It’s the new year – hello 2016! – and in many ways it’s a great opportunity to start anew. We all have our resolutions as we begin every new year, and for a goal-oriented woman like me – I NEED them in my life. Goals help me make sure I achieve a purpose in my year and I don’t let the time slip me by – because we know how easy it is to let that happen.
Decluttering my wardrobe is just one of the rituals I undertake annually. Sometimes I do this before the new year, or just after but it’s generally all within December to January. Why do I do this? Because it helps set my frame of mind – I get rid of the old and worn-out clothing and make space for better and newer things to come. It also helps me to take stock of things I have and things I don’t need.
It may seem like a very daunting task but here are a few tips to help you get started.
Evaluate your fashion choices
With the advent of online shopping, it has become even easier for us to satisfy our needs for retail therapy. How many of us browse Fashion Apps, add to cart, make payment online and eagerly await the arrival of our lovely package? This also means that we tend to buy more – because clothes are cheaper and more affordable – to a point where we’ve cluttered our wardrobe and realise we haven’t really worn much of it all.
Take a step back and look at your shopping choices – have you worn them in the last 3 months? If your answer is no, donate it or give it away. Anything that hasn’t been worn that long, won’t be worn… no matter how much you think “well I MIGHT need this”.
Keep your Basics
Just like the minimalist trend and the 5 piece French wardrobe, basics are key. These may differ from person and also depends on your style – but whatever you consider basics, keep them. These are your go-to pieces. Things you always reach out for and have worn over and over again and will continue to wear over and over again. If it’s hard to let go of because it’s such a staple for your wardrobe, hold onto it.
Besides, it doesn’t make any financial sense to chuck your basics out, only to have to buy them again.
Related: Pulling off the Minimalist Trend
Organise it into categories
Have a set of piles with different categories to help you process your clothes – for example, things to give away, things to throw out, things to pass to friends, things to keep for maternity.. you get the idea. Once you separate your clothing into these mounds, it’s a heck of a lot easier to process them and get through the process of clearing out your wardrobe.
Organise by colour
I do this once I’ve cleared out my unwanted pieces, and I stack my clothing according to its colour family. It helps you take stock of what your preferred colour palette is – which helps in future shopping days and you know what colours you like to wear. It also helps you take stock of what’s missing – maybe you have a heap of black clothing and not enough white. It also helps you pick out your outfits. Win!
So there you go ladies, get to it and you’ll thank yourself for putting in those hours. Next time you get ready for the day, it’ll be a fresh breath of air to look into a much cleaner closet… which also means, you can allow yourself a new purchase every now and then.
– Cover Image: theblissfulmind.com
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