January Closet Edit: What To Do With The Clothes You Let Go

Happy Saturday, friends!

It’s time for the weekend post with Kim and Elizabeth, our weekly roundup of inspirations and goings on. Today I’m talking about January closet edits and what to do with the clothes we let go. Recycle, donate, sell …  we have options. Let’s discuss.

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If you did a closet purge in January, you’re not alone. It feels good to start the New Year with a paired down and organized closet and in doing so creating space to welcome new things. But what to do with the clothes we let go? Let’s talk about the options for moving the good things along to their next chapter and responsibly disposing of those at the end of their useful life.

Local Consignment Shops ~

Consignment allows our clothes a second life while returning a little cash to our pockets. Win win.

Consigning locally is, of course, ideal. We want to support local businesses. Duh. Some of us are luckier than others when it comes to resale options and I’m one of the lucky ones. The Bay Area resale shopping cup runneth over.

My favorite is ReCHIC in Orinda. Owned by the delightful Maureen Brown, the shop is cozy, welcoming and packed with beautifully curated, sought after clothing, shoes and bags.

I’ve sold quite a few things at ReCHIC over the years including my Louis Vuitton Artsy bag and beloved Ralph Lauren wool cape. I know, I said I’d never part with it but hell occasionally freezes over. The cape was très chic but no longer fit my lifestyle, or our mild climate. It had become more of a closet trophy than a useful part of my wardrobe. It feels good knowing it’s getting the love and wear it deserves in someone else’s closet.

Mostly I’ve sold more down to earth pieces including a number of things after last year’s massive closet purge just prior to our move.

I accumulated a nice little credit at the shop and picked up two cute dresses before our Cabo trip last summer. A short, tiered floral number from Velvet by Graham & Spencer quickly became a summer favorite and Sold Out NYCs black and cream RSVP dress created by attaching their popular Not-So-Basic tank to a poplin skirt. It’s a flattering style and nearly sold out or in limited sizing. French Connection makes a similar style with white poplin skirt, and I like this long sleeved take.

Before getting into your car with a bag full of clothing for consignment, consult your resale shop’s website for their policies and procedures. The first being, you probably need to make an appointment. Here is ReChic’s information for first time consigners including accepted brands, consignor split and payout, terms and markdown schedule, luxury authentication process, how to schedule an appointment and prepare your items (cleaned, pressed, on hangers). All the things you need to know before you consign.

Consigning locally has benefits in addition to supporting local businesses like saving time. Consigning online is labor intensive …

Online Consignment ~

Online consignment isn’t hard but requires some work. I’ve used Poshmark and The Real Real. There are many options.

Poshmark …

Poshmark is in the peer-to-peer resale arena (ThredUp and eBay are similar). First you create a page – or closet (my closet is here, but I don’t have anything listed now), and then you’re ready to upload your pieces for sale. Poshmark charges a flat fee per item sold (not a percentage of sale).

Now for the work part … the process of getting your items uploaded and live on the site.

• Photograph the piece – front, back, side, details. Try to get the best photos possible … a decent (not distracting) background in good lighting. There are many dreadful photos on Poshmark, and I wonder how those things sell. Well, they probably do, but I think good photos make a difference.
• Try to track down brand photos of your piece. Not in lieu of your own photos, but in addition to.
• Research the original price of the item and determine the current value on the resale market. Do this by searching the exact piece or similar pieces for sale online. Poshmark will suggest a price range for your item which is helpful, but it’s good to do your own reconnaissance.
• Upload photos, write a thorough description including color, size, condition, material, etc., set your price, choose payment option for shipping, and publish.
• Once your item sells, print the Poshmark provided mailing label, and pack and ship the item ASAP. I try to do it same day.
• If your item doesn’t sell within a week, consider adjusting the price. You may also receive an offer at a lower price which you’re free to accept, reject or counter.

Nerd Alert: I started keeping track of new purchases, including price, brand description, color or print name (for example, I might say the item is pink, but the brand may have called it rose, blush or salmon), and a brand photo. All of this will come in handy – and save a ton of time –  if you decide to sell it down the road. Also, if you think you may want to sell or consign it someday, leave the brand’s label, size and care tags attached. Some tags are too big, itchy or otherwise irritating (hello Lululemon) and have to be removed, but this will make it difficult to sell or consign later.

My experience with The Real Real …

And then there are The Real Real’s of the world … who come to your home, pick up and whisk your pieces away to be evaluated, photographed and priced for sale. They do all the work.

The Real Real had been contacting me for a couple of years. I’m not sure how I got onto their radar, I think they just make cold calls. When I did my pre-move closet purge I decided to give it a shot and made an appointment for a consultant to come to Snowberry.

I was nervous, what if my pieces weren’t up to snuff? Facing what I felt would be certain mortification I scoured The Real Real’s accepted brand list and carefully selected the pieces to show their consultant.

I had what I thought was a lot of good stuff. Many pieces had become closet trophies, like my Manolo, Jimmy Choo, and Prada stilettos. They look beautiful on my shoe shelves, but teetering around in sky-high heels is a thing of the past and it was time to say goodbye.

The Real Real’s consultant, Gerald, arrived and couldn’t have been nicer. He explained the consignment process and started going through the pieces on my trusty rolling rack. After packing up to take away all but a couple of my things, he asked if I had anything else. At that point I threw caution to the wind and got the rest out – the things I was afraid he would scoff at – and all were deemed worthy. The entire process took a little over an hour and Gerald was off with my former treasures to be photographed, priced and loaded onto their website.

It took a couple of weeks for all my pieces to go live on the site, and I received daily email updates and could check their status on the client portal website. As items sold, I also received email notifications.

The Real Real allows for returns and two or three of my items were returned … and quickly resold. You can learn more about The Real Real’s pricing here. And their payout structure here.

Overall, my things sold quickly. Of the thirty pieces I consigned, twenty-five sold and 5 lingered. After a few months, price reductions and no action, I asked for the items be returned to me and they couldn’t have been more gracious about it. These pieces arrived a couple of weeks later having been carefully wrapped and beautifully packaged. It was a nice touch.

All and all it was a very good experience. I made a Reel of Gerald’s visit to Snowberry here.

Dedicated Brand Resale ~

Resale and vintage clothing is big business and it’s no surprise brands want in on it too. Many brands have created their own resale sites like ReLoved by Frank & Eileen.

Last year I posted a couple of pieces for sale to the ReLoved site. The Tuscany Getaway Set in olive which I love in theory, but doesn’t work on me, and the Shirley oversized plaid flannel shirt. Again, I love this shirt, it’s soft, warm and cozy, but it isn’t my color.

The Tuscan Getaway Set sold instantly, apparently the olive color is highly sought after. But, the flannel shirt lingered and after a couple of months I removed the listing.

Similar to any consignment situation, pieces must be in mint condition, clean, pressed and worthy of a premium price tag. ReLoved works like any online consignment site and it’s easy to use. Read their FAQs here.

• If you purchased the item on Frank & Eileen’s website your purchase history will pop up, including brand photo and original price and that takes care of the first step.
• If it’s not in your purchase history, searching the inventory is simple.
• You will still need to photograph the actual piece and upload the photos to the listing. Good photos!
• ReLoved will suggest a sales price, but you’re free to change it.
• $10 will be added to the sale price to cover shipping.
• Once you submit your sale item, ReLoved will review it, and, once approved, it goes live. This is pretty quick.
• You’ll be notified when your item sells and prompted to download a shipping label, package the piece nicely and drop it at the post office.
• When the buyer receives the item, they have three days to confirm and accept it and then payout will be released. You can opt for cash at 70% of sales price, or store credit for 100%. And that reminds me I have a credit to spend!
• Sales are final.

BTW if you love Frank & Eileen, Flaunt in Danville always has the newest pieces in their shop, often in colors and patterns not available online … like my olive linen set. And you’ll benefit from the sage styling advice of Ashely, Denise and all the fun shop gals. And, woo hoo, I believe all of Flaunt’s inventory is now available online. The popular Silvio untuckable button-up just arrived in a cute red and white check – perfect for February.

Other brands offering their own dedicated resale sites include Madewell Forever, Lululemon Like New, Patagonia Worn Wear, and Levi’s Secondhand.

Donate ~

No explanation needed. Although I complicate things by separating items for donation into two categories. No hard and fast rules, but better pieces in very good condition go to our local Assistance League thrift shop, the Wayside Inn. Everything else worthy of a second life, and in good condition, goes to the Goodwill or Salvation Army drop off. Because, I’m being honest, it’s convenient.

Recyle ~

Trashie is a company I’ve mentioned before that offers take back bags for discarded clothing and textiles so they are sustainably recycled. Donate-able items find new homes, and clothing unfit for use by others – worn, torn, stained, whatever … is recycled responsibility and kept out of landfills. They accept old sheets and other bedding, and it’s a good way to dispose of underpinnings, socks, items that might otherwise be tossed in the trash. Read Trashie’s FAQs here.

Take back bags are purchased (I’ve bought the 3-pak a couple of times), and you earn redeemable rewards. They also offer a tech take back box which which came in handy before our move when I discovered we are tech hoarders.

Read more about Trashie and similar services here.

 

Odds & Socks ~

Local friends, the Martinez Valentine’s Day Wine & Chocolate Stroll tickets are on sale now.

Do you have any pet-peas? This cracked me up.

Currently reading Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid suggested by my former Sonoma book club friends. We’re now an informal virtual book club which mostly involves recommending books to one another but we’ve vowed to get together every couple of months to discuss.

This account from a Minnesota mom is both heartfelt and heartbreaking.

If you missed this morning’s episode of Donkey King you can see it (and past episodes) here. Each week Oscar’s Place Instagram account gives an update on the donkey or donkey’s featured in the current episode.

Current Favorites ~

 

And that’s what I have for you today. Last week I shared some things I’m eyeing and buying for the new house … if you missed it, catch up here.

Let’s see what’s inspiring Kim and Elizabeth.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA STYLE

PINECONES AND ACORN

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