The Silver Kick Diaries

Recently I cleaned out my closet. I removed tons and tons of clothes, jewellery, scarves, belts, handbags and even shoes. I gave them all away. And you know what? It. Felt. So. GOOD!

Over the last year or so I had accumulated way too many clothes, shoes and accessories. Some I bought, others gifted. It got to a point where I had stuff I hadn't even worn yet. {And that is so not me. I like buying something and wearing it within the same week, if not the next day.} Plus I came to realize that through the last two years or so, my style and personality had evolved. But I still had plenty of items that were the old me. And the thought of having so much stuff was weighing me down. Not to mention that whenever I went to the closet to get dressed, I had TOO much choice and it was frustrating as hell. It was taking me ages to decide what to wear everyday. A classic case of the "I have nothing to wear!" because I had too many things to wear!

And one fateful night, not many moons ago, I decided enough is enough. It began when I posted a blog post and I realized I hated what I was wearing. It wasn't me. I deleted the entire blog post, and realized I needed to delete a few things from my closet, too. 

And the next day, I did. I purged my closet of everything I didn't want anymore. Clothes, belts, bags, scarves, shoes, even jewellery. Why was I keeping stuff that isn't me, or that wasn't who I am anymore? It goes against every fibre of my sartorial being. So I emptied everything. I went through each and every piece of item I own and asked myself- is this really me? Do I WANT to wear this again? And if the answer was no, I took it out. I also got rid of many things I had worn too many times and simply gotten bored of. I needed a change, I needed freshness to come back to my wardrobe.

At the end of it I had a giant pile of items. Now I just needed to make it disappear. Given that all my stuff is in great condition {buy quality and it will last}, I called my girl cousins over and asked them to go through it all, try them on and take them home. This way my once-loved clothes found another loving home. The {very} few pieces that didn't get taken, I donated to charity. And finally the whole lot was cleared. The catharsis I felt was unbelievable. I felt light and so, SO happy. Like a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders. I felt like I could finally wear the clothes, shoes and accessories I really, really LOVE and which reflect who I am.

And since that day, dressing up has become fun again. I went shopping after that and bought a few things that I needed, and my wardrobe feels fresh and full of good energy again.



Take my advice. If your closet is overflowing, or if you feel like what you have is not 'you', do a closet purgatory. Start by emptying your entire closet. Then put back whatever you absolutely LOVE. Put the Maybes in a separate pile to go back to later. {And if you didn't go back to them at the end of 6 months, give them away}. Donate or give away all the other things that you no longer like, or that you never wear.

We often overlook the importance of bringing freshness to our wardrobe, when it's so essential. Your clothes speak volumes about who you are and how you come across to others. So why not always, always, have and wear only those things that are true to you? And just like anything else, your wardrobe will benefit from a good de-cluttering. Again, remember, quality over quantity. the more number of things you have, the more frustrated and unsatisfied you'll be. Choosing from a few beautiful pieces when you wake up in the morning is such joy compared to throwing one thing after another on the bed and tearing your hair out.

Go on, purge your wardrobe. Feel the catharsis.

This pairing of a simple colored tee with this floral skirt was my go-to look this weekend. The royal blue in the top brings out the blue in the skirt. I added a big necklace, and matched summery sandals to it. Blue bangles match the top. A red bag adds another pop of color to the outfit. 

Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, is coming up. {It starts in approximately 10 days.} Bahrain usually goes to sleep in this month, meaning I'll probably have a lot of time on my hands. For someone who loves keeping busy the prospect of having too much time on her hands is very, very, scary. I'm already making a list of what I can do to fill up the hours. I'm thinking of doing a few online courses. Free time is always a good opportunity to master new skills, and I'm always eager to learn. And I'll probably sketch more. I finally sat down and sketched this yesterday-


I call it 'Sitting in the window'. The last time I sketched was in November which is more than six months ago and I really should sketch more. It fills up my time beautifully and it makes me feel so great. 

And of course, I'll try to do more blog shoots and posts in Ramadan. So yep. Looking forward to an educational, artsy, photoshoot-filled Ramadan!

xoxo

Shabana

"Aging Gracefully". Pencils on paper.

• Getting into pajamas after a loooong day. 
• The second wind of energy I feel halfway through teaching a Body Combat class.
• The smell of dark chocolate. 
• Invigorating walks in the cold, when you're dressed warmly.
• Shopping in am uncrowded mall.
• Wrapping cold hands around a warm mug of tea, feeling the warmth seep into your fingers and up your forearms.
• Swinging on a tyre hung from a tree.
• When my brother texts me "Quietly come into my room" to see the latest antics of my cat. 
• Setting my alarm clock at night and realizing I have 7+ hours of sleep. 
• Overcast skies.

Girl in the Window. Watercolor on paper.