Well there has certainly been a season change here in Melbourne and the lemon print playsuit in my wardrobe has taunted me too many times so it has been banished! I know its awful trying to drum up the motivivation to 'gut' your wardrobe but trust me I do this twice a year (usually spring & autumn) and it is the most refreshing/rejuvenating thing you can do to your wardrobe. Yes it will more than likely take you the best part of a day but it's almost cathartic and I promise you will feel virtuous at the end as you sit back with a well earned glass of vino.
{benefits of the cleanse}
- clears space which means you can find things quicker
- allows you to see what you actually have thus giving you more outfit options
- lets you get rid of things you no longer love
- motivates you to fix items that require mending
- allows you to make sensible choices on things you might need to buy to supplement your newly cleansed wardrobe.
{be honest with yourself}
This is your opportunity to be really honest with yourself about your style and what you actually really love in your wardrobe. There's alot of reading out there on how to choose what to keep and what to throw when it comes to your clothes. I do alot of clear outs and some things I just don't have the heart to say goodbye to even though I know I'll never wear again. I keep these in a small vintage suitcase as I wonder if maybe Poppy will wear them one day (or atleast dress up in them). I find it quite easy to be honest with myself and ask 'have i wore this recently?' if i haven't wore it this summer I doubt I will wear it the next summer so I'm usually brave enough to donate or recycle. If you need a bit of help in making choses like this maybe do some prior reading try "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever" by Mari Kondo (click here to buy now) and also research into what you'd like to evolve your style into (hello Pinterest for outfit inspiration!)
{so, lets get our cleanse on}
This is what you will need:
1. a messy wardrobe
2. some vaccum pack bags
3. a really big cup of hot tea (and potentially a biscuit or two)
4. 'helpful' three year old assistant (optional)
4. 'helpful' three year old assistant (optional)
Start sorting through your things and make 5 piles of the following:
1. Things for storing (so the things highly inappropriate for the next two seasons i.e. said lemon print playsuit/bikinis/etc)
2. Things that may be worn in the season transition period
3. Things to wear for the next 2 seasons (season appropriate and basics for layering)
4. Things to donate/recycle (more on recycled fashion here)
5. Things to mend (and get them mended!)
I usually try to make the most out of the warmer days in the season change by layering my dresses up with jumpers and tights/boots here's a few examples of how you can do it. Get creative it you can make your overall wardrobe more capsule you will need less clothes in total. Give it a try. Be brave.
Denim is pretty versatile but you can make this work with lots of different kinds of dresses/skirts here's a similar idea with a more summery dress. I'd wear this one with a neutral/grey tight and grey boots. Just because I'm going into winter I refuse to wear only black!
So, you're almost there! All that's left is to bag up your clothes for storage and organise your hanging rails. I usually 'bunch' by garment colour and try to arrange by similar colours as well which makes it look a bit nicer and more aesthetically pleasing. As I don't have a huge amount of hanging space I have also chosen to bag and store my occasion dresses for extra space. You can do the same principal on shoes, children's wardrobes, coats etc. And the plus is it feels like Christmas on the next cleanse when you get all your lovely storage bags back out. Couldn't resist including a pic of my little helper that Princess Elsa dress will never go out of season for this one :)
Are you a hoarder? Or do you love a good clear out? Let me know in the comments if you will attempt the cleanse! Please note this post contains affiliate links. Thanks for reading, Amy x
