Welcome to Step 1 of the Intentional Wardrobe Series!
Clearing Your Wardrobe
I’m really excited to start this series off with you, and hope you’ll join me in building your wardrobe with intention. There are five detailed steps, as well as all the tips and tricks I’ve learned in creating my wardrobe. Along the way I’ll show you how to create your wardrobe so it’s easy to get dressed in the morning, and you always look and feel great. Thanks for all your questions last week too, we’re going to make sure to address those in this series too. The first step is CLEARING YOUR WARDROBE!!
These are the steps we’re going to take to clear out our closet. Click the image to the right if you want to print out these steps for easy access.
The foundation of a well functioning wardrobe that is quick and easy to navigate begins with clearing everything out. Clearing your wardrobe means removing damaged, non-essential or mismatched pieces to help create a clean base to build the perfect wardrobe upon. Check out my video series of me clearing out my wardrobe! (Click the image) Yes, even I had to start somewhere 😉
Take a morning out (weekends are usually best for this) to try on every item in your wardrobe in front of a mirror and be ruthless about every item. Ask yourself the questions below and sort your clothes into two piles, those that are going and those that are staying.
ASK YOURSELF:
1. Is it worn out? Remove any items that are ripped, stained or worn beyond repair
2. Have I worn this in the past year? Remove any items you haven’t worn in the last 12 months. (Although, allow yourself to keep a small number of ‘sentimental’ items, just be careful that pile doesn’t grow and grow)
3. Does this make me feel confident? Clothes that make you feel your best will make you look your best. Remove any items that are the wrong shape, color or cut
4. Does this fit properly? Check the fit of each item by trying them on and moving in them, lifting your arms, sitting down, walking and bending over. Remove any items that are too short, too tight or when wearing, require you to adjust too frequently
5. Is this item out of date? Often fashions, prints and colors of a past trend will date quickly and while this doesn’t mean they can’t be incorporated into your wardrobe, remove any items that you haven’t worn recently
6. Does this need altering or repairing? If a piece of clothing is slightly damaged or ill-fitted it may be worth taking to the tailors. This is especially so if the garment is well-made and of a quality material like silk, wool or cotton
After going through your whole closet (including shoes, accessories and underwear), your clothes should be divided into two sections, those that are staying and those that are going. Put the ones you want to keep back in your closet. The ones that you don’t want anymore split it up into three piles: Altering, Donate and Sell. This a condensed version of what I did in my closet cleanse, I don’t want you to get too overwhelmed! You can divide the piles further, but let’s start with these ;-).
ALTERING (OR DIY)
If they need altering, take these garments to a tailor or if you have access to a sewing machine and feel confident, you can alter them yourself.
DONATE
These are pieces that are a bit worn, dated and not worth selling. Take these items to a thrift store or give them away to family and/or friends. Avoid throwing away garments if they are still wearable. These items can be easily reused and will avoid ending up in a landfill. Think about giving to someone else or repurposing the fabric for something else.
CLOTHES TO SELL
Selling your old clothes is a great way to recycle and make money. Who doesn’t want to turn that handbag into wine/a trip away/another bag? There are many platforms available for you to sell your unwanted clothes: Ebay, Amazon, the MANY resell apps out there, and Facebook groups (just to name a few). Choose the platform that best suits you and your needs.
Clearing your wardrobe will be the best thing you can do to get started out in a good direction. It’s SO freeing… Trust me.
I hope you’ll join me for the next step in this five-step journey.