So, you’ve carried out your own Wardrobe Edit, now it’s time for some style maintenance & ways to keep it looking ready-to-wear
Hooray, we’ve made it through January (my least favourite month by a long shot), and if you’ve managed a January Wardrobe Edit, massive congratulations, that’s the hard bit done (especially if you’ve tried everything on). Hopefully you’ve found some items you’d not seen for a while, including some wardrobe essentials you’d forgotten about, you’ve worked out what does / doesn’t fit you & you’ve identified the pieces in your wardrobe that fits your Style Personality, & most importantly work for the life-stage you are currently at (not trying to get back to or want to be). Now it’s time to look after, maintain & keep your wardrobe in its best condition to make getting dressed easier & quicker & your clothes last longer. Plus, you’ll enjoy creating outfits from all the pieces you can now see hanging and looking inviting. If you didn’t manage this yourself, or it was too hard or overwhelming, speak to me for some help & we can have you sorted in no time at all!
So post Wardrobe Edit, what’s next ……..
Sources: Pinterest
01 - Firstly, iron or steam EVERYTHING (no I’m not crazy I don’t mean knickers, socks or sportswear, but yes everything else). Personally I’m an ironer for the easy items; jeans, jersey vests & tees and shirts but I turn to my hand held steamer for blouses, skirts, dresses or when I am in a rush or an item needs just a two minute press etc.
02 - Cobblers do wonderful things (and no I don’t mean Timpsons (although of course they can do some tasks). Finding yourself a traditional cobblers is a must-have for your wardrobe! Why you ask, other than the obvious re-soling (which is essential when you love a pair of shoes or boots and want them to last, mine are in their 12th year thanks to my cobblers). Well, all this for a start: replacing heels, buffing out scuffs & small marks, stretching shoes to fit (post babies ladies), adding a rubber sole to stop you slipping in your new shoes, plus they can often work magic on your leather / suede jackets and pop new holes into your leather belts (if you don’t have a gadget at home to do this). Yes, your cobbler will help with footwear and usually anything leather or suede too! My incredible cobblers in Putney used to clean, condition and re-stain my black leather biker jacket so it looked almost new again, but with the comfort of that worn-in feel and look.
03 - Get your underwear sorted ladies; everything starts with your foundations, and getting these right can make a massive difference to how your clothes look. In addition, make sure they are easily accessible, renewed regularly & that you have a range that includes: seamless, nude, pretty, practical and strapless (I’ll do a separate blog on this as there’s so much theses wardrobe essentials).
04 - Work through the dreaded ‘pile’ (everyone has one right, mine is a chair that sometimes spills onto my desk, where’s yours?). The “pile’ tends to include: your returns, items that need hand washing or taking to the dry cleaners, items with a button that needs sewing back on, jumpers to de-bobble or let’s be honest sometimes you just can’t be bothered to put them away. I’m afraid that unless you get sorted those items aren’t going to be worn anytime soon and if you get stuck for repairs ask around or ask on Facebook for recommendations (and top tip, always start with something simple like re-hemming before giving over you best items for a bigger alteration).
Sources: Pinterest, Amazon, Etsy
05 - So talking of hand washing, because honestly we all get annoyed with these items right? Did you know that many retailers simply put ‘hand washing’ because they don’t want to pay for the necessary testing required by law to put the correct information on their care labels, so it is easier to put ‘Dry Clean Only” to imitate the risk. If you know your fabrics, you can sometimes take the risk, BUT remember then that you cannot return an item if it shrinks / twists etc. You can also use your hand wash cycle, on a cold wash, and a reduced spin BUT always test an area of the fabric first and use the correct detergent for example The Lab. Co.
06 - Buy yourself a wardrobe maintenance toolkit to keep your clothes at their best, and I keep mine in my wardrobe so it is close to everything. It includes:
A fabric ‘de-bobbler’ (which I honestly couldn’t live without)
A hand held steamer
A lint roller (a absolute must if you have any pets)
A clothes brush
A dry cleaning spray (no don’t reach for the Febreeze)
Anti static spray (hairspray works pretty well too)
07 - When you open your wardrobe you want it to feel inviting, exciting and inspiring so look at ways to make it feel like this; everything on velvet / slim line hangers, or clip hangers for trousers and skirts, (I like it all to face one way), shoes in clear boxes or on a shoe rack so they are easy to locate, items either in category or colour order (whatever your preference) and bags & accessories easy to see, not all jumbled together (you know the feeling when you want a specific necklace on a rush and its all tangled up with its neighbour) and ready to elevate the looks you’ve created.
At the end of the day, we all want a wardrobe that looks good, is always ready-to-wear & one in which you get to enjoy wearing everything in there. It may be time-consuming to do all this but you’ll thank me in the long run, and then build wardrobe maintenance into your everyday so it’s less of a daunting task.
© The Charlotte Edit