Let's be honest, no matter how many items of clothing you own, it's easy to feel like you never have anything to wear. My wardrobe was a disaster.
Sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees. Sometimes you can’t see what to wear for all your clothes. This was the situation I had found myself in over the past few years. I had a full-to-bursting wardrobe, and not a thing to wear. It was time to bite the bullet: I needed a full-on wardrobe detox.
Below is a comprehensive guide on how to take the bull by the horns and cull all those unworn, too small, out-of-fashion items from your wardrobe.
Warning: you will be tempted to have a glass of wine to ease the process. Don’t. It will make you overly sentimental about your garments, making it harder.
First of all...
1. ALL OUT
Remove your clothes and accessories from your wardrobe; that way, you can see exactly what you're dealing with. Place items in categories: trousers in one pile, coats in another, shoes in another and so on, so that you can spot repeat buys — it's OK to have seven variations on a black polo neck, but only if you wear all of them. You'll also rediscover forgotten gems and finally bring damaged goods into the cold light of day.
Now go through every item in your wardrobe and add to 'Sell', 'Maybe', 'Customise' and 'Toss' piles.
Try things on as you go because you may have forgotten about a missing gem that's been sitting in your wardrobe that you normally bypass. You might be able to alter it to make it more current.
TIP: Instead of asking ‘how does this make me LOOK?’ it’s easier to ask yourself ‘how does this make me FEEL?’
2. QUESTION TIME
Cross-examine yourself. Ask yourself: If that dress were in a shop right now, would I buy it? Have I worn that shirt in the past year? two years? How did I feel the last time I wore it?
Does it fit me now? (Or will it fit me, realistically, in the next six months?) Do I feel good when I wear it? Do I look good when I wear it? Do I love it? Am I comfortable in it? Is this something I would realistically wear, or am I saving it for my 'fantasy self?' Do I need to be a certain weight to wear this and feel good in it?
Try to remain detached and clear-headed.
3. Does it hold any SENTIMENTAL ATTATCHMENT?
There is a caveat: if an item brings you inordinate happiness or holds a really special memory, even if you never wear it, don't throw it out. (give yourself a maximum number for this group of clothing - say 5! or you might find this pile gets suspiciously large) Instead, make sure that it is freshly laundered, that any lost buttons or broken zips have been replaced, and that it is stored in a garment bag (not the plastic ones from the dry cleaners, though, as they attract dust and dust attracts moths). If an old favourite is clean you are more likely to reach for it on a whim (and will find it in good order).
4. SECOND OPINION
Ask a friend whose opinion you trust to sit with you while you try on pieces. They will offer an (occasionally brutally) honest assessment of whether an item suits you or not. This can be particularly useful if you're a hoarder.You can also donate pieces to her/him.
5. DON'T FORGET THE SMALL STUFF
Be brutal with your socks, underwear, and bras. They do have a shelf life. You’re not doing yourself any favours by keeping ones that are stretched out and frumpy. Greying T-shirts that are past their best should be recycled - most councils offer a textile recycling service. Underwear that has seen better days - those bras and pants you would never wish to be caught by a paramedic wearing - should be disposed of. Use this as an excuse to treat yourself to ones that make you look (and feel) amazing!
6. DE-TAG IT
If anything is hanging in your wardrobe with its price tag still on, it should go on the donate/resell pile. And never keep anything in the hope that you'll lose however-many-pounds in the next month. You probably won't, and the offending piece will only make you feel bad.
Here’s a hot tip: go back into your wardrobe and see if anything jumps out as odd to you. Anything not match the others? Often, this is a piece that you don’t really love but kept out of obligation. If that’s the case, get rid of it!
And then continuously edit your wardrobe...
7. BEHAVE LIKE A BOUNCER
Impose a one-in-one-out policy, to avoid cluttering up again with new purchases.
For every new item you purchase an old one needs to go. Or, if you really want to test yourself, try two.
Edit early and often.
While most people tend to look at the New Year as a way to start fresh and par down, try to take a more fluid approach by editing down constantly. Keep a donation box close by so you can say ‘later’ to clothes when the mood strikes, That way, you get in the habit of paring down so it’s not a huge feat to tackle every six months.
8. LEARN TO LIVE WITH LESS
Fear is usually the driving force keeping us chained to our stuff, We rationalise that we may need that dress for a future costume party or holiday event. But reality tells us that we have never needed it so start to say to yourself: 'why keep it?'
Re-use, re-sell, re-cycle.
Just because you might not like an item anymore, doesn't mean someone else won't. It’ll also make you feel better if you want to purchase something new, if you're making money from the old.
Once you've decided what to expunge, assess what can be resold. Use sites like Ebay and Depop for your high-street purchases, and ones like Rebelle for more high-end pieces.
Commit to memory any running themes - acid yellow doesn't suit your skin-tone, a neckline that's unflattering, a fabric you can never be bothered to dry clean - so that you don't make the same mistakes in the future. Keep a total of what you've sold so you can remind yourself how liberating - both psychologically and financially - wardrobe cleansing can be.
9. ORGANISE your wardrobe by category and then by colour.
It’ll make everything look much neater and will save you time in the mornings when you need to get dressed in a hurry.
STORE everything in the right place
Keep knitwear folded and flat. Also dry it flat to avoid pulling and deformation
If you have a lot of shoes in boxes tape pictures of the shoes to the outside of the box, so you know what’s inside without having to go through several boxes.
Boxes are ideal because they prevent dust, and cardboard works well because then they can breathe.
And look after more expensive items
If you've spent all that money on something fancy, you need to make sure you take proper care of it. Keep designer bags in their dust bags and stuff them from the inside to avoid deforming.
As you return pieces to your wardrobe, think about what might be missing: the perfect go-with-anything jumper or jacket, for example.
10. INVEST IN THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
I like matching hangers because then you're not distracted by a messy wardrobe. Get some good hangers with rounded corners (Muji sells excellent cedarwood ones that also ward off moths) and use boxes to keep drawers organised. This is especially great for belts, underwear and socks.
11. SEPARATE THE SEASONS
If you have the space to keep everything together - do. It's easier to have everything you own right in front of you at one time. Sometimes you'll need a warm cardigan in the summer or a slinky summer dress in the winter. If wardrobe space is an issue however, divide your things into summer and winter clothing and keep the other season packed up out of the way. It's no good if it's the middle of summer and you're going through your wardrobe and you can't get to your summer dresses as your wardrobe is a mess of jumpers that you won't be able to wear.
12. HANDBAGS.
Now do this with your handbags, totes, & clutches. Remember, what do you REALLY love? Which ones make you happy? Keep those. Discard the rest.
TIP: get rid of handbags you no longer use. Make a little money by selling them (eBay, local Car boot Sale groups on Facebook, consignment stores) and put that towards one you really love.
13. SHOES.
The hardest cull of all for many. When the time comes to tackle your shoes - be brutal. As you hold up each pair, ask yourself:
Do you still wear them?
Do they fit?
Do they feel good?
Do they work with your (newly decluttered) wardrobe?
Are they in great condition?
Are they in style?
If they're in good condition, sell them, otherwise give them to a charity shop and let someone else enjoy them.
14. JEWELlERY.
This one is tough, because pieces are often sentimental or you think, ‘I might wear this one day’. It took me 3 tries to finally get down to the nitty gritty with my jewellery. I decided to keep only the jewellery I actually wear right now and a few sentimental pieces. Goodbye, necklaces from when I was 23! Adios, ring from an ex-boyfriend! Bye-bye my 25 statement necklaces from 2009 that are way behind the times! Hello, streamlined collection of gorgeous favourites. Obviously everything real gold or silver that wasn't broken stayed.
AND IF YOU JUST CAN'T FACE IT...
If all else fails, pick a number. To start, choose 10. Thumb through the clothes in your wardrobe and remove 10 items—any 10 you want. Put them in a bag and drop off at your nearest donation centre. Likely, you will find the task was not that difficult. In fact, once you get started, you may find 15 or 20 things to remove without even breaking a sweat.
Now that your wardrobe is (hopefully) a thing of beauty, you don't want to clutter it up again with dodgy purchases and impulse buys.
CHANGE HOW YOU SHOP WITH THESE FIVE RULES:
1. Invest in good quality wardrobe staples
These will be the backbone of your wardrobe. You’ll get great cost per wear out of them, so choose pieces that are of good quality, versatile, easily combinable and perhaps a bit pricier, so they’ll last you longer. Think: a good trench or coat, a basic white shirt, a basic cotton Tee, a black blazer, dark blue denim, a cashmere jumper, white trainers, black heels, black flats, a statement handbag etc.
2. Buy into trends with easy to combine and less pricey pieces
Reassess current trend purchases. The fashion industry gets rich on one principle: constantly changing fashion trends. The fashion industry cannot survive on people buying only the clothes they need. So the industry invents false need by boldly declaring new fashion trends and colour for every changing season. But you don’t to have fall for their tricks. Find your favourite timeless style and start playing by your own rules.
Love the ruffle trend? Don't splash a load of money on a jumper you'll wear for one season and then never look at again. Instead, use the high street for easy trend updates. That way it won’t hurt you too much when you stop wearing these pieces.
3. Take your time before you buy
Before you spend any money on something new, it's important to consider the purchase first. Think of three ways to combine the new piece with existing things in your wardrobe. If you don’t come up with three, rethink the purchase.
4. Don't be an emotional shopper
To avoid impulse buys, research the pieces you need/like, put them on your wish list and then sleep on it. If you still want the pieces the next day, then go ahead and buy them.
5. Find a great tailor!
Can't afford to buy high-end but want your clothes to look more expensive? It's all in the way your clothes fit you. This means hemming trousers and sleeves, making sure shoulders fit in blazers/ jackets etc. Just make sure you always think about the additional cost of tailoring a piece before you purchase it.
