Regular wardrobe editing is the best way to curate your perfect clothing collection. As so many of us are spending much more time at home, now is an ideal opportunity to refresh your wardrobe, take stock of your clothes and reorganise. Having a wardrobe that really works for you and is filled with clothes that fit, flatter and that you adore is an achievable goal. The key is in identifying your personal style, knowing what looks good on you and above all loving wearing it.
Before I had my colours done, I had a wardrobe of clothes that I loved but they didn’t really work together. I didn’t identify my personal style so I had individual pieces that looked great but I never seemed to have the right things to go with them. The colours and styles didn’t go together and my wardrobe wasn’t working for me as a cohesive whole.
Following my style consultation everything clicked. Pinpointing my personal style helped me understand why some of my clothes were never worn. Phasing out the colours that didn’t really suit me and introducing the fabulous colours that really did meant that gradually my wardrobe became coordinated by colour – it didn’t look such a mish-mash and everything started to go together better as the colours naturally worked together.
One of the benefits of really understanding your best colours and personal style is that shopping for clothes becomes easy and you can filter out any mistakes before they get into your wardrobe. One of the first things that clients tell me they want to do following a colour analysis is to sort out their wardrobe, get rid of the colours that don’t suit them and seek out new items in their best colours.
To edit and revitalise your wardrobe, the first step is to really take a good look at what treasures you already have. Take everything out of your wardrobe and put similar items together. Look at each section and try on your clothes in front of a full length mirror. Ask yourself – does it fit and flatter you and most of all do you love wearing it? If you have lots of tops which ones do you reach for the most? Why is that? Are there some you never wear? Why not? Do they need repairing or altering? Are they an unflattering fit or colour? Do they no longer suit your lifestyle or personal style?
Put back into your wardrobe only those items that you would choose to wear today, tomorrow or for a special event and those that you love wearing. Be decisive – if you are serious about organising your wardrobe there is no room for mediocrity. If you have lots of similar items which would you choose to wear? Which would you reach for every day and which would you select for special occasions?
Don’t hold onto an item that you are half-hearted about. Remember you want to create a wardrobe you love so ask yourself what is it doing in there? Donate your unwanted items in good condition to charity. They will probably be just perfect for someone else!
The fun part is that now you have more space in your wardrobe you can really see what you have. Experiment by putting together items you’ve never worn together before. Split up suits and try a smart jacket with casual trousers, for example. I regularly reorganise my wardrobe and rehang clothes in different arrangements too to get fresh clothing combination ideas. Use this dressing up time to plan your outfits for future occasions or events. What would you wear for a business zoom call? For lunch with friends when we are able to? I like to note down outfit ideas in a sketch book as a reminder but you may prefer to take photographs to record your ideas.
You may have an overwhelming assortment of clothes but don’t be put off. A coordinated wardrobe doesn’t happen overnight. Curating your perfect collection takes time and as you go along you will discover new and interesting pieces to keep it up to date.
Applying my wardrobe editing tips, in addition to understanding your personal style, means you can develop and build a cohesive wardrobe. What starts off as a huge decluttering session which can be daunting, gradually becomes an enjoyable experience, an opportunity to play dress-up and create new combinations of clothes you haven’t tried before. To refine your wardrobe even more, try this simple exercise – imagine these clothes were on sale now. Would you still choose to buy them?
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