do what you need to do. If you are sitting in a certain position, you know, at your station, you wanna make sure that you can move your arms. You don't want to be restricted by your clothing, you wanna make sure that things button and zipper completely. And you know what? Weight fluctuations, side fluctuations, uh, it's a given, you know, partially why my closet looks so huge. So you wanna be able to keep yourself covered in all aspects. Um, so if something, you know, doesn't zip or button or if it's pinching and pulling and uncomfortable to wear, that is the number one sign to not put it on your body. You wanna be able to sit down, do the sit test at your station, you know, pants should be, you know, you should have breathing room. You should be able, you know, granted, I understand that maybe a lot of people are maybe wearing yoga pants, elastic waists. You have to do what is functional, but we also wanna make sure you bring your true style out. So yeah, you wanna go through one by one buttons on blouses should not gap. You should not have any space in between. It means that you need to make sure that you are, you know, your buttons and clothes or you need to size up. And don't worry about the sizes on the tags, uh, that is just arbitrary. All store sizing is different across the board. And what is most important is whether or not something fits. You wanna make sure waistbands fit, as I mentioned, but you also wanna make sure you don't have any strange pulling or crease anywhere. So if you have, you know, any strange cro lines, if you have any strange lines, you know, behind, underneath the bottom, these are all areas. What it means that something is a little bit too tight. And so you want to make sure things have a little bit of ease, a little bit of room fabric falls and drapes nicely. It's understandable. You know, you wanna dress for the body you have. Now, we all, you know, might have a little bit of, you know, wiggle room. You wanna lose a little, gain a little, and you can, you know, look for that as a goal. But we wanna celebrate who we are now. We wanna be able to put something on that, you know, right now looks good. It makes you feel good. So as you're going through your closet, I want you to look at each piece objectively. Ask yourself why you're hanging onto something. If it's been there for longer than five years, or if it's something you haven't worn for over a year, ask yourself why you're hanging onto it. Does it hold sentimental value? Is it something that you want to be able to get yourself into later? Does it not fit? These are reasons that a lot of us might hang on to pieces of clothing and you know, it's like carrying extra baggage around. It's a visual reminder that maybe it doesn't fit anymore. It's a visual reminder of a time and of a place that is not now and is not suiting you right now. As you're going through the pieces, do you have anything with tags on them? Why are they still tagged? Why haven't you worn them yet? Why haven't you cut them off immediately? It's the first thing I do. You know, look at it. Ask yourself, why is this here? Why did you buy it now? Fun stuff. You know, what is your favorite piece? What do you love? What pieces bring you joy and happiness when you put them on? Why? How would you describe your style? When you put the piece on and you look in the mirror, what does that person say to you? Is that the person you want to be when you look in the mirror? Is your current wardrobe? Is the piece that you put on, is it hiding anything? Are you hiding behind your clothes? Are you trying to cover something up? How about shoring something off? So while you're going through all of the pieces in your closet, don't forget about your underwear and sock drawers. Um, far too many people do not replace their underwear and socks. And this is the first thing that you're putting on. This is your base layer. And if it doesn't fit right or doesn't feel good, um, it is going to ruin the rest of your outfit or the rest of your day. So what you wanna make sure for your underwear, there are so many more like new underwear, underwear, brands out there now with either technical fabrics, um, flat seams, raw seams that won't give you any V p l visible panty lines, um, won't dig in. Um, so you can find ones that work for you. There's high wasted, low wasted boy shorts. Um, any one of these base layers can create the perfect foundation for, you know, a pair of jeans, a fitted pair of pants, a skirt, um, and also, you know, double check your bras. Do they fit correctly? Lifting the girls and putting them where they need to be. Separating and having the right size will give you an instant makeover in everything you already own. So go to professional bra fitting, uh, have someone measure you with a measuring tape that's an expert. Um, they'll be, be able to put you into a bra that will instantly slim your tummy, push the girls off where they need to be. And this separation here is what's gonna transform a lot of your clothes. Um, having a little bit of separation from the bust to the waist, uh, will instantly take off 10 pounds. Uh, so definitely go get yourself fitted. Um, if anything else, if you don't buy anything else, that's one of the most important things to do to transform your wardrobe and make you feel good from the inside out. And another place that many people forget about are their socks. A pair of socks can do wonders and the right socks should match with your shoes. Um, there are some socks, you know, cotton socks. Yeah, they're great. Most people probably have them, but there are other kinds of performance socks, boots, socks are gonna make your boots feel great and they're gonna be the right height to match your boots. Um, a lot of socks that are say wool lens of marina wool, uh, they're more like performance socks. Those are great as well. They're moisture wicking, will keep your feet comfortable in all temperatures, um, and, you know, really help give you a great foundation for your shoes. Okay, I just wanted to show you on a button down shirt how a blouse should fit. Um, you wanna be able to button all the way up and ideally this should not be gaping at all. So you don't wanna see your blouse doing this, especially around your chest. Um, that's where you're going to be having, you know, a little bit more volume. So either the chest even sometimes could even be around the tummy. You wanna make sure that none of this, especially on a vertical striped shirt, but none of these button holes are gaping. So you don't wanna be able to see any space in between everything. And if you can, that actually means that your shirt is too small. Um, if getting a size up sizing up to fit these girls, if that creates too much volume here, this is something you can always take to the tailor and have them add some darts to bring that in a little bit. But you always wanna be able to fit the largest portion of your body. This also means on the shoulders, you want the shoulder seat to sit right on the edge of the shoulder. And if the shoulder seat is sitting up too high, what's gonna happen is the volume of your arm is going to be pulling the scene here. So you wanna make sure when you're trying on a shirt, you're checking all of these places here, especially in the buttons. All right, jackets are our friends. The structure on a jacket will do wonders for your body. But if you have some in your closet and you're going through how to identify whether or not it's a keeper, you wanna know a couple fits. Ideally, wear buttons should button at the smallest part of your waist. If you cannot button your jacket and you've only been wearing it open because it does not button, it means it's too small. Sorry. Um, so that's one another thing here. You wanna make sure that your shoulder pads fit. You wanna make sure that this pad extends out to the edge of your shoulder, so that way when you're wearing your jacket, the volume of your arm does not portray out further than that. So this gives a nice structure for your jacket to sit and hang. One of the last things that you want to make out, make sure, so this you might need a friend for or a selfie stand. You wanna make sure that the seam under your armpit here is not pulling. So if your jacket is a little bit too small, it is gonna be pulling from here. You have creases running across the back, so you wanna make sure that you have enough, easier to move. You also wanna try the test. You wanna be able to move your arms back and forth and you can move. If you feel comfortable, then it looks good. All right, next we have up jeans. All of us have jeans. Do all of our jeans fit. Um, you know, it's, it's a closet stable. It's something good to invest in a well-fitting pair of jeans because you're gonna wear it to death. What you wanna make sure when you're looking for a pair of jeans, uh, a few telltale signs, um, for an ill-fitting pair of jeans. If you have any, um, creases or any whisk or wrinkling coming up outta your crotch here or around here, it actually means that your pants are too tight. Um, so if anything tends to want to give you little smile lines here, um, it's too small. Another area to make sure, make sure that your waistband fits correctly. Um, all genes are different. All gene manufacturers make jeans to fit different shapes. You know, you may have a more hourglass shape. Um, you may have a little bit straighter shape. Either way you wanna make sure that this waistband is not digging into your sides. Um, a key thing to make sure, uh, always, you know, keep an eye on that periodically. The last thing, you wanna make sure this, you gotta make sure turn around in the mirror. She doesn't really have a, a big booty, but you wanna make sure that you don't have any smile lines or wrinkles happening underneath the butt. That also means that it's too tight. Um, this is a, an area, you know, nowadays people are maybe a little more aware of checking out their booty, but you gotta make sure that down here looks okay too. So make sure you check smile lines all around. Your jeans should be neutral. So when we find out, um, when we start asking ourselves these questions, I guess, when do you like, put it in the box and, and send it on its way? When is that time? Put it on for whatever the reason is. So if it's not a yes, if it doesn't immediately make you happy when you put it on, it is a no At the end of the day, items that are ripped, stained, um, you know, discolored beyond repair, these are things you need to get rid of. It doesn't help to elevate your image. It, it only brings it down. You focus on imperfections rather than what's there. And so, you know, we, you, there are things that, that are, if there, if it's worth it to be mended. Um, and it's only worth it if, if it's a good fabric, if the construction is quality, if it is a timeless style or if it's something that you absolutely love that makes you so happy to put it on, then these are reasons worth fixing. Something, um, worth going out of your way to mend a hole, mend a rip, mend a tear, okay. Uh, maybe get a little, you know, tailoring taken out a seam. Let out a seam. These are, these are why it's worth it. But if it's something that is, you know, a non-quality fabric, something not breathable, like say if it's something polyester, if it is something where the repair is gonna be costing more than the garment, then these are reasons not to do it. And you know, the tailor can be your best friend. I mean, maybe it can be a pricey best friend, but at the end of the day, there's no right size, wrong size, right body shape. Um, you don't wanna let the clothes wear you. At the end of the day, clothing sizes are just numbers so that the manufacturers can create something. And from there, all of us have different body shapes, different body types, things from the start that might be constructed for a different style or shape of body. Might take an entire reconstruction to fit in a way that you like it to fit. Um, and so it's, you know, these are why appreciating good construction. I mean, all these little scenes, all the little details, you know, things like shoulder pads or facings, it's, it's work. It goes into quality, gar like garment. But you need to be able to understand what fits you and how much of a tweak something needs to be. So thank you cuz that, that really helps a lot. And I think that that's really, I mean, this is that first big step of, of cleansing. And I actually feel like, you know, having you there with me really helped. Um, and, and bringing your, your bestie that's gonna tell you the truth, like that does not look good anymore. Um, or, you know, that doesn't fit you right. I think bringing someone in, if you really are wanting to make this change and really up, um, update, uh, your entire life, um, bringing your best friend into your closet with you and, and do it together.