Weekend Style Guide // A Wardrobe Workout

My blog has always had a strong emphasis on making the most of your wardrobe and mixing and matching your clothes as much as possible, it’s what I do and it’s what I encourage my clients to do.  With clothes becoming cheaper and cheaper and trends coming and going in the blink of an eye, it’s far too easy to get sucked into buying more clothes, instead of wearing what you already have. Years ago, I was guilty of buying a new top each time I went out – they were so cheap so what did it matter?  Well it did, I realised that I was buying variations of the same thing and wasting money on a wardrobe of clothes that gave me very little variety or satisfaction.

Now it's a totally different story and I’m addicted to mixing and matching and instead of adding lots of okay things I add just a few great pieces to my wardrobe. Sure there are a few things that follow a theme (leopard print/lace/ black…) but I have far more variety now, and can dress to suit whatever mood I’m in each day.

This is the time of year is when most of us try to organise the areas of our lives that have become cluttered and make resolutions to do better this year, but how many of us put the time aside to de-clutter our wardrobe?  It’s a daunting prospect I know, but now is the perfect time to organise your wardrobe so it’s fitting fit for the new season. 

1. Put a decent amount of time aside - I spend a good 4 hours going through a client’s wardrobe, sometimes more.  You’ll be amazed how quickly the time flies by.
2. Look at everything– even the items you’ve not worn for ages.  You may uncover a gem!
3. Identify your repeat purchases. We’re creatures of habit, so trust me; if you don’t make yourself aware of the repeat offenders you will continue to fill your wardrobe with the same items. 
4. Research the trends so you don’t end up binning ‘the latest thing’ – you know how trends are recycled!
5. Remove the items that don’t fit – You don’t have to bin/sell/donate them if you’re not ready to, but removing them from the wardrobe will make it easier to see what you have to work with and will create more space.
6. If something is damaged, consider repairing it before throwing it in the bin.
7. Identify the gaps – what do you need to purchase to enable you to pull together even more outfits?
8. Find a good dress agency to take your unwanted items to – you may as well try and make a few bob out of it…besides you’ll have a few gaps that will need filling.

Reminding yourself what you have, what works and what doesn’t, considering what extras you need and spotting those repeat purchases will all save you time and money in the long run, and to be honest, there really is no point in hitting the shops in search of the new collections before you’ve done this.

Trust me, make editing your wardrobe a resolution this year and you’ll save money, unleash a whole host of outfits you didn’t even realise you had and can actually be really therapeutic.  Try it!