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| Vintage Tea Dress by Ingrid Mida 2008 |
Do you keep items of clothing in your closet that you no longer wear?
The vast majority of respondents (94%) answered yes.
How many items of clothing that you are no longer wearing do you have?
71% (38 people) had more than 10 items of clothing in their closet that they no longer wear.
15% (8 people) had between 1-5 items.
13% (7 people) had between 5-10 items.
What items of clothing that you no longer wear are you keeping?
Possible choices included: wedding dress, other formal attire, work clothing, clothing gift from someone, clothing belonging to a beloved family member, and other.
Because multiple answers were permitted, the results are not as clear. 48 people answered this question about 2-3 items of clothing. It would appear that the vast majority of kept clothing includes: wedding dresses, formal attire and work clothing.
Why do you think you are keeping these items of clothing?
Of the 43 people that responded to this question, most people (79%) answered that they kept an item because they might wear it someday.
The next most popular answer was that it reminded them of a special time or event in their life.
Other possible answers included that it was too expensive to throw away which got 12 votes and it was given to me by someone that I care about which got 11 votes.
Although my poll was informal and unscientific, I think the results suggest that this would be a fruitful area of research. Although I already have one masters degree, I'm contemplating going back for another and I think this would be a fruitful area of research. To read about the project that inspired my poll, click here.
If you would like to answer a more detailed questionnaire about the clothing in your closet, please email me at artismylife@mac.com. And as well, I'm interested in posting more stories about a memory related to a special item of clothing for my Memories of a Dress Project.
What is in the back of your closet that you no longer wear? Do tell!
