What About Maternity Wear, Clothes That Don’t Fit, and Nice Clothes for a Future Job?

This is part of Stewie's Guide to Ruthlessly Declutter Your Clothes Today.

We all have clothes we’re not currently wearing but feel like we should keep. I call these “future clothes.”

You know the ones. The dress pants you haven’t worn in years but might need if you switch jobs. The jeans that don’t fit right now but might if you lose weight. The maternity clothes from a past pregnancy, just in case.

Sometimes, keeping future clothes makes sense.

When our son was born, my wife took a break from teaching junior high. She packed up her “teacher clothes” in bins and stored them in the basement. Years later, when she returned to teaching, she pulled them out—and just like that, she had a professional wardrobe again.

That was the right decision for her.

But for most of us, future clothes don’t live neatly in labeled bins. They lurk in our closets, taking up valuable space, whispering you might need me someday while we rummage past them for the clothes we actually wear.

So, how do we know how much to keep? How much is too much?

How to Decide What Future Clothes to Keep

First, consider your life situation.

If money is tight, keep more. Replacing items down the road could be a financial burden.

If space is tight, keep fewer. A small closet (or a pending move) is a great motivator to pare down.

If you have a hard-to-fit body type, keep more. If certain styles or sizes are tricky to find, it might make sense to hold onto key pieces.

With that in mind, here’s how to declutter future clothes with confidence:

  1. Consider getting rid of all of them right now. This may not be your best option, but it’s worth considering. If you got rid of everything today, would your life really be worse?
  2. Let go of anything stained, worn out, or out of style. If it’s too damaged to wear today, it won’t magically improve in storage.
  3. Ask yourself: Am I actually excited to wear this in the future? Be honest. Are you keeping it because you love it or because you feel obligated to?
  4. Would I buy this if I saw it in the store today? If the answer is no, then why are you keeping it?
  5. Limit how much you store. Choose your containers—maybe that’s two bins in the basement. Once those bins are full, that’s it. No overflowing piles.
  6. Keep your closet for clothes that fit and are ready to wear. Your day-to-day wardrobe should be functional, easy to access, and filled with things you actually love wearing. Future clothes? Find another place for them.

A Closet That Works for You

Letting go of future clothes can be uncomfortable. It forces us to confront the “what ifs”—the weight fluctuations, the job changes, the unexpected turns life might take.

But here’s the truth: your closet should work for who you are today, not just who you might be someday.

If you ever need new clothes in the future, you’ll figure it out. You’ll buy what suits you then—instead of holding onto things that take up space now.

So take a deep breath. Trust yourself. Keep what serves you, and let go of what doesn’t.

Because when you clear out the old, you make room for the future—the real one, not just the “maybe someday” version. And that future? It deserves a closet that’s ready for it.

Next steps…