How to Edit My Wardrobe
I edit my wardrobe twice a year. It is a time to review what is in my wardrobe and get ready for the new season.
There are lots of reasons to do a wardrobe edit, but my personal reasons for doing it are because:
It stops me spending as much money on clothes. I understand what I already have in my wardrobe, and what I actually wear, vs what I like to look at. For example, I love the look of dresses, and get tempted by them, but rarely wear them. On the other hand I have loads of jackets and most of them get worn.
I like to feel of a smaller set of clothes that all go together, but also need variety. When I pack clothes away for a season and don’t look at them in my wardrobe every day, they feel like new again. This fulfils my need for variety without needing to buy (as many) new clothes.
It also provides me with an opportunity to spring (and autumn) clean my shelves, hanging space and drawers.
If I have convinced you of the benefits of doing a wardrobe edit, and you are about to Google “how to edit my wardrobe” you can stop right now, because I am going to cover the basics here.
How to do a Wardrobe Edit
The following are the 7 steps I used to edit my wardrobe.
Remove all your clothes. As wardrobe edit can take a while to do, I normally do it in sections - a drawer or section of hanging space at a time.
Sort yout your clothes into 5 groups:
Wardrobe. These are clothes that fit, that you like and that suit your current lifestyle and the season.
Pack away. These are other clothes that are still in good condition, that you either fit into, or are likely to fit into in the next 1-2 years, and that suit your current lifestyle.
Fix. These are clothes that need repairs or tailoring to fit properly.
Donate. Clothes that you don’t like, that don’t fit, or that don’t suit your lifestyle. These should be of a condition that you would give them to a good friend.
Trash. Clothes that have aged beyond repair.
Clean your wardrobe.
Write a shopping list of any clothes in your trash or donate group that your wore a lot and that you want to replace.
Donate those in your donate group. Do this soon so you don’t forget or bring the clothes back into your wardrobe. Arrange to fix the clothes in your Fix pile. Put the remaining clothes in the trash or use them as rags.
Come up with outfits for the clothes in your Wardrobe group. Note any items that you need to buy and add them to your shopping list. You might also want to do this with your Pack Away group so you are ready for the next season.
Put your Wardrobe clothes in your wardrobe and pack away your Pack Away clothes.
When you Can’t Get Rid of Clothes
Some people find it hard to get rid of clothes. Barbara Brownie did a review of studies and found that 85% of women have clothes in their cupboard that don’t fit for 4 main reasons:
Weight management. People have clothes in 3 sizes (normal size, smaller size, larger size). If your weight fluctuates like mine does, I fully support this approach. However, if this sounds like you, you should check that you have been the size of the clothes you are keeping in the last 1-2 years and that you still like the clothes you have stored. The exception to the 2 year rule is if you are likely to have medication changes, surgery or pregnancy in your near future that may result in temporary weight changes. If the weight change is likely to be permanent, then you might want to consider that after two years, styles have changed and you many want to look at donating and getting new clothes when required.
Value. People don’t like to through out clothes before they gotten their money’s worth from them. If this sounds like you, think about the fact that clothes have a limited lifespan. The more time they are in your cupboard, the more likely they are to go out of fashion and end up in trash. Rather than thinking of their purchase as a mistake, think of it as a donation to someone less fortunate.
Fear. Some people fear not being able to afford clothes in the future. This can be particularly problematic if you have grown up with financial insecurity. If this sounds like you, then it might help to work out how many clothes you need in your wardrobe. If you have that many clothes then you have enough clothes. If you have double that number than you have enough clothes for now and into the future.
Sentiment. Clothes with good memories - like special occasions or travel purchases, or gifts from loved ones can be difficult to part with for sentimental reasons. However, clothes in your wardrobe don’t get seen. If this sounds like you, you might like to think about converting garments from special occasions into cushions, displaying pictures from your holidays or of you wearing your special garments, and looking at other gifts from loved ones that you can put on display. If none of these sound like you, think about storing these clothes a special area set aside for memorabilia. Pick a box and limit the number of things that can go in there to the size of the box.
Dreams. Some clothing is associate with dreams. Dreams of how we used to be - thinker, more able, or dreams of how we want to be - more confident or taller. Giving away clothing can feel like giving up on our dreams. In these circumstances, we might need learn how to deal with our current reality before we can give up our clothes.
Wardrobe Edit Service
If having read all of this, you feel like you still need an extra hand, you might benefit from a Wardrobe Edit Service. Clients have told me that it is easier for them to give away clothes that have been gifted to them, or that no longer suit when a professional confirms their view that it isn’t for them. Other clients have said that they come away with new ideas about how to wear their existing clothes so they no longer feel they need to purchase so many new clothes.
Wardrobe Edit
$250.00
In a Wardrobe Edit we spend time together to go through your clothes, shoes, and accessories. We work out what is working for you, identify new outfits, remove the things that are no longer serving you, and come up with a shopping list of the top items that will help you make the most our of what you already own.