Wardrobe Planning
SAY GOODBYE TO THE WARDROBE BLUES!
Most of us at some time have looked in our wardrobe's and thought "I don't have anything to wear", even though it's bursting at the seams. Well, this page should go some way in helping you sort out the clothes you should keep, sell, bin and those the charity shops would get better use out of.
Once it's done, you really will wonder why you didn't do it before, it's such a joy to open it up and know you will be able to just throw an outfit on that you can see straight away. You will NOT regret it!
PLANNING
Pick a free day a few weeks away and stick to it. I'm not going to lie, it's going to be a bit of a job, but once it's done, it's done!. So, PLAN on it taking a full day, it might not take that long, but it's better to have allocated too much time than not enough, be left with a half-done wardrobe and a bedroom cluttered with piles of clothes.
Purchase some vacuum sealed bags to store out of season clothes in, they reduce creases, required less storage space and keep your clothes free from moths. Be sure to label the bags for which season the clothes belong to. Consider the size of your winter, spring, summer and autumn wardrobe and get more bags than you think you will need, especially if you want to keep some clothes that are not your current size. (Link to Vacuum storage bags at Amazon). (If funds are tight, you can use bin bags, but it is worthwhile investing in vacuum storage bags & you only have to buy them once)
The NIGHT BEFORE
Your first thing to do (the night before) is wash everything in your washing basket. These are the clothes that can usually go straight to pile one, they are being washed because you are currently wearing them.
ON THE DAY
The first rule for a clutter free wardrobe is to take all your clothes out and put them into three piles.
Pile 1
should consist of the clothes you are currently wearing or have worn in the last year, including the clothes you have just washed/had drycleaned.
If it hasn't been in your washing basket recently ask yourself why, when did you last remember wearing it? Pile 1 are the clothes you love and wear all the time.
Create three more Pile 1's for different seasons. If it's summer, you won't be wearing those big jumpers but if you loved them last winter, you will definitely be needing them again. Label your seasonal vacuum sealed bags and make a checklist to ensure you have all your seasonal essential items before you put them in the vacuum sealed bags. That way you will know to keep a lookout for any missing items before the season starts.
Pile 2 are your undecideds. Clothes that you love but haven't worn or that need something doing to them, be realistic & ruthless with this pile if it doesn't fit right & you are unlikely to wear it again, let it go. We all have items that we love, try on and take straight off again because they don't fit right... stop torturing yourself, if it's got a baggy back, you won't wear it, no matter how many times you try it on.
Also, consider if the item of clothing is in Pile 2 because you don't have anything to wear with it, sometimes you can love something and never be able to find anything that goes with it. If that's the reason, consider how long has it been there? If it's over a year and you still haven't found anything to match, it's unlikely you are going to, and it should move to Pile 3.
Is it in Pile 2 because it's last season but you still love it? if so, move it to Pile 1.
If you have clothes in your Pile 2 that don't fit any more you have two options, either let them go or create a subcategory that you can put in storage for when you lose weight. This will keep you motivated knowing they are there if you need them, but not clutter your wardrobe.
By the end of this exercise, you should have nothing left in Pile 2.
Pile 3 is obvious these are the clothes you haven't worn for at least a year and either you no longer like or can't fit into, this pile should also include those clothes you still like but are now looking a bit tatty.
Put these to one side and go back to Pile 2, double check it, be honest with yourself, if you are not going to wear it add it to Pile 3.
You now need to split Pile 3 into two boxes, one for the charity shop and one for the bin. Remember, if it is too tatty for you to wear, it is likely no one will want to buy it from a charity shop either and they won't be able to sell it.
TIP!
If you are including good quality clothes in this pile, consider selling them on ebay, preloved or other platforms such as xxx for a little extra cash, however, if they haven't sold in a month let them go to the charity shop to reduce clutter. for
Make sure you if you decide to sell some quality clothes to hang them at one side of your wardrobe, a TIP puncher through an a4 piece of paper on the hanger with the details you have put up about the item and it's price on the hanger of the item, that way you always have a quick reference.
Divide your wardrobe with another hanger with a sheet of paper or obvious divider so you don't look at these clothes when you are choosing what to wear.
If you want to push the boat out, you can streamline the look of your wardrobe with decent hangers, they will make such a difference (Link to hangers from Amazon). Also, recommended for t-shirts are these ones (Link to space saving hangers)
And finally shoes! As you're wardrobe now looks stunning, it might be worth investing in these great shoe boxes (Link to shoe boxes) to complete the look.
10 Must have wardrobe essentials
1) Selection of smart, casual & glitzy tops
2) cardigan
3) Jeans, black & blue
4) Smart black trousers
5) 2x Skirts
6) Smart blouse
7) Day dress
8) Jacket Smart and Casual
9) Coat (winter and lighter raincoat)
10) That all important little black dress
It is worth thinking about colour when you are looking to have these must have items. Think about your favourite colours for coordination, it's a good rule of thumb to have a minimum of four colour bands black, blue, pastel & bright, that way you ensure matching items. Always put these colour bands together in your wardrobe for easy picking. If you have items that you always wear together it's great to have them on the same hanger too.
All the above items should be matched to the season, so you should have at least 4 sets of these basics, as a rule, only have the current season's set in the wardrobe and the others are in storage (TIP: use air-tight vacuum sealed bags for storage, see (Link to Vacuum storage bags at Amazon)
Check out this page (How to look great) on how to understand what suites your body shape, colour pallet and size.