For the first day of Spring here are a few hints on how to spring clean that closet of yours. If this balmy (or barmy) weather is anything to go by, we’re in for some warmer climes so it’s the perfect time to grasp the nettle, or at least a coat hanger or two and get your spring season up and running.
Arm yourself with plenty of garbage bags, energy drinks and a paper and pen to make notes on what you need to shop for once you’ve done some discarding.
Start wherever you like; tops, pants, dresses, it doesn’t matter as long as you start. This is one of those chores that’s got ‘procrastinate’ written all over it. Stick to these simple rules:
- Discard; anything that doesn’t fit, you haven’t worn for the last 2 years, looks slightly jaded or is broken.
- Alter; hemlines – if a piece looks great but simply hits at an unflattering part of your leg. Anything that needs taking in or can be let out to give it another burst of life. Things that need fixing – buttons, belts, zippers etc.
- Keep; pieces that deserve a place in your closet.
- Recycle; coat hangers and any items that you don’t want to keep but are not too shabby, and good enough to hand over to Goodwill. If your closet is packed with designer wear, take a trip to your local consignment store or road test some eBay sales.
It’s time to be harsh, unless you have some kind of Mary Poppins limitless space gadget, your clothes are fighting for hanging space in there.
Once you’ve done the tough stuff, place your remaining pieces back in the closet, tops on the top level and pants/skirts below – this makes it easier to make outfit choices each morning.
If you’re a bit on the OCD side, take this opportunity to pair items together to make new outfits and style statements that you’ve never tried before. You can bet you’ll find pieces in there that you’d forgotten you had. Take your camera or phone and snap these combinations so that you have a digital record you can refer back to when your memory fails you – which, trust me, in the early hours of panic dressing before work or an event, will most definitely occur.
If you’re a stacking sweaters kind of a gal, once you’ve worn an item place it back in the stack the opposite way round (folded end away from you), this will give you an indication of how often you wear some pieces and not others, giving you the chance to do a smaller edit at a later date.
Once the hard work is done, take the pen & paper and start making a list of what you need to purchase to replace the items you’ve discarded, and make a wish list for this springs on trend pieces.
From here on in, it’s time to shop – yay!