Last week I gave you some hints on how to dress during mid season this time its time to give that wardrobe a quick sort out for summer. A quick spring clean of your wardrobe at the beginning of a new season can make all the difference to creating outfits you’ll enjoy wearing. It also leaves you with a more focused list of items that need adding to make your wardrobe work for you. And the fun part is you get to go shopping to fill in the gaps.
Sort through each item in your wardrobe – it’s time to be brutal – honestly less is more!
Time to put you heavy winter clothing away
Put your very heavy winter clothes away somewhere else – it’s too confusing to have your summer clothes and very heavy winter mixed together. I keep out lighter knitwear to suit the UK summer climate but always vacuum pack my heavy knits. This protects them from moths as they love wool and, as I’ve experienced, they have expensive taste and enjoy cashmere! I also have my very hot weather clothes that never seem to be OK for our UK climate packed separately. Fingers crossed if we do have a touch of the Summer like last year, they may get a look in on the streets of London!
Alterations
Take out any clothes that you need altering – if you don’t do it now you never will, and they will be sitting in there for another year. Also, anything that needs a dry clean to freshen it up for the season ahead it’s a perfect time to pop those in.The Huffington Post has some great tips regrading alterations
Create more space
If you’ve not worn an item for many years, there’s a good reason so let go of things you haven’t worn for a few years. Maybe it’s a little snug or you think it may come back around, items you wore before you lost weight and you’re scared you put weight back on – my moto is dress for the size and shape you are now – don’t horde what if ’s! It all just takes up space.
Fit and feel
Ill-fitting clothes are not attractive – if clothes don’t fit you correctly or they fit but just don’t feel right, I assure you those are the items you put on take-off and will never see the light of day. So, anything too big, small, feels uncomfortable, scratchy or you just can’t move easily in add them to a recycle pile. I always feel you’re giving energy back to the world – someone else will love it and give it a new lease of life in some way. If it’s in great condition re-sell it as it’s so easy to do this now. If you are able to buy one new thing you love from selling stuff you don’t need, it feels SO good.
Colours
You will have a range of colours that suit your skin tone, so if there’s anything in your wardrobe that drains or overpowers you as the colour is too strong or soft when you wear it next to your face, it’s time to say goodbye to it. We all understand that some colours just light up our complexion or make us feel good when wearing – they are keepers.
Recycling
If any of your clothes look worn, seen better days, sad, dated or shabby, again they also need to go to recycling – it just won’t feel good wearing it. Sometimes it can be an expensive item but if you’ve loved and worn it, it’s had a great life and is ready to be reincarnated into something else or reinvented by someone else! Virginia Feacey says in Cosmopolitan “Just because you might not like it anymore, doesn’t mean someone else won’t!”
Focused shopping!
Look at all the clothing you have left and see what outfits you love, work out why you love them, is it colour, fabric, cut, shape etc – you’re learning what you enjoy wearing, what suits you and what you actually wear. Make a shopping list of all the items you feel you need to make what’s left work for you, those gaps need filling – then hit the shops and enjoy
