Are you hanging in there (pardon the wardrobe pun)? It’s Day 4 of Styling You’s Spring Clean Week? A week dedicated to getting sorted and focussed on the new season ahead – well at least in the what’s in my wardrobe and what the hell am I going to do about my legs department.
So far we’ve covered:
1. The new-season fashion wishlist – and how to make it.
2. Getting those aforementioned legs in some kind of condition for public viewing.
3. How to store (and throw out) your makeup so that you can more easily use it on a daily basis.
Today, we’re going deep into your wardrobe. Deep. Not mine. Yours. What’s really lurking in there? Some Levis 501s from 1991? (actually, if you do have some and they still fit, they’re actually back. Just roll them up at the ankles belt them, wear a slouchy tee and a blazer and you’re hip, happening and ready to go. Score.)
I’ve talked about the mysterious wardrobe edit before but I thought it would be good to share my step by step program I do with clients (minus the wine). You know, so that you can do the same this weekend.
1. Get in the right frame of mind. If you need a glass of wine to help achieve that then go for it. I’ll wait here while you go to the fridge.
2. Lock the door so you don’t get any “helpers” in the form of small children. They will distract you with requests such as, “can I please have another biscuit?”, “watch YouTube on your iPad?” or “mummy, why are you drinking wine for morning tea?”.
3. Pull EVERYTHING out. I’m a cracked record on this one. There’s seriously no point flicking through the racks, offering only a cursory glance at that floral top you bought three years ago. That still has its tags on.
4. Look at your empty wardrobe. At this point another glass of vino may be called upon. You’re not wardrobe gazing here. You’re taking a good look at the space available to you and thinking how best you can make the most of that space. If moving your partner’s clothes into another room is what you think best, who am I to come between you and marital wardrobe bliss?
Lately I've been playing around with these clever wardrobe inserts from Freedom Furniture's Closet Max System. Genius.
5. Unless you’ve had your wardrobe custom-designed by a company that builds in all those clever shelves (in which case I have serious wardrobe envy and may descend on your house just to sit in front of said wardrobe and stare) then it’s a good idea to invest in some sort of wardrobe storage system, like Freedom’s Closet Max System, pictured above, to maximise your space. They work particularly well when you have a lot of hanging space but next to no draws. The shoe insert is an obvious one but I also like the deeper boxes and drawers for my knitwear, jeans and tees.
6. When you have all your clothes out of your wardrobe, start to organise them in to type and colour. This is particularly essential if your week involves two completely different type of clothing demands. One client I’ve worked with is ultra corporate during the week and surf lifesaving all weekend. We were able to split her wardrobe into two, so that Monday to Friday she opened one section; on the the weekends and holidays another.
7. During this organisation process, you’re culling, right? Like I mentioned on Monday, if it doesn’t fit and doesn’t make you feel good it has to go (special consideration is given to sentimental pieces … I’m not that harsh!). If you want to hang on to those jeans (just in case … umm like my sass & bides I squeezed into for my 40th, drank too much and they’ve never fitted again), then store them out of sight. Otherwise, they will only make you feel like crap every time you see them.
8. Put things back into your wardrobe in a way that suits your space and lifestyle. I have a small wardrobe that I’ve been unable to convince my husband I should have sole custody of (despite regularly encroaching on his “side”), so I have taken up a sub-let in my daughter’s wardrobe to house the clothes from the season I’m not currently wearing. I figure I’ve not got long to go on this plan, though, as the teenage “must buy new clothes” bug has well and truly kicked in.
9. Bag up clothes for your favourite charity store, keeping aside any you might be keen to eBay. From experience, it’s new, near-new designer labels that will pull the most cash and make your eBay session worthwhile.
10. Sit back. Pour another wine and admire the glory that is a wardrobe ready for the season ahead.
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THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED
Win a $500 Freedom Furniture gift card
Yes, you read right. The lovely people at Freedom (did you know you can shop online?) are so keen for us to get an act on this wardrobe organisational front and make our homes look fab for Spring that they have given me a $500 gift card to give away to one lucky Styling You reader. You can put it towards anything … a new lamp, a rug, some scatter cushions. Or a down payment on a gorgeous new sofa (oops, that’s just me projecting).
Entering is super easy. Just leave a comment below. I’m thinking confession time again. What’s the one piece in your wardrobe that you know you should ditch but just can’t bring yourself to do so? Australian entries only, sorry. The winner will be drawn at random, notified via email and name posted here. Competition closes 8am Thursday, September 15.
Now you know that I usually reply to all comments on my blog. The exception is with competitions as I’ve got to use my non-existent maths’ brain to add up entries. So, know this, I’ve read and loved each of your comments.
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* A selection of the products pictured above were sent to me in accordance with my disclosure policy. You can read more about it here.
This week is Spring Clean week on Styling You. Every day there will be a post aimed at helping you get ready for the new season. Hope you enjoy.
