If the shoes _ or jacket or jeans _ don’t fit, do

If the shoes _ or jacket or jeans _ don’t fit, don’t give them closet space
NEW YORK — Any way you hang it, that strong-shouldered jacket from the 1980s is never going to quite look like the ‘80s-inspired jackets popular now. Same goes for the ‘70s maxi and slinky disco-style dresses.
Think of this as a time to clear your closet — cleaning and updating in one fell swoop — by strategically paring down your wardrobe, making a few new additions and finding shelf space for those items that truly are timeless.
Even something as simple as knit leggings, a staple now, were a fashion “don’t” a decade ago. They could go into hibernation again. And, chances are, anyone who kept their stirrups from the Culture Club-era still can’t make those look modern.
Adam Glassman, fashion director at O, The Oprah Magazine, says anything you haven’t worn in two years should be booted from the valuable closet real estate. He used to say one year, he explains, but he is allowing for a little more flexibility in size fluctuation, popular colors and immediate trends.
After that, though, the items — unless they’re expensive, top-tier designer pieces in beautiful fabrics with precision cuts — should go. It’s romantic to think that other items, even pricey ones, could wear that “vintage” label someday, but, in reality, very few things do.
“Very high-end stuff, like (French design label) Balmain, you can save that because, eventually, it could be a collector’s item. I have friends who hold on to Prada like that,” says Glassman. “But that’s a small percentage of what’s out there. You don’t need to save H&M, Gap, Zara.”
Most closets are cluttered with stuff that hasn’t seen the light of day in a very long time, says Jackie Conlin, a personal style consultant in San Francisco. “Timeless pieces are real gems,” she says. “I like the idea of timelessness, but the way things change so rapidly, a look is going to change and your look is going to change.”
She advises a “classic wardrobe with punches of personality,” including a trench coat that, if it’s not a Burberry, is made in the brand’s spirit, in a neutral color, and a tailored and trim silhouette; pencil skirts and pencil black pants; and shift and sheath dresses.
Conlin puts a white blouse or man-tailored button-down on the list,purple osiris shoes, but Glassman warns that those can be tricky to keep because, even protected in the closet, they’ll yellow over time.
They do agree that keeping traditional handbags, clutches and totes, for instance, and high-heel pumps (probably just the round-toe ones) makes sense as long as they’re in good condition. Heavily embellished accessories, however, might be perfect donations for a little girl’s dress-up box.
Professional closet designer and organizer Melanie Fascitelli says she sees stacks of purses and boots collecting dust. “People have a much harder time parting with them. There’s something weird about boots that no one wants to part with. They’ll be run into the ground and be Band-Aided to death,” she observes. “Yes, there are some leather items that look good worn-in, but some don’t, and boots are one of those things.”