FOR me, January is a month for taking stock and planning for the year ahead.
Your wardrobe should reflect the person you are now, so let them go
Detoxes and dark nights mean we’re all happy to be at home, making it the perfect month to de-clutter your wardrobe. Yet re-organising your wardrobe can be a daunting task, and despite knowing you’ll feel better once it’s done, it can be difficult to know where to start.
The reality is you may not get it all done in one day, especially if you’re trying on your clothes as you work through your wardrobe. From my experience of wardrobe consultations with clients, three hours is usually the tipping point so I would break it up over a couple of sessions - that way you won’t give up half way through leaving it all in a pile on the bedroom floor.
If possible I would get a portable rail, so you can pull-out your wardrobe in sections, making it easier to see what you’ve got. I would then look at each item and ask yourself the four following questions:
DOES IT NEED ALTERING/MENDING?
We’ve all got those pieces in our wardrobe that if we just had the waist taken in or the hem mended, we’d wear all the time. Pull them out of your wardrobe and don’t put them back in until they’re fixed.
DOES IT STILL FIT?
It’s very tempting to hold onto those jeans that used to look amazing, in the hope that you’ll get back into them. Trying to squeeze into clothes that don’t fit anymore will do nothing for your confidence, so remove them from your wardrobe and make space for clothes that work for your body shape now.
Minimalist WardrobeDO I HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR WITH THIS?
I see lots of clients with pieces in their wardrobe which they like, but then have nothing to wear them with. I would always recommend when making new purchases that you know you can style them in at least two or three ways with items already in your wardrobe. If you don’t want to invest in something new to wear with these pieces, then there’s no point in keeping hold of them. If you do want to invest, then write a list of the pieces you need to create the looks you want - these should be the items you buy with any money raised from items you sell from your de-clutter.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I WORE IT?
There are many reasons why you might not have worn something for a long time (see points 1, 2 and 3 above). If none of them apply then the chances are it no longer represents your personal style. Again, it’s very tempting to hang on to clothes that remind us of a period in our lives, but your wardrobe should reflect the person you are now so let them go.
Once you’ve done the above, you should end up with four piles - keep, mend, charity and sell. There are lots of ways to sell your unwanted clothes - dress agencies, eBay and car boot sales. If you’re lucky enough to be selling any designer items take a look at vestiairecollective.com
Finally, I would recommend that you hang all the clothes going back into your wardrobe by style and colour. This will make it far easier to see what you have in your wardrobe and make outfit selecting everyday a breeze.
Emma Carr, Crave Personal Styling | www.cravepersonalstyling.com | @CarrEmsJane | Instagram: @TheFashionCraver | Facebook
