Hands up if you are planning a wardrobe clearout / de-clutter this January? I have a simple 5 step guide to help you out if you fancy having a go yourself …
January always seems like a great time to have a wardrobe clear out doesn’t it? And when you’re in the right frame of mind, it can be so satisfying. Plus, once you have your wardrobe all in order, & importantly with everything fitting you correctly, it’s both quick & easy to find your items & put together an outfit that you love & feel confident wearing.You just need to put in a little prep, put aside some time & have the confidence in your decision making (or get in touch with me if you need help with this as I hear how hard this is every day), and that’s where my 5 easy step guide comes in …
01 - What’s your Style Vision?
Before taking to your wardrobe with everything you’ve got, stop and think about what you want your wardrobe to do for you and the direction you want it to go in. I personally love a Style Vision Board, which I create for my clients, using images & ideas across social media & Pinterest, I even still tear out images from magazines (yes I still love to flick through a good old fashioned magazine) and begin to piece together what you like: colours, textures, prints, how items are put together. Once I’ve put this together, usually in Canva of course, I save it on my phone to reference when I am out and about or when I need to put an outfit together quickly.
Now take a look in your wardrobe and see if what you have reflects how you want your style vision to be? Does your wardrobe reflect what you like, and what works for you right now at the stage of life you are in? Are there similarities between the physical wardrobe and your vision? Then the fun starts as you want to marry the two together ….. this is the tricky bit. Obviously be mindful of what is actually practical, I am constantly swayed by images in high heels, but you’ll normally find me racing about in trainers so I translate the imagery I love to fit into my lifestyle.
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02 - Try it ALL on
This can be a major stress to many, but who says you have to do it all at once, you could try on trousers & jeans one day, dresses the next etc. BUT unless you try on every garment you own, how will you wear it, and incorporate the styles into your everyday outfits ( plus they may take up space you need both mentally and physically). BUT do not let the trying on get you down, if an item no longer fits, works etc try to work out why and use it as a learning curve ( I do this daily with clients and it is SO beneficial, plus never blame your body for changing, they ALL do I’m afraid so let’s just roll with it and be kind to ourselves).
Try this formula if you want to have a go yourself, have confidence in your decisions:
Love it, fits my vision board ideal, fits my body - KEEP
Love it but isn’t my vibe any more - pop to in the loft to look at in 6 months time, or see if you miss the item during that time
Doesn’t fit, but you love it - try to have it altered or donate / sell the item (unless it is within half a size then pop in the loft for 6 months then re-assess)
Doesn’t fit & you don’t like it - come on you know what to do here this is the easy one!
Wearing the item doesn’t give you joy, who needs that, time to donate or sell
You have no idea if you love / hate it but it fits …. Keep, either pop in the loft or after you’ve edited your wardrobe, see if it has a place to come back
03 - Remember ‘occassionwear’ is exactly that
I see time & time again “I wore this to A wedding’, “ I had A black tie event” and didn’t want to get rid of it as its in perfect condition. BUT ask yourself 1.) Does it still fit your style vibe? 2.) Does it still fit you & will it be something you go-to for your next event, honestly? Try not to get too sentimental about it, occassion wear has changed so much in recent years that dressing for events & weddings no longer seems to fit the mould we were once used to. Plus renting occassion wear is so much more attainable, and fun, and stops items sitting gathering dust ( although dust bags for occassion wear are an absolute must).
Source: Neon Leo
04 - To be Seasonal or Transitional?
We all have different space for storing our clothing, different needs for our clothing & preferences to how we want to store our clothing right? I personally like to have as much out as I can for variety but also mindful that bikinis, shorts ( unless perfect with tights), and throw on summer dresses are totally ok up in the loft for 8/10 months of the year in the UK! I also like to utilise my clothes and make them work hard for me, that said my heavy coats, big puffer “school-run” coat and my heavy knits go up into the loft around beginning March as they take up too much space. Speaking from experience here, it is so much easier to get dressed when you have less ink your wardrobe
Source: Pinterest
05 - Did someone say “Dress up”
So this is my FAVOURITE part, and the area I am brilliant at …. Time to create the outfits! You’ve done the painful work (trying on is tough), so let’s start creating. Keep looking at your vision board, keep in mind how things fitted and experiment, never fearing that you’ll ‘get it wrong’ because what determines if you do, and who bloody cares if you do. Some of my favourite outfits have come from a crazy idea that actually worked and fitted my personal style. Just don’t forget what you created, and most importantly how it made you feel! Feeling confident has to be the MOST important factor when getting dressed and creating looks.
© Copyright The Charlotte Edit