If you have a closet full of clothes but feel you’ve nothing to wear its time for a wardrobe detox. An efficient working wardrobe should align with your personal style and current lifestyle. I mean, wouldn’t it be great if every time you got dressed it was quick, easy, comfortable and ultimately confidence-boosting? Well, it can be that way for you.
Our lives constantly evolve and the wheels of time march on. What worked for us clothes-wise 10 years, months, or weeks ago, may not now. That’s not to say all is lost and your money mis-spent. A wardrobe full of clothes will hold some real gems, they might just be hidden out of sight right now. Equally, if you can’t get dressed effortlessly, it’s very likely your wardrobe, full or not, doesn’t match your needs.
A wardrobe detox supports your life now
There’s no point in having a wardrobe full of ball gowns if you never go to a ball. Likewise, Cinders can’t go to the ball without a knockout gown, so this is a cautionary reminder, it’s really important to think about what you need for your life and customise your wardrobe accordingly.
I know it seems super obvious, but a lot of people just skirt around the edges. Only wearing 20 per cent of your wardrobe, can just mean the other 80 per cent is gathering cobwebs. If your lifestyle has changed then so must your wardrobe.
My life, for example, has changed lots in the last 12 years. I lived in London for three years where I worked in an office. After I met my husband I moved back to Bristol. I started to work from home as a freelance, then went back into an office for a couple of years and now currently do a bit of both. Meanwhile I swapped weekend bar-hopping for bake dates and swimming lessons with the step-children for some years and am back to day-dating again now the kids have grown up. It’s all change, all the time, and so has my wardrobe.
De-cluttering unveils the good stuff you already have and saves you money
I have to admit that I’m not good with clutter. For me a clean environment helps me think clearly. That said I know others don’t feel the same way. In fact I can get quite envious of people who enjoy creating a more lived-in feel to their surroundings, including their closet.
However, it can lead to too much clutter. It’s really easy to build up a large amount of stuff if you’re not careful. One client that I worked with recently ‘warned me’ that I would be welcomed by ‘the jumble that I call my clothes’ and she asked for some serious help clearing out the JUNK.
She of course didn’t have junk at all, but there was a lot of clothes. In two wardrobes, under a king-size bed, coming out of side drawers and stuffed in boxes. However, we methodically went through everything piece by piece and my client gained some much needed clarity. We checked that clothes fitted her, and not just physically, but was fitting of her lifestyle.
Some clothes did go into a charity bag. They were no longer of any use to her. The clothes that remained were all ready to wear now. We then drew up a short list of clothes needed to create the perfect wardrobe. Of course, what truly pleased her was identifying all the really great pieces in her wardrobe that she already had. It was clearly a win-win situation.
It helps to identify the gaping holes in your wardrobe
As well as identifying what is no longer working in your wardrobe, a detox also highlight pieces that are missing. These missing pieces can complete outfits and help create the perfect wardrobe for you. For example, when I did a wardrobe detox a while ago I found that I clearly didn’t have enough tops. An area of my body that I struggle to buy for, I realised that I had either avoided it (so I had some really great trousers and skirts), or purchased a style that I quickly became disappointed with and given it away. Either way this left me with few options.
Still, with the problem staring me in the face I was able to rectify it and I really put all my attention in finding solutions and building a capsule wardrobe that stopped me from sitting on the edge of the bed pulling my hair out. It also stopped me from stock-piling a lot of bottom pieces that I didn’t really need.
It gives you back more time to do other things
There’s no doubt a wardrobe detox will give you more time to spend on other things. Once you’ve cleared the clutter and purchased any pieces to complete your wardrobe staples, you can see clearly what you’ve got to wear and your daily routine will be simplified.
You can design your wardrobe around the pillars of your life – work, rest and play. Or, you can divide your closet by colour or season. Just choose a way that works for you and stick to it. Ultimately, the goal is to make your life easier, particularly in the morning. No more standing in front of the wardrobe, head in hands, eyes-rolling over what to wear. The answer should be very clearly in front of you. A well-constructed closet simply gives you back much-needed time.
More time for that walk in to work you’ve been promising yourself, perhaps a 10 minute cardio workout, or writing up the food shop! In your dreams it will be a soak in the bath, catching up on the social media gossip, or watching a bit of morning TV. But we all know it’s really going to be eaten up with putting the washing on, pulling out the bins and running after the bus. Still, it is more time and definitely one less stress to worry about.
It helps you create a personal style
A wardrobe detox offers you the perfect opportunity to start your style journey afresh. Clearing away outdated looks for newly-styled outfits that work for you now, not only acts as a deep-cleanse of past life chapters, but helps you develop a style of your very own.
What you wear says a lot about you and how you want to be seen, indeed it can inform others of who you are and what you’re about without saying a word. So if that’s the case then it’s good idea to work on your own personal style. Of course finding that style is developed over time and we all make mistakes, but regular detoxing helps to curate the perfect wardrobe that reflects you.
For starters you will only be wearing clothes from a wardrobe that you clearly love, feel confident in, and allows you to shine.
If you want my personal touch please do click here and find out more about my Wardrobe Reboot service. Let me do the detox for you!
Gail x
