Clean Out Your Wardrobe

There is nothing more refreshing than clearing out your wardrobe.   It is especially rewarding if you have been going through an ‘I have nothing to wear’ phase or are not happy with the outfits you are putting together.

Let’s start with the clothes that don’t fit anymore.  These need to go.  When you see them every day in your wardrobe they keep saying ‘You can’t fit me’.  If you absolutely love the piece and are planning on a diet or exercise regime in the near future, it still needs to be moved.  Pack it up and move it out of site.  Places like the Plastic Box and The Warehouse have great storage solutions.

The next step is to pull out all the clothes you haven’t worn in the last year.  If you haven’t worn it this year, you aren’t going to wear it again.  I don’t know how many items I couldn’t bear to part with something and then it wasn’t worn again the following year. 

Then check your highly used clothes like camis, tees, leggings even socks and underwear.  Anything that is worn out needs to go in the bin.

I also like to separate my winter and summer wardrobe.  I am lucky enough to have a spare room that I use as my opposite season storage.  Otherwise move them to one side of your wardrobe or pack them up.  This helps keep your current outfit options a lot more visible.

It is also a good time to do a little maintenance.  A trip to the drycleaner, sewing on buttons and re-hemming trousers will put more options back in your wardrobe.  I also use a lint remover (very cheap at The Warehouse) on my knit wear to keep it looking fresh.

Now comes the hard part.  You need to work out what you don’t like about your wardrobe.  The clothes that you don’t wear anymore will help.  Is it the colour, does the style not suit you?  These answers will help you avoid the same mistakes again.

Sort the remainder of your wardrobe into sections; Jackets, dresses, tops, trousers and skirts all in their own sections.  This will help you analyse your new wardrobe needs, and make it easier to put outfits together.

 Now you’ll be ready start building your new look wardrobe.

Finding The Time

In New Zealand we are lucky enough to be taught to read, write and work with numbers at school.  Other social skills are learnt but what about our style.  Some people are lucky enough to be born with a natural talent that develops with age.  The rest of us pick things up from our environment and hope for the best.  What makes this even more challenging is our body is continually changing with age, which just makes it more confusing.  So many give up the struggle and settle with ‘that’ll do’ because let’s face it there are bigger concerns in our life.

If you made some investment in time and a little set up cost you will be looking and feeling great in no time.  With all the compliments you will be receiving you’ll be feeling the love again.  This won’t cost a fortune.  You go to the hairdresser, use beauty product and buy clothes so it’s in your budget.  It’s just a matter of making the shift from ‘that’ll do to ‘bloody marvelous’.  It will, however, take time changing your thought process. Once the foundation is laid the hard work is done and you’ll be into your new routine in time, looking and feeling great.

This is something difficult to do on your own.  Most of us only dream of having the money to invest in a professional stylist or be chosen for a makeover with Gok (it would help if we were in the same country). The other option is to read one of the many books the stylist gurus have written. With their wealth of information they should get you on the right track.  This is great DIY alternative but to be honest when will you read it.  Or you end up reading many books and only gaining a little information from each, very labour intensive with not much reward.  Unfortunately the other option of learning new skills at night classes doesn’t seem to be an option, with no local high schools, I have seen, offering this subject in their community night classes.

Well I know for a fact you all make time for your daily dose of facebook and even twitter or blog sites.  So if you are looking for help navigating the world of fashion or a new look taking you from drab to fab, follow our team as we take you through the process.

Don’t forget to ask questions along the way, after all we are women we know when to stop and ask for directions.

Love your style,

Vivienne