One way of dividing up people that crosses the barriers of age, sex, religion and ethnicity is whether you are a hoarder or not. There are a great deal of hoarders, although some hoarders refer to themselves as collectors or only nostalgic.

That last sentence may be a tad unfair. Collecting can be explained away as a hobby and nostalgia can be considered a yearning for days when we were in better condition.

However, what it all comes down to for billions of households is the accumulation of old junk and old clothing. My mother and her mother had decades of clothes that they were certain would come back into fashion one day.

They were probably correct and it almost certainly did, but they had to keep the stuff for twenty or thirty years and then teenagers were wearing it, not middle-aged mothers and grandmothers.

My point is that we should clear out our closets and wardrobes more often in order to make space and pass items on to people who can use them now rather than in twenty years time. I think that closets should be gone through once or twice a year.

Apart from seasonal stuff, if you have not worn something for months, there must be a good reason. Either you do not like it any more; you have gained weight or it does not suit you. So why not pass it on? Write it off and let someone else benefit from it before the moths do.

You could donate them to the Salvation Army, Shelter or any other charity shop or wait for your local church, school or scout brigade to hold a fund-raising bazaar or bring-and-buy sale.

This clears out room for you so that you can see the wood for the trees, allows a charity to profit from your surplus and allows someone more needy than you to wear decent quality clothing at less than the retail cost.

If you have let things drift a little, not to worry. There are charity shops that have racks specializing in old-fashioned gear. They call it retro and there are many individuals who enjoy wearing it.

There are also theatre and film companies scouring the secondhand clothes shops searching for period clothing. One of your old suits could feature in the next Fifties remake!

However, passing your old, decent quality clothing on to charity stores or specialist retro shops, whether you donate or sell them, is merely one side of the coin. You can also purchase from these stores.

If you have not been in a charity shop for years or think that you would not be seen dead in one, then you ought to go along and have a look. They are no longer the sad, amateurish places that they once were. They are run professionally and have a decent turnover of stock. They are a particularly good source of warm winter clothing such as overcoats, so why not do everyone a favour and go and have a look sometime soon?

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now concerned with the jean jacket. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Mens Overcoats For Sale.

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