I have known a number of women who purchased items of clothing but never wore them.  It was almost as if the thrill of the "hunt:" during a shopping expedition was the real prize rather than the item of clothing hung in a closet.  I've been fortunate to keep my weight in a range that allows me to wear clothing from any era of my life.  I've been known to combine something from "x" years ago with something new and have a whole new look to my outfit.  I call my closet "magic" because I can generally put together a combination of clothing and accessories that will be truly unique.  However, I do tend to get lazy and wear the same items until they literally wear out.  So there must be a common ground somewhere between these extremes that makes sense.  I've come to appreciate consignment shops because they often give me access to items I would never consider buying at full price.  Often the original price tag is attached!  I think an ideal situation would be a type of "Chinese auction" where we could all freely exchange items without consequence or monetary exchange...just swap out one item for another.  Your trash just might be my treasure!