Ever moaned you've nothing to wear? Check your closet!

Do you wear everything in your wardrobe or are you a bit of a hoarder? According to our recent survey, the average British woman currently owns 22 outfits that she doesn't wear! And yet, we always complain that we can never find anything suitable.

We questioned over 1,000 UK adults to find out the nation's hoarding habits and the results are mind-boggling. Altogether, women spend over £1.6 billion on over 500 million items of clothing that are never worn.

If these items were placed on a single clothes rail, they would stretch the distance from London to New York four and a half times over - imagine that!

Are you an impulse buyer?

Impulse buying is one of the main reasons for this pile up of unworn clothes - and 45% of Brits blame this on their unfulfilling wardrobes. Another reason may be down to the fact that only 12% us regularly clear out our wardrobes! Maybe it's time for a spring clean...

Other reasons for our hoarding habits are feeling guilty about wasting money when throwing out unwanted clothes (54%), the plan to lose weight before donning any unworn outfits (41%) and holding on to particular styles in the hope of a fashion revival (17%).


It's not just women...

... men are not much better, hoarding an average of 19 items of unworn clothing, with many blaming this on impulse buying as well. In fact, 37% of men admit that their unworn items are largely a collection of sale buys.

Where are the biggest hoarders?

Women from London are the nation's top hoarders with an average of over £300 worth of clothes lying unworn in their wardrobes, followed closely by women in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The savviest shoppers are Welsh women - maybe everyone else need a few tips! 

So, if you want to be as smart a shopper as the Welsh, maybe it's time to have a clear out, think more about new buys and buy key pieces that co-ordinate well with past purchases.

Whether you're a wardrobe hoarder or a savvy shopper, let us know in the comments box below.

Read what the Daily Mail has to say

Research commisioned by QVC using Fly Research. 

Comments

[Jill Saunder]

I'd agree that I fit this category of hoarder who feels guilty about throwing out good clothes never worn. However I have two comments: First, these are exactly the kind of clothes which will sell well in a charity shop, people prefer them to those which are "pre-loved"!
Second a great tip for clearing out your wardrobe for reluctant thrower-awayers. I can't claim this as my own, but it's so long ago that I got it, I can't remember who to attribute it to! Once a year (I do it on my birthday every year) go to your wardrobe and hang all the hangers backwards (i.e. with the open part of the hook away from you). The following year, all those items which still have the hangers reversed, get ditched! You haven't worn them for a year. It works for me. Good Luck!