Browsing Tag

spring cleaning

Fashion

What to cull from your wardrobe

29th April, 2023

There’s nothing like a new season to inspire you to do a thorough clean out of your wardrobe and purge it of any unwanted or unusable clothes taking up valuable closet real estate. After all there’s nothing better than a completely organised space where you can see everything you own at a glance and not have to dig through piles of clothing that you last wore in 1998. I’ve already covered in depth how to spring clean your wardrobe and also how I keep my own organised however if you’re going to embark on a big clearing spree it pays to know what to keep and what to bin to ensure you end up with only the clothes that you will definitely get plenty of use out of. And just think, once you’re done you’ve freed up essential space for any new purchases.

Stained/damaged/misshapen garments

Go through every single item of clothing you own (yes even socks and undies) and bin anything in bad shape. First and foremost this means clothes with stains or rips that can’t be mended and anything that’s a bit misshapen or stretched. It’s better to have a tight edit of clothes that are in pristine condition than a ton of clothes that are only partially usable.

“Someday” clothes

I think most women have clothes in this category in their wardrobe. It could be that dress you’re hanging onto for when you lose a few kilos or the jeans that you once loved but are hoping could come back in fashion. Be brutally honest and ask yourself whether you’re really going to wear them again. I’m betting that most of the time the answer is no.

Anything you haven’t worn in a year

If you’ve survived an entire 365 days without the urge to take out a particular item of clothing once, chances are it’s time to break up with said garment. And you may say that you’ll swear to wear it someday but the reality is it’s probably just going to end up gathering dust in the back of your closet for another 365 days. Bite the bullet and bin it or donate it to charity.

It belongs to the old you

As we age and move into new phases of our lives often our wardrobe can be left behind. Whether it’s changing jobs to an entirely new industry where your collection of suits just no longer works or being a mum who lives in casual lounge wear but has a closet full of non-child friendly clothes, it’s time to start dressing for the life you have not the one you had. You’ll feel so much better looking into your closet having plenty of feasible outfit options everyday than feeling despondent every morning that you have nothing to wear.

…and what you should definitely keep

Hang onto classic pieces that are timeless staples of every woman’s wardrobe. These are the clothes that will last you season after season and will still be with you long after the latest trend becomes a distant memory. I think there are 10 items every wardrobe needs but as a general guide these things will not date and are worth hanging onto:

  • A crisp white shirt
  • A black or navy blazer
  • A trench coat
  • A leather jacket
  • A great pair of jeans that fit you perfectly
  • A little black dress
  • A striped tee
  • A pair of leather pants/leggings
  • A quality winter coat in black, grey, navy or beige
  • A pair of black dress trousers

If you’re honest with yourself and are able to let go of what’s going unused I promise that after this you’ll end up with a wardrobe that you’re just dying to wear…and a valid excuse to go shopping for some new additions!

What are some of your tips for a good wardrobe clear out?

Fashion, Fashion & Beauty

Why spring cleaning your wardrobe can help solve style dilemmas

2nd April, 2023

A good wardrobe spring clean is one of those things that can result in a tidy closet and even better, less style dilemmas. The start of a new year or a new season is always the perfect time to examine what you own and do a big cull to ensure that you’re not taking up valuable space with things that you don’t use or no longer work with your lifestyle. Apart from all the extra room you’ll acquire post-spring clean, there are some great side effects that will make dealing with any dramas that come with getting dressed in the morning a whole lot easier.

Here’s why wardrobe spring cleaning is the key to minimising style dramas.

You’ll know exactly what you have to work with

The thing with a wardrobe that’s overflowing is that you generally don’t see what you have at your disposal. The key to being able to get dressed with minimal fuss is that you can see everything at a glance without having to rifle through piles of clothes in the process. This also results in you having a little more variety in your looks as you can discover some long lost pieces that may have been buried in the deep dark recesses of your closet.

You have a tighter edit of clothes

You’ve no doubt heard of the wonders of having a capsule wardrobe and it’s because you’ve essentially got a number of pieces that work well with each other which takes out the hassle of having to figure out what to pair with what. If you’ve done a genuine spring clean, it means you’ve narrowed your wardrobe down to the clothes that you love and work for you which makes it a little easier to style a look (yes, even on the most frantic of mornings!)

Having a tight edit of clothes can be effective in sides stepping wardrobe dilemmas

You’ll fill all the style gaps in your closet

One of the annoying things about an overly full wardrobe is that you’re not sure of the things that you need to replace or add which means you’ll inevitably come across said problem at the most inopportune time. Having a perfectly organised closet means that you’re able to identify these gaps ahead of time so you can take steps to rectify them before you actually encounter the issue.

You’ll only have wearable options to work with

Everyone has those pieces in their closet that never see the light of day because they don’t fit/are damaged/don’t look all that great. By doing a closet clear out you can gift yourself the ability to dress yourself using only pieces that you know genuinely work and are flattering. By taking out all the unusable pieces out of the equation, you’re simply left with only the clothes that genuinely work.

In the mood to do a spring clean? Check out my tips here.

Fashion, Lifestyle

How to declutter your wardrobe

26th March, 2020

One of the things I commit to doing fairly regularly is going through my closet and reorganising. However one thing I commit to at the start of every season is doing a big decluttering session. That means I go through everything to properly reorganise and take stock of what’s in there, and I’m constantly surprised at what a small percentage of my wardrobe I end up wearing simply because I’ve forgotten about pieces I own.

With a little extra time up our sleeves at home right now there’s no better time to do a complete wardrobe overhaul. I’ve always found there’s something quite cathartic about cleaning out one’s closet as it allows you to take stock of what you own and pinpoint what might be missing from your wardrobe. So, are you ready to clean?

Take out everything

Firstly in order to thoroughly do a thorough stocktake make sure you take out everything in your wardrobe so you can inspect every single garment. This process will obviously take quite awhile so be prepared to devote plenty of time to it in order to do it properly (I promise you’ll feel better afterwards!).

Be ruthless

My husband is notorious for hanging onto things like t-shirts that he never wears with a million holes through it and I’m always the one who says it has to go! I don’t have a very big place so space is a big commodity and I know the importance of a good edit as far as my wardrobe goes.

I have one basic rule I stick to: if I haven’t worn something in over a year then it has got to go. I think that’s a really good indication of how crucial something is to your wardrobe; if you’ve made it through all four seasons you haven’t once taken it out once then there’s usually a 100 per cent likelihood that you won’t wear it again.

Also if something is damaged and beyond repair or is looking really tatty it’s probably time to say goodbye to it. You want your wardrobe to be filled with pieces that you love and are functional.

Divide and conquer

As you’re decluttering separate your clothes into piles: one to keep, one to donate to charity and one to alter or fix. Take the time to try on everything and be brutally honest about its place in your wardrobe. Don’t rush this part as this is often how you will end up hoarding things rather than parting with garments that aren’t getting used as you’re not thoroughly going through your closet.

Organise and categorise

I will pair like with like so skirts with skirts, dresses with dresses, t-shirts with t-shirts and so forth. I also have a small section in my wardrobe specifically for the clothes that I wear all the time so things like my jeans, favourite leather pants and go-to tees. This is so I don’t have to rifle through everything else each time I’m looking for something and mess my wardrobe up.

See what needs fixing

Now is also the time to check out your shoes to see if they need resoling or fixing. Along with your shoes gather all the garments that need to be altered or fixed and do it all in ONE go. It’s important to do it at once because if you try to do it gradually it will become quite a tedious process and what should be an easy exercise will just drag on and you risk ending up with a pile of clothes that you’ll get to eventually and it will in turn just eat up valuable space. The upside of doing this is that you’ve essentially got new pieces in your wardrobe.

Rotate your wardrobe according to seasons

If you have the luxury of other space in your home then pull out pieces that currently aren’t in season and store them away. I pop things in space saver bags and stack them up in another closet. Once it’s time to bring them back I pull those clothes out and replace them with other clothes that are no longer in season. This helps free up space and also means I don’t have to wade through super summery dresses in order to get to my winter jumpers.

However if you’ve got no space to do this, I would recommend just reorganising so that the current season’s clothes are more accessible. Put all the things you need to access easily at the front and move the things you don’t currently need towards the back. This will make figuring out what to wear so much easier in the morning.

What are some of your tips for doing a wardrobe spring clean?