I Overhauled My Closet—Here’s What Stayed

Jennifer Atilémile is the definition of a woman who does it all. A true multi-hyphenate, she is a model, writer, creative, activist, and intellectual. As an editor in residence, she gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the fashion industry.

I’m coming up on a month of living in my new house, a house that I just bought with my fiancé. Growing up, I moved around a lot, never really having any sort of permanence. That’s why, I think, I surrounded myself with things. It was a comfort, a security blanket. Even if I had to move again, at least I’d still have my favorite sweater.

My job now allows me to travel for work, and I love it. If it’s not a 24-hour job—fly in the night before, work all day, and then jump on a plane that evening to go home—then I love to plan out a little date with myself to go on a walking tour around the vicinity of my hotel, suss out a few vintage boutiques, and then treat myself to a nice lunch or dinner. It’s my way of romanticizing my brutal schedule and perpetual state of jet lag. I also love perusing the vintage boutiques in Europe because European style and taste are so different to America’s.

Because of my passion for fashion and my inability to say no to a good vintage find, my apartment before we moved into our house was literally bursting at the seams with clothing. I remember when my fiancé and I first started talking about moving in together. He literally said, “You’re going to have to do something about your clothes because there’s no room for me.”

Packing to move into a new space was both liberating and emotional. I was making room for my new life while also loving and farewelling the clothes that held me through some of the most transformative years of my life. I was able to get rid of so many pieces, and I held a closet sale a couple of days before I moved. It was so joyful to see people love my clothes in a way I hadn’t loved them in years, and it made me happy to let them go.

The thing about me is that I’m an emotional shopper. It’s not that I’m impulsive, but I do buy things to celebrate milestones or what I felt were tragedies in my life. Now that I’ve bought a house (which is the ultimate purchase, by the way), my impulse buys have been curtailed. I’m still shopping, but everything is more intentional. I want to buy things that will last, not things that I’ll need to replace next season. So here are some things I brought with me and a couple of things on my wish list. It’s my birthday soon, so I’m giving myself permission to treat myself.

Jeans That Are Worth It

I think I had about 30 pairs of jeans. Nobody needs that many. What I did take with me were my classics, my tried-and-true pairs. You cannot go wrong with a good pair of Levi’s. Also, I’m a big fan of Reformation jeans and Good American. I got my pair of vintage Levi’s from this amazing place in L.A. called With Love, Lenny. You’re able to go pick out a pair of jeans, and they will fit them to you, which is incredible.