Practicing What I Preach

Don’t you hate it when companies stop making a product that you love? This happened to me recently when Lands End stopped making my favorite jeans.

My uniform for most of the year consists of blue or black jeans below the waist, topped off by a colorful shirt. My jeans for many years have been Lands End’s high rise straight-leg stretchy denim. I always had several pairs in each color. When one would get overly faded or too short, I would replace it with a new one.

Two years ago, I noticed that Lands End was no longer selling them. I tried a few of their other styles but nothing was as good a fit or as comfortable. Then this year I saw their new high rise bootcut jeans. I bought a pair of each color in the spring to try them out. I liked them and bought another pair of each color at the end of the summer as well.

One of my basic organizing principles is “One in, one out.” When I get 4 new pairs of jeans, it means I should be getting rid of 4 old pairs, right? Yet I was reluctant to part with my old favorites. As many of my clients like to say, “But they don’t make them anymore!”

What finally decided the question was my hangers. I use a special brand of hangers called Holding Hangers. I was introduced to them by another Professional Organizer. They go inside the waistband of the pants and allow the pants to hang straight down. Unfortunately, they are no longer manufactured (ugh!) so I’m limited to the ones I already have.

I strongly believe in using identical hangers for the same type of clothing. It provides fewer distractions in the closet, and it lets you see the clothing better because everything hangs at the same level. So I needed to reduce my number of jeans so that I didn’t run out of hangers.

I ultimately decided to let go of two pairs of black jeans and one pair of blue. The black jeans were so faded and I couldn’t justify wearing them when I had new pairs that looked so much better. The blue pair was in a smaller size than the others. Although it fit, it just wasn’t as comfortable, so I found myself bypassing it each time its turn came.

I may do a little more pruning of my jeans, but for now, I’ve got enough hangers for the ones I still own. I’m a little embarrassed that I struggled so much to take my own advice. It gives me a renewed sympathy for what my clients go through. Maybe I need to hire a Professional Organizer!