5 Things Friday - The January Wardrobe Reset
This week I have been finding my enthusiasm for the big clear-out and I'm ready to help you take the plunge.
Morning! Today’s newsletter is pretty epic, so feel free to grab a brew and take 10 minutes to have a good read. There’s quite a bit to digest, but I hope you’ll find it useful and it gives you plenty to think about with your own wardrobe.
It’s that time of year when everyone on social media is full of advice on clearing out your wardrobe, having a reset, no-buy January and questioning everything you’ve worn in the last four months. I must have read at least seven ‘how-tos’ this week, all with different views, advice and must dos. Honestly, my brain felt a little frazzled with the thought of having my own sort out, and my enthusiasm waned as I stared at my messy wardrobe, feeling like shutting the doors and retreating to the sofa would be a far more pleasurable experience. I did question why I needed to have a big clear out again. I mean, seriously how many times do I need to organise my sock drawer? Spoiler alert… it turns out it's alot! It made me consider why was I doing this, what I was hoping to achieve (apart from a tidy wardrobe) and whether this would help me make informed decisions for future purchases.
It is very easy to stand in front of your wardrobe, pull out items and make piles of unworn or unloved clothes to get rid of. However, we want to dig a little deeper with our decisions, to (hopefully) make smarter purchases, be happy with our sartorial choices and have a wardrobe that works really hard for us. What we don’t want to do is just chuck out everything that hasn't worked, leaving spaces that we feel justified filling with more clothes that will end up on the discard pile next time! A good clear-out can be really satisfying, but it shouldn’t be a reason to buy more without good justification. It’s a process that I’m always working on. And it takes time - which is possibly why I felt like putting it off!
So, why? I took ten minutes to think about what I was hoping to get out of this clear-out, and in doing so reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the task. It’s a good idea to make your own list of reasons, but if you need some ideas here are mine:
Work out what I’ve worn the most/least
Analyse my purchases from A/W 2024 - did I make good decisions?
Inform my buying for 2025
Do I need to buy any more clothes? Of course not! From a functional point of view I do not NEED any more clothes, but from a personal point of view I love fashion and it’s a big part of how I see myself. I’m approaching my mid-fifties and I now have the time and the money to enjoy my wardrobe more than I ever before. But I want my decisions to be good ones, I want to:
Spend my money on the pieces I wear the most
Enjoy honing my style - for me every season means making a few changes to feel current, playing with my looks and enjoying my outfits
Wear my wardrobe on repeat, because I have items I really love rather than impulse buys
Before you make a start, I have a few pointers to make the whole process a little easier:
Clear Your Space Experience has taught me that it’s a lot easier when you have plenty of space to do a sort out, so if you’ve got any items to return that are lying around, get them parcelled up and gone. Clear your bedroom-chair-of-doom and, if you’ve a pile of washing or ironing, get it done. By doing that you’ve already got a few ‘To Do’ jobs done… result!
Get Packing Pack away anything that isn’t getting used in your wardrobe right now. After Christmas, I find my need for anything sequinny or partyish diminishes so, if you're keeping it, store it.
Storage Solutions Arm yourself with the tools to make the job easier. Are you making the most of your wardrobe space and how are you storing your clothes? Look at storage options. I realised I wasn’t wearing a whole section of my wardrobe because it was so hard for me to reach! A few changes in how I stored my jeans and knitwear and it’s now easier for me to access. Anything that you want to keep, but you’re not currently wearing, should be vacuum-packed for future use.
Love What You Have Now is the time to give your clothes some TLC. De-bobble your knitwear (this one is my favourite), store your accessories to protect them, give your handbags a treatment (I use this), and make sure the moths aren’t having a feast! I’ve an edit here for all your wardrobe essentials.
So Now Let’s Get on with The Process…