Wardrobe Reformation!

As we come into the new season, this is a good time to re-access our wardrobe needs. For younger friends, who are building a wardrobe, we will do a ‘must have’ story with a list of all the suggestions for items that make up a core closet (as the yanks say!). For mature fashionistas, the core suggestions list, can be used to check off the basics.

With maturity, comes a blasé approach to core classics. Here are the golden do’s and don’ts:

DO…

Check all garments for stains, holes, fallen hems, loose buttons etc and arrange disposal, repairs, dry cleaning or washing.

Investigate footwear – clean (with a damp cloth), polish, check for damage, repair or replace accordingly.

DON’T…

Do not keep trousers, skirts or jackets that have become shiny, mis-shapen (at the bum/knees), or if they are totally out of date. We can become complacent in our basic dressing, and think “I have a black/navy/grey/brown suit/skirt/trouser” but rarely think to check it for wear and tear.

Yes I can hear you, I love that skirt, even tho’ there’s tape holding the hem up, and the safety pin works to pull the zip down!!! GET RID OF IT. Mature years must be conscious of trends and not allow our clothes to ADD years, dated basics are the biggest culprits and guarantee to make us look older than we actually are.

It’s vital to replace basics as soon as they starts to look ‘tired’. Also, as time passes, so does the ‘look’, lapel sizes increase or decrease, skirt lengths rise and fall, etc…. DO NOT keep styles that are way past their sell by date. They just clutter up your head, and damage your styling.

The wardrobe

Believe me, an organized wardrobe might seem to have less items, but I promise, you will wear what’s in that wardrobe a lot more, with added style and way more fun and enjoyment. Go for it!! Declutter – you’ll feel and look so much better – immediately.

Redo the wardrobe.

Before getting started, keep the following in mind:

1. When you arrange a closet, you should consider its relationship to other storage areas in your home. What kinds of things need to be in this space, and what should logically go in another place?
2. Complete one closet at a time…starting with the one you use the most.
3. Pace yourself—it takes three to six hours per closet. Never undertake more than two per weekend.

Now, here’s your plan of attack:

Sort.
Pull everything out of the wardrobe and divide it into categories—such as sweaters, dresses, blouses, pants and jackets. You may be surprised by how many of the same item you own. A client of mine was shocked when we unearthed 16 nearly identical black cardigans. Every time she went shopping and nothing caught her eye, she figured, “I could always use a basic black cardigan,” and bought one.

Purge.
Keep only what you use and love. Throw out clothes that are irredeemably stained, torn, pilled or out of shape. Get rid of fashion mistakes you bought but never wore. Keep only your current size in your closet and give away or store what doesn’t fit anymore. Passing things along to a charity or friend can make it much easier to part with them.

Assign.
Create a specific home, whether a shelf, section of the rail, or drawer, for each category of garment (pants and other long-hanging clothes on one end of the rail, blouses on the other, hats on the top shelf, belts on the closet door, etc.). With the exception of items intended for long-term storage (e.g., old tax records), things stuffed into the dark recesses of your closet are as good as forgotten.

Containers.
Now the fun part! Selecting containers you like looking at makes it delightful (or at least less boring) to put things away. Shelf dividers can keep sweater stacks from toppling over, and a shoe rack under short-hanging clothes makes great use of that otherwise unused space. You can store extra wooden hangers in a basket on the floor to save room on the rail.

Equalize.
Maintain your system with the one-in, one-out rule—for every new garment you buy, toss something old to make room for it. Keep a giveaway box on the floor.

You might be the only person who sees the inside of your closet, and frankly, no one else will care if you cram things in and shut the door. But organizing is for you—it’s about identifying what’s important to you and giving yourself access to it. An organized closet will save you much more than time—it will keep you grounded, allowing you to begin and end each day on a note of calm.

Use these techniques to get the most out of your closet space:

• Use shelf dividers to keep stacks of sweaters and jeans from toppling.
• Hang hooks on the inside of your closet door for pajamas, belts, scarves and ties.
• Replace wire hooks with high quality wooden or acrylic ones to prevent tangling, preserve the shape of your garments and add elegance to the interior of your closet.

Find a use even for “hidden spaces” in your closet:

• Group long-hanging clothes together to open up space under shorter garments.
• Use pre-made shelves for shoes and bags.
• Use containers on the top shelf for bags, belts and dress shoes.

Share