7 Reasons to Edit your Wardrobe this Weekend

Julie Cliff, Declutter Coach at Space and Time and I combine forces to take you through 7 reasons to edit your wardrobe and remove the clothes you aren’t wearing that are cluttering up your wardrobe this weekend.

1. Focus on the clothes that you love and can wear.

C needed a knee reconstruction and had to give up high heels for 12 months while she waited for the operation and did her post surgery recovery.  She had lots of clothes that had worked for her previously, but nothing to wear.  We edited her wardrobe and packed the clothes she couldn't wear away and so she could focus on what she had that only she had that she loved and could wear.  C said “Gina helped review my wardrobe, showing me how I could still be stylish, modern and comfortable.” 

2. Edit so that you know what you already own.

If you have an overflowing wardrobe it can be difficult to remember what you already own.  If you edit your wardrobe so you have less (but a larger percentage of clothes that you wear), it is easier to keep track of what you already own.  Having a list or photos on your phone can help you avoid buying or accepting duplicates of what you already own.  You can even store them in an app like Stylebook that lets you keep track of your clothes and how often you wear them.   

3. Declutter to discover your wardrobe gaps and what you need to make outfits.  

Often people get clutter in their wardrobe because they have lots of clothes, but they don’t have the right clothes to make outfits. They know they can’t put together good outfits, so they buy more clothes.  However, without an understanding of what they need, they end up with more of the same.  Editing your wardrobe helps you see what you have and where the gaps are.
Simone had a wardrobe with plenty of tops, pants, dresses, and warm jumpers. Her wardrobe gap was that she didn’t have enough layers -   toppers like jackets or cardigans to wear with them.  Simone said: “The session has left me feeling far more confident about what is in my wardrobe and given me some great ideas of different combinations I can put together. I am really excited to start playing with my own clothes!”

4. Edit to simplify your life and choices

Downsizing your wardrobe simplifies life by giving you fewer choices. Life is busy enough without having to decide what to wear and stress about “does this make my butt look big?” Simone let go of all her outdated clothes, and those that no longer fitted and ended up with a capsule wardrobe that made it so quick and easy to get dressed in the morning.  She said “I found it easier to return clothes to their permanent homes and it encouraged me to get the laundry done and back in the wardrobe rather than having washed clothes hanging around the home in washing baskets”.

5. Edit to help you accept your body as it is today

If I had a dollar for every client that said “I’ll lose weight one day and get back into that outfit”, I’d be rolling-in-the-dough. Embrace your current size, and health limitations, and choose the clothes that flatter your current figure, hair and skin colour   and let go of the things you wore when you were 15. Felicity felt “so much lighter” after she accepted her body as it is today and let go of the size 8 clothes she knew she was never going to wear again.

6. Edit to make clothes more accessible and easier to find

Having less clothes means that you don't have to wade through mountains of clothes to find the ones you are after.   Make getting dressed faster and easier by putting those that remain within easy reach. Store clothes in your wardrobe or walk-in-robe based on the frequency of use. 

Amanda said “If I wear it often, I decide whether to hang or fold it and make sure I can reach the height easily and ensure it’s not squished in too tight with too many other items because it just makes putting clothes away too hard.”

7. Edit to feel calmer

Editing your wardrobe reduces clutter and according to a study performed by Princeton University Neuroscience Institute, “clutter makes you distracted and unable to process information as well as you do in an uncluttered, organized, and serene environment.” Too many clothes in a mess is overstimulating and your brain finds it difficult to process all that it sees and this can lead to overwhelm.

Kylie said “before decluttering I’d walk into my overstuffed walk -in-robe and back out again (empty handed) because it was all too much”

Give it a go

If these reasons to edit your wardrobe resonate, check out these other articles for tips to get you started on your wardrobe edit.