When it comes to that time of year when the chill is in the air and the colours start to chance, you know it’s time to address your wardrobe and start the seasonal swap out.
Here are my top tips to help you when addressing the wardrobe update.
Q What is the most important thing to have in your wardrobe ? A - SPACE
If you can’t see what you have you will never get the chance to wear it. Going from Summer to Autumn is a great opportunity to get rid of clutter.
Go through your Summer pieces before storing them away & ask yourself if it’s time to keep or clear. Keep only if
a)I t’s still fresh enough for next year.
b) it still fits
c) you feel good wearing it. Make space for all of your A/W clothing by making sure you pack away all your S/S clothing while thinking of sustainability by selling or donating items you don’t want to keep. Only keep light weight items in the wardrobe for layering when they are in suitable neutral shades and not in Summer hues. Summer fabrics like Linen should be replaced with Winter alternatIves of cashmere, wool & warmer blend fabrics.
Your layering basics should consist of Long sleeve fine knits - instead of short sleeve.
Oversized Cotton Shirt - instead of loose Lenin shirts & tops
Chunky knit cardigan - instead of fine knits.
Leather jacket - instead of light coloured Denim jacket. Quilted jacket/ coat- instead of light rain jacket.
Think about the space you have and how best to utilise that space. Obviously our A/W clothes are heavier than the summer items so fitting everything into limited spaces can be a challenge. You want to be able to see what you have at a glance in order to be able to choose your outfits, so having an organised wardrobe is key.
Choose your hangers wisely.
Wooden hangers look great and do hold your clothes in place very well but if you have limited hanging space then try the slimmer velvet style hangers or multi hang instead. Never use the wire dry cleaner hangers are they are too light to keep your clothes in place plus they will not with stand the wear & tear of everyday use.
Sometimes organising your wardrobe with limited drawer space can be a real challenge so always be on the look out for great multi stacks and drawer dividers to keep all your pieces in order.
I always prefer to keep like pieces together. I.e Hang Coats- Jacket - Tops- Dresses - Pants - Skirts breaking up each category into Day or Night wear, Plus try to keep like colours hanging together.
Fold jeans, fine knits & chunky jumpers.
You may prefer to keep all your work wear together And evening wear together but this is a personal preference plus also depends on your wardrobe space.
Accessories can be tricky.
Shoes, bags, belts & costumes jewellery.
If you keep shoe boxes then stack with the picture / description side facing out. When no boxes are included keep
Long boots. Ankle Boots as one category and shoes & occasion styles and another category.
Look out for stackable shelves which are great to create extra storage space.
Bags need extra care so use the dust bags if provided when possible to protect from scratches & allow storage space so they don’t loose there shape.
Using hooks at the back of the wardrobe door can work as well as pull out shelf or an over shelf for your bags, making sure you can see them at a glance and are easily accessible.
Belts are now a real wardrobe basic that can really transform your look so keeping them at hand is essential
Try hanging hooks on a free standing wall or a door that is not in constant use so you can choose freely from your collection.
Don’t forget your costume Jewellry. All too often it is stored away in boxes never to see the light of day or to sparkle at night.
Again look out for small drawer deviders or see through perspix stackable boxes. Believe me when I tell you “ when you see it your wear it”
Above all let your wardrobe be a nice space that you enjoy.
Add some scented sachets & scented drawer liners.
Bring light with battery strip lighting or press on spot lights.
Design the space as a room that you like to spend time in and I guarantee rather than only using 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time you will be able to see & wear all of your pieces all of the time.
till next time Tess X