New Year New You - A Lazy Girl's Guide On How to Spring Clean Your Wardrobe

 It's the beginning of another year. January 1st 2022 and your wardrobe is spilling out into all sorts of places that it shouldn't. Jumpers you've not worn in two years, jeans you haven't fitted into for 15 years and items in shopping bags with the labels still attached that you have never worn, guiltily shoved to the back of the wardrobe. And that is before I even get started on the coats that take up way too much room and the boots and shoes you can't bear to get rid of (even though they are so uncomfortable) because you have convinced yourself they are akin to art.

But it's January 1st, and even the TV is telling you you could do with a tidy up. Every week there seems to be another app from which you can sell your unwanted clothes/rubbish. Vinted, Depop, Shopify. 'Just snap a picture of your unwanted items, upload your pictures and the selling starts. It's that easy' the television offers. Can they see inside your house? you wonder. Even your own television seems to be quietly accusing you of having lost all control of your wardrobe. 

The truth is, there's something about a messy wardrobe that makes your life feel messy. Perhaps it's because it's the first thing you look at every morning - who wants a chaotic explosion of clothing - like Zara's rails after the first day of the summer sales - to be the first thing you see when you open your eyes? And why do so many of us seem unable to keep our wardrobes under control? Cheap consumer fashion certainly has a lot to answer for. Previous generations seemed to own far fewer clothes, that were far better quality. The backlash against cheap fast fashion and the waste it causes is already underway - consumers now are looking to create a more sustainable wardrobe. Great Britons alone send 700,000 tonnes of clothing to recycling centres, textile banks, clothes collections and to charity each year. That's enough to fill 459 Olympic-size swimming pools. 

So with a promise to myself to shop ethically henceforth, to buy myself a sewing machine to learn to upcycle my mass of unworn clothes, and to sell all my unworn and worn pieces that I no longer have a use for, I have put together a not too taxing (it's the 1st day of the year after all) way to give you wardrobe a mini spring clean that doesn't involve hiring one of those Trinny and Susannah types who come to your house for a thousand pounds and make you throw away all your favourite clothes. 

Whether you are someone who has read Marie Kondo's 'The Life Changing Magic of Tidying' and live by it's message as if it were 'The Art of War' vs. mess, or whether you are someone who has managed to tune out the piles of clothes draped over that chair in your bedroom, you can always find a few new tips to help you declutter. Read on for some expert advice on how to navigate your winter wardrobe cleaning.

Make a Plan

All great plans start with a 'To Do' list in my life, and cleaning out your closet is no exception.  There's a certain comfort that comes of writing a list and ticking things off on said list, so this is a great way to start dealing with that Everest of clothes that is your wardrobe. Imagine your perfect closet space. How does it look? What's in it? How is it organised? Plot it all out before you tackle it in person. Once you know where you want everything to go, start kicking out things that don't fit your vision. Be ruthless. This is no time for emotion - you won't get rid of anything if everything you pick up to throw away reminds you of some incident in your life - 'I wore this dress on our first date', 'This was my favourite clubbing top when I was 18', 'I wore this jumper that day I saw Gerard Depardieu shopping in Topman Oxford Circus (true story)'. Detach all your emotions from the piece and look at it as what it is - a piece of material sewn together in a way that either fits you and looks good, or doesn't fit you and looks bad. Keep it or bin it on this basis. Unless of course it's your wedding dress, or a jumper your granny knitted with her own hands. You can keep those.

Edit Down

Spring Cleaning doesn't have to be done in the spring. In fact, you don't need to wait for any seasons to change to tackle your mountain of clothing. Purging can happen whenever you fancy. Packing to go away for a weekend? This can be a great time to have a look at what you've got and have a quick chuck-out while you're packing your cases. (I would recommend this only for those whose wardrobe purge isn't going to be the mammoth task that mine is. Who wants to start a huge job just before you go away for the weekend? This is for those who have a few bits too many, not a shop-full like myself).

Next step is to ask yourself that famed closet-cleaning question: 'Do you love it?' If you don't love it, why do you have it? Why is it taking up space? If it doesn't make you look hot-a-f anymore or it's not comfortable, why is it in your wardrobe/bedroom/house? If you're on the fence about an item, put it away for a period - say three months - and see if you miss it. Separation anxiety exists for clothes apparently.

Anything you've purged can go to charity or be sold. Avoid the temptation to store it in a black bag to go to charity or be sold. It will sit in said black bag in the corner of your room for the next year. This is no different to having it in your wardrobe. You are just moving the mess to another corner of your bedroom, only now it's in a bin liner. You need to get the clothes out of your house straight away.

Maximise Your Space

Review every drawer, shelf and wall space before deciding where you want things to go. Utilising overlooked areas — like the back of a door — will help you make the most of your space. Try not to put bulky stuff like jumpers and tracksuits in drawers - those plastic bags that you suck out all the air from and shrink your jumpers down to miniature-dog clothing size, work wonders.

Organise By Style, Then Colour

This is really showing off. If you manage to get to the stage where you've got all your jumpers organised by hue, then I really hate you - we have nothing in common and you shouldn't be reading my blog.

I'm kidding (a bit), the plan is to get your wardrobe to the stage where it is organised by style, colour and weather. For those who have a different weekday and weekend wardrobe, sort by use, keeping office wear and casual wear separate so it's easier to find.

Fold Your Jumpers

This is a tricky one. Jumpers shouldn't be on hangers as it ruins their shape. However, I've found that items laid out flat encourage the dreaded jumper munchers - moths. I don't have enough expletives in my vocabulary to truly express how much i hate moths. The pleasure I get from ending a moths life is quite visceral - I feel like Patrick Bateman after a particularly good kill. I recommend those plastic storage bags lined with lavender you can buy in John Lewis to keep them out. 

If you don't have a moth problem, you can stack your wool and cashmere in pretty colour coordinated piles that are both convenient and aesthetically pleasing. Whatever you do, if you're storing your knits in drawers, don't overstuff them. You'll ruin your clothes, break your drawers, and everything will end up a huge mess that you have to refold. Trust me on this one.

Hang Your Jeans

If you have a walk in closet or ample racks, then hark at you - aren't you lucky! But really - if you have either of these you should be hanging your jeans. Increased accessibility is the main reason for hanging your trousers. If however, your bedroom is the size of a walk in closet, shelves are second best alternative, You can also hang your favourites and put away your lesser worn items. For those poor unfortunates using drawers for trousers, vertical file folding (with the pocket side crease up) is the best storage method. Sort jeans by style and then by colour for easy selection.

If in Use Keep Boots On Lower Shelves

Boots take up a lot of space, so if a pair is gathering dust and not getting any street time, they should probably find a new home. Keep the ones you wear more often on a lower shelf and use boot stuffers to ensure they stay upright. Place any showstopping pairs on higher shelves, so you don't have to look at them and be reminded that you have barely worn them in two years and you hope your feet haven't become so fat from lockdown overeating that they don't fit anymore.

Maintenance Tips

We all have that one corner or chair that becomes our go-to deposit site for where you throw your worn clothes at the end of the night that aren't clean enough to go back in the wardrobe or dirty enough to go in the laundry basket. This corner/chair becomes a sort of Bermuda Triangle of clothes with one more wear before they are washed. This deposit site also harbours those outfits that don't come to fruition or the freshly-washed blouses that have yet to get hung up. The simple solution to this problem is to stop being so lazy and hang up your clothes.

The Ultimate Guide: How to detox and organise your wardrobe

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

Don't forget your shoes

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.

How to organise your wardrobe and edit your clothes

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.

So, to help, we spoke to Practical Princess' Elika Gibbs and Virginia Feacey, country manager UK at second-hand designer resale site Rebelle, to find out how we can all lead less cluttered lives.

Keep your wardrobe organised with these eight tips:

1. Start with one big clear-out

Virginia suggests going through every item in your wardrobe and adding to 'Sell', 'Maybe', 'Customise' and 'Toss' piles. Get more advice on how to start this process and see how I got on with a mass clear-out right here.

Elika suggests to 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."

2. And then continuously edit your wardrobe

Virginia recommends starting a one-in-one-out policy, to avoid cluttering. "For every new item you purchase", she says, "an old one needs to go. Or, if you really want to test yourself, try two."

Why? Elika tells us, "If you don't edit your wardrobe, you might think you have loads of clothes but actually, it's just that you have volume of things that no longer fit or are dated.

"By clearing out your wardrobe you prevent that, and you'll find getting dressed in the mornings so much easier."

2. Make some money with your unwanted items

"Just because you might not like it anymore, doesn't mean someone else won't," Virginia says. "It’ll also make you feel better if you want to purchase something new, if you're making money from the old". Use sites like Ebay and Depop for your high-street purchases, and ones like Rebelle for more high-end pieces.

Read more here