... wardrobe detox
I am 100% sure you have heard or even said ' I have nothing to wear ' and at the same time your wardrobe is bursting at the seams. But you don't need to be worried, there is a solution. I call it.. 'Wardrobe detox'. Okay what a wardrobe detox is? A wardrobe detox means facing your demons all at once. It can be nasty, but results are amazing. If you don't do wardrobe detox, you will end up buying clothes you don't need and having more dilemmas every morning saying I have nothing to wear or what should I wear.. But did you know, that we that most of us wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. “Detoxing” your wardrobe means clearing out the unworn 60-80%. There are many reasons we hang onto clothes and accessories that we no longer wear. Some are emotional, some are financial.
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I am sure you asking right now, why is it good to do a good wardrobe detox? Well, there are a few reasons why.
- Too much choice can be overwhelming and paralyzing.
- Mood lifter (Having too much “stuff” weighs us down emotionally. Maybe we’re confronted with those shopping mistakes, or the clothes that no longer fit. Clearing out the “stuff” can make us feel lighter and more confident).
- Reduce spending. How many times have you bought something, only to later realize that you already have a similar item in your wardrobe?
- Someone else might benefit from what you’re no longer wearing. (You can sell your garments, give them to charity or even recycle them.
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Well, here's my tips, how easily to do wardrobe detox.
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In the first pass you will quickly go through each item in your wardrobe placing it into one of 6 categories (more on what these are below). Keepers
Keepers, need altering or mending Maybes
Sell
Giveaways
Throwaways
In the second pass you re-visit the maybes and do a more detailed assessment of each item.
How often? You ask yourself. Well, ideally every fashion season, that is twice a year. At the beginning of the Spring/ Summer season and the beginning of the Autumn/Winter season. At least every two years.
Here's the list you will need :
- Ideally a minimum of 2 hours available
- 5-10 large bags such as (bin liners)
- 5 x cards/paper (minimum size half letter or A4 size) plus 1 x marker pen. Label the cards: Changes, Maybes, Sell, Giveaways, Throwaways
- Your best colour notes, or a good idea of the colours that suit you
- Your shopping guide as per your body shape, or a good idea of the styles that suit you.
- Full length mirror
- Wear your best supporting underwear
- Hair styled
- Makeup on
- Maybe a glass of white and background music
Wardrobe Clean Out Time 1st Pass
In the first pass remove items one at a time from your closet and quickly assess each one. Don't spend too long doing this. Don't try anything on in this pass, for instance. Just do a quick pass through your wardrobe clothes and accessories and place in one of the 6 pil
es as describe below.
Anything that isn't a wardrobe item should be removed and put in a pile to be re-located to a more appropriate storage location at the end of the session
Assess each item by asking yourself these questions.. Is it flattering on my body shape? -- Is it's silhouette flattering for my vertical and horizontal body types? Are there any internal design lines or patterns that make it less flattering for you? For example trousers and skirts with a border print have an eyes-down effect. This is not ideal for short people or ifyou want to look taller and slimmer.
How well does it fit? -- Is it too tight or too baggy? 1s it worth altering?
Is it in good condition? -- Is this a much loved and worn item that has seen better days? If it has started to look faded or baggy it belongs in the throwaways pile. However, it may also be a candidate for copying. If it is, don't put it back in your wardrobe. Put it in an action pile. However, if you don't copy it within a month you're probably unlikely to do so, so throw it out.
Is it in my colour? This is particularly important for garments in the "vital V" the V-shaped area formed between your shoulders and the centre of your chest. For items outside this area you will have more mix-and-match choices if they are in your colour range. However, if the garment is flattering for your body shape and in good condition then it's a keeper.
What should you do if a garment is not in your colour or style, but it is in good condition and you can't currently afford to replace it? If it's the colour that's wrong you may be able to minimise the wrong colour in the "vital V" area. For example, wear a scarf in your colour over a coat, jacket or blouse. However, it's best not to compromise on an unflattering style. If it can't be altered to be more flattering. Can you swap it with a friend for a similar, more flattering item? Can you sell it to fund the re-purchase of the same type of item in a better style for you? Categorize each item as one these 6 categories..
Keepers -- these are garments and accessories in your colour and whose style suits your body shape. They are in good condition and repair and their fit is perfect. They are in harmony with your personality and lifestyle. Place these items on (or, in the case of footwear, near) your bed.
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Keepers, need mending or altering -- These are also garments in good condition in your colour and whose style suits your body shape. However, they need altering in some way to be a perfect fit. For example a hem needs to be taken up, or the waist needs altering to fit perfectly. Or they need mending, for example a button needs to be re-attached or a fallen hem needs fixing. Place these in one of the bags with the to be Mended or Altered label. Don't put these items back into your wardrobe until they have been altered or repaired. Otherwise it may never happen and you may as well sell them or give them away since they will be unworn anyway!
Maybes -- These are garments and accessories that...
- Are stained
- You're not 100% sure of their shape, fit, colour, personality fit, lifestyle fit
- You like in theory, but don't wear
Place these items in the maybes pile. Since this is likely to be one of the larger piles and you will be re-visiting it, there's no need to put into a bag, unless it helps you keep the pile separate from the others. If there's something that should be in the throw out pile that you absolutely can't bear to part with put it in the maybes pile in this first pass.
Sell -- These are items that are in good condition, but their style or colour are not right for you, or you never wear because you don't like them or they no longer fit your personality or lifestyle or they are too young for you now. Or are very out-of-date. They are most likely designer label. Place these items in a bag by the sell label.
Giveaways -- these are garments that are...
- Too small or large and not worth altering
- Hopelessly out-of-date
- Not worn for 3 years or more
- No longer fit your lifestyle or personality
- Not a flattering style for you
- Not in your colours and not easy to disguise.
- Fail the maybes, but too good to throwaway and not good enough to sell.
Place these items in a bag by the giveaways label.
Throwaways -- garments and accessories that are..
- Worn-out, torn and stained beyond repair
- And items that fail all the other categories.
Place these items in a bag near the throwaways label.
Remember to do this 1st pass assessment on your underwear, shoes, bags, jewellery, belts etc as well as your clothes.
Now clean your wardrobe! When you've finished the 1st pass assessment of each item and your wardrobe is entirely empty dust, polish and vacuum the space all ready to accept your neatly organized keepers :)
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Now, it is time for 2nd pass. In the second pass re-visit the...
• Maybes -- try on garments and work out what it is that's wrong. Would it work better if it was altered? If it's the wrong colour can you add a scarf or necklace to make it work? Re-assess each item and either put it in...
- Your wardrobe, if it's a keeper
- The alterations pile
- The sell or The giveaways or The throwaways pile
Keepers -- re-assess each garment. If you haven't worn it for a while, try it on. Is it as flattering as you thought? Is it still a good fit? If it's still a keeper and it's suitable for the current season put it back into your now clean wardrobe.
Put off- season clothes in another wardrobe or other storage, such as a garment box or old suitcase. This gives you a clearer view of what you have to wear this season and gives more space for remaining clothes, allowing them to breathe and get less crushed.
Keepers, need mending or altering
Giveaways
Throwaways
Plan your clothes shopping
Make sure you keep the shopping list you created during your wardrobe audit in your purse or handbag. That way, if you do find yourself with time to shop you will be less tempted to buy on impulse!
Before you go shopping it's best to work out a budget for your annual wardrobe spend. Typically this should be 3-10% of gross income.
(When shopping for a client it is essential to know the client's budget depending on the client brief.)
Plan to spend the most money on the items you will wear most and least on special occasion and trendy items. Think about cost per wear rather than just the price. A sale item you buy for €50 but wear once is not a bargain, but an item you pay for €100 for and wear 100 times is only €1 per wear.
When you're planning a clothes shopping trip look at the highest priority items on your list and think about which shops you will be most likely to find what you're looking for. Clothes labels and shops tend to cater for certain types of style personality and lifestyle designations
However, be aware that these can vary each season. At the beginning of each season do a survey of local shopping centres to check which shops are still there and to assess the stock they're carrying. Make a note of which style personalities, lifestyle designations, sizes, price ranges each store carries. (It helped make me more efficient as a personal shopper)
Keep an open mind and don't rule out any shops entirely. You may find a gem of a top or bracelet even in a store you ruled out as being too young for you!
When you have a plan and understand the elements that suit you it's very fast to check out a shop to see if it has what you're looking for.
You can ignore the colours, shapes and designs that don't suit you and focus on what does.
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I hope this was a helpful article. If you have any questions, please leave them in the section below or in comment section on Instagram and I will be more than happy to help you.
If you find this article helpful, feel free to share it with your friends.
If you have not watched 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' yet, I highly recommend this chill movie :)
Joe