If you’re fed up of opening the wardrobe (which may be bursting at the seams) and despairing at finding an outfit, then you could try your own Wardrobe Edit!
I’ve included some tips and tricks below to ensure you can do this with ease. Bear in mind, it does take time, you will have to empty the clothes out, and you will need lots of cups of tea (or gin!) to help you power through it all..
TIP 1
The first thing I advise any client to do is think about their body shape. Grab a friend, willing child or partner for this one and a soft tape measure. Get them to help you measure your shoulder width, your waist and your hips. This helps determine your shape. An example of this is if your hip measurement is larger than your shoulders and hips, then typically you’re a pear shape.
You’ll find lots of resources online about styles that suit your body and you can write down a few things to help you remember what’s a good shape for you as you go through your wardrobe. Certainly with a pear shape it’s about creating more ‘balance’ with your shoulders, and so tops with embellishments, shoulder pads or wide necklines to drag the eye out are a great choice for you.
If your measuring friend is happy to stay and help you make decisions, then start working your way through your wardrobe! I would recommend you find a pair of trousers or jeans that you love wearing and feel great in, and then try on all your tops with these. That way you know your bottom half is working perfectly for you and you can discount any tops that don’t feel good on.
TIP 2
Be ruthless! Don’t settle for something that just feels ‘fine’. If this leaves you with very few tops, then you at least have the opportunity to purchase a couple of new ones that you are going to love.
TIP 3
Work through methodically and ask your friend to be honest. If in doubt, take a picture on your phone to look at, this can sometimes help you make a decision on whether to keep an item or not.
TIP 4
Separate everything out as you work along into piles – items you want to keep, items you feel you can sell, and items you want to donate. There are lots of options for places to sell items including Vestiaire Collective and Manifesto Woman for designer pieces or Depop for any others. If you’re looking to donate then obviously consider your local charity shop, or a service called Thrift Plus – this is an online service that sends you bags for your donations, you drop them at a collection point and they then sell them on your behalf. You can select whichever charity you wish for donations and you also are given credits to ‘spend’ with them on any preloved items.
Once you’ve worked through your tops and knitwear, select a great top that’s fairly neutral (so an easy white t-shirt, vest or plain top) and then work your way through your skirts, trousers and jeans. Do exactly the same – try every item on and if it doesn’t fit I advise either immediately getting rid or you can set a reminder on your phone and try it again in three months’ time.
TIP 5
My personal opinion is that our bodies change and if the item doesn’t fit, I would prefer clients not to taunt themselves with something they wore 32 years ago! Buy beautiful pieces for the shape you are, not the shape you want to be or think you should be!
By this point you’ve probably drunk about 5 cups of tea! Keep going until you’ve tried on every item – and don’t forget to look at your shoe collection, bags and coats too! You will no doubt re-discover some gems you’d forgotten about and have hopefully managed to clear out anything you really don’t love.
While this sounds like a bit of hard work, it’s well worth it – clearing the clutter and only keeping pieces you love is a cathartic process. As you’re trying on lots of items you may not typically wear together it’s also a great way to discover new outfit combinations.
Good luck and do get in touch if you’d like any further tips on editing your wardrobe!
