What would you do with these clothes?

[frugalone]

As some of you may know, I haven't had a full time office job in three years. I've just started working at a library. Some people might not know that dresses and skirts are not the most practical outfits for libraries. For e.g., there's a lot of kneeling down to find books, shelve books, stacking books on carts, retrieving books from the outdoor drop-off box...etc.

I have a lot of dresses I used to wear to work. Some of them are kind of "artsy" with hand-painted designs on them. Some are businesslike. I have a few skirts, too. My question is: Do I keep most of this stuff, in case I work in an office again? I don't go out a lot--even if I go to dinner it tends to be spur of the moment and to very casual restaurants. The thing is, I LIKE the dresses and would miss them. Do you think it's OK to keep them anyway? Or is it just "clutter"?

[Tussiemussies]

Guess it all depends upon who you ask. I still have one of my dresses from my honeymoon. Other things I have given away over the years. Think it all depends on how much you like them. I did once sell some things on eBay and kept the pictures of them which is something that was suggested by Glo on the old forums. Once and a awhile I'll see those pictures and think -- remember when --------. It is nice to just have the photo too.

Good luck at your new job and with your dilemma.

[Rosemary]

I used to wear dresses and skirts almost daily for work when I lived in AZ, worked in an office, and it was hot all year. It took a number of years but I have finally purged all of them. I did like them, but never wore them and finally decided it would be better for someone to wear them than to have them in my small closet crowding the clothes that are more practical for my current lifestyle and climate.

[rosarugosa]

I'm wondering the same thing about DH's wardrobe from his former corporate job - lots of Brooks Brothers shirts, trousers, ties, etc.
I guess I wouldn't be too quick to get rid of it because it would be so expensive to replace. I would be more inclined to give it a couple of years or so to make sure life doesn't take an unexpected turn, as it so often does.

[Miss Cellane]

I'd keep the dresses I liked the most. You just need to stop thinking of them as "office dresses" and more as "dresses I can wear any time I feel like it." You *can* wear them to a casual dinner out, or even just shopping or to the farmer's market or the movies or whatever. If you like the dresses and you like wearing them, I wouldn't get rid of all of them.

You're allowed to keep things you like. I've made a goal, in the past few years, of finding used for things I like but that were just sitting there. Like you, I wondered if I should get rid of them. Instead, I've started using the collection of china tea cups my grandmother and mother left me. Sometimes I use them for drinking tea, but some get used as little flower holders and one holds spare change on my dresser. The old linen tablecloths get used now, instead of being folded up in a drawer. One of them gets used as my summer bedspread, and it looks pretty.

Do the "artsy" dresses speak to you more than the business-like clothing? Keep a bare minimum of the business-like things, just in case you have a big meeting at work or something, and let the rest go. Then wear those artsy dresses and enjoy them.

[artist]

I would keep one or two favorites for those rare occassions when you do go out, and donate the rest somewhere.

[Florence]

Keep the dresses you like the most and put a tag on the hanger with today's date. If one year from today, you haven't worn the dress, donate it so that someone else might get some use from it.

[frugalone]

Great ideas--especially the "tag on the hanger" one.

The artsy dresses do speak more to me than business-like clothes. I guess that should be telling me something!!!

[Miss Cellane]

Any way you could wear leggings with any of the dresses? It's a fairly common look right now, and would allow you to wear the dresses to work if you wanted to.

[pony mom]

I'm jealous of your library job!

Save a few, give some away to people who like them. If you are in love with the design/pattern of some of them, make them into pillows.

I saved many of my old office clothes but eventually donated them. The less business looking dresses I kept but haven't had much reason to wear.