We stand in front of an overflowing wardrobe and complain about how we have nothing to wear, mentally planning a trip to the mall (yet again). From the next room, mother dearest walks in to see what the commotion is about. She looks at the mess we have created, stares at us hard and wonders out loud why we just don’t throw half of those things away, things we don’t even wear anymore.

Our response? A vehement no. Every. Single. Time.

At the Lakme Fashion Week 2018, after walking the ramp for Anamika Khanna’s ‘Nudes Reinvented’ grand finale collection, Kareena Kapoor confessed in an interview to PTI that she is a fashion “hoarder”.

“I don’t think I’ll change anything in my wardrobe. I (still) hoard my jeans from the time, probably, when I was 20-21. I’m a hoarder. I like to collect things. So getting rid of something…that’s not happening any time soon,” said the actress, who is a major style icon of our generation.

And let’s just be honest: that is just all of us, isn’t it?

How many times have we refused to throw something away for this reason or the other? Those red denims that just won’t fit any longer but, of course, we will lose that weight, some day; that worn out t-shirt might just be an addition to a grunge outfit one day, the bell-bottoms which might make a comeback. And of course, the countless clothing articles that end up having emotional value.

And if we are brave enough to admit it to ourselves, some of the reasons are downright bizarre. Exhibit A: not throwing something because we MAY need it someday, buying something because it is just too beautiful (or discounted) to pass, or worse, buying something in twos in case the first one wears out. Sounds familiar?

Now studies have shown that hoarding as a habit is not healthy; in fact, hoarding is associated with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression.

If we pay heed, we will realise that most of us only really wear 20-30% of our wardrobe. So what are we really doing hoarding all those clothes? And if we aren’t wearing them, are we really making our life easier by adding to the clutter? And are we really smart shoppers/dressers if at the end of the day we end up not even remembering what all is stuffed inside our closets, and ending up wearing the usual stuff?

Again, a vehement no.

So good on Kareena, who probably doesn’t face problems when it comes to space. But for us millennials, our own stylists, shoppers, and fashion curators, wowing the streets with fashion choices made in our small cluttered rooms, we should probably be wiser.

We should probably remember that the road to being a natty dresser is paved with good shopping decisions. And not buying things we will probably never wear.