6 Outdated Wardrobe Staples I’m Ditching to Buy Fresher Alts

I really do try to donate as much clothing as I bring in (a must when you live in a New York City apartment), but I’ll admit that I’ve been slacking in the donation part of that method lately. Purchases? Those haven’t stopped. Closet clean-outs? Those have slowed significantly. A short delay would be all well and good if I lived somewhere with a basement or, better yet, was willing to pay for a storage unit. Alas, I’m not, so my one closet is completely overrun, forcing me to nearly throw out my back every time I have to find space to hang anything up. My solution? You’re reading it.

Whenever I need serious motivation, I turn the task at hand into a story. That way, I can’t just avoid it. I don’t know if you’ve heard of them, but there’s this thing called deadlines, and I hate missing them. With a few hours to kill last weekend, I stood in front of my closet and got to cataloging my possessions, starting with wardrobe staples that aren’t so core to my dressing habits anymore. Once essentials, chunky knits and ultra-wide-leg jeans now gather dust in my closet, meaning they simply have to go. (Sorry.)

Below, find out which six outdated wardrobe staples I’m dumping in 2025 and discover the six fresh ones I’m buying instead.

One chunky sweater can stay, but the seven that currently live in a bin underneath my bed and never saw the light of day all throughout fall and winter have to go. They had their time in the sun, but these days, I’d much rather wear a classic fitted cardigan with a white tee layered underneath. You can button it all the way up or go the daring route, skipping the tee altogether and undoing some buttons. I like to tuck mine into jeans, skirts, and trousers and play around with unique colors and various materials, from merino wool to cashmere.

I used to rely heavily on my long slip skirts for any time I didn’t know what to wear to work—they were the epitome of a wardrobe staple. Now, I never grab for them. Instead, I’m frequenting shorter, more 2025 versions that hit around the knee and feature a line of elegant lace at the bottom hem. J.Crew’s skirt is my favorite, but with many brands hopping on board, I’m slowly but surely building a collection.

The thing with jeans is that they are very personal. If you find a denim silhouette you like that fits your body well, don’t go changing it out just because the trend cycle has shifted. The same goes the other way too, though—just because one shape is trending doesn’t mean you have to follow it. Ultra-wide-leg jeans were that for me. They never worked well for me, yet I wore them regularly for a long time. Now that stovepipe jeans have entered the chat, I’ve found that they’re, by far, the most flattering style for my body, which is why I’m ditching all my wide-leg pairs for stovepipe—not just for 2025 but probably forever.

Remember when pouch bags, be they drawstring pouches or clutches, were all anyone carried? Same. I was hardly immune to their pull. These days, though, I’m far more likely to grab an east-west shoulder bag or clutch than I am the pouches of yore. Coach’s Empire bag has been calling my name for months—as was Alaïa’s Le Teckel until I went to Paris and bought one. I’m a big fan of the options with a longer strap that fits over puffy sleeves and thick coats, and I was surprised to find that the east-west silhouette allows you to fit a ton of goodies inside.