This question was a burning one that was let dwindle and snuff out. I am mid-way through a spring/summer wardrobe overhaul, and my wardrobe room is SO not ready for its close-up. Today I decided to sit down and write my tips anyway. Even though there would be no photos of my robe to accompany* because keeping edited wardrobe matters to me. Lots. Maybe it would inspire me to finish that clean-up and clean-out sometime soon. Who knows.

Keeping an edited wardrobe comes in a few stages; buying less, regular cleanouts and saying goodbye to items you no longer wear. If you own the system rolling over and over, you will always have a slimline wardrobe {in theory, let’s not talk about mine today} with pieces you often wear, form the basis of a stylish wardrobe and avoid double-up purchases. The gaps for wardrobe purchases required will be obvious. This sounds technical to say that you’ll know what you have when you have it and where it is. Got it? Right.

 

Right! The first step I mentioned was buying fewer clothes.

This is probably the key to the entire process. It would help if you stopped buying clothes you don’t need, want or are not going to wear. If you’re building a wardrobe, you may have a few more hits and misses than someone maintaining a closet, but the concept is the same. Stop buying so much stuff!

My problem these days is the number of samples I received as content for the blog. Often way more than one girl could need. Like, ever. So it becomes an ongoing thing to clean out the wardrobe, host sales {if the brands are okay with me doing so}, swap items or re-gifting them. So don’t let the excuse that you aren’t buying them or don’t know how the oversupply happened to stand in your way. Get active and get some items moving OUT the door.

 

Regular cleans-outs were next on my list.

I think seasonally is a good idea. It keeps things fresh; you get a good idea of what you have ready for the impending season and what will need to be replaced. What is now a laughable joke and what can be worn again {hello trend items!}. Keeping an edited wardrobe doesn’t mean you never get to repurchase a new season. It means you must part with some of the old before the new can come in.

I move around my jumpers and knits, swapping them with my swimmers and beach dresses. I rotate them in and out of a simple-to-access storage box. This prompts me to start moving things around as the weather changes and gets me ready when the new season releases are advertised. AND if I’m not reaching for the box for an entire year, then it’s simple, I don’t need them; they’re gone.

 

Don’t even OPEN that box.

That could also be the key to step three, saying goodbye. Put items you are considering getting rid of but not yet ready to part with in a storage box or container in another room of your house. If it remains untouched for some time, then it goes. No questions asked. These are not items you are reaching for daily. It’s time to go…

There are many reasons people continue to hold onto clothes after they are no longer being worn. They could be a one-day set, a memory holder, or maybe you are still planning to get up the guts to wear it just that once! Well, the time is now. Either wear it or throw it away {I say throw it away, this can mean sell it off, donate it or whatever works best for you}.

If you have a sentimental reason for keeping it, consider turning it into something extraordinary. I plan to frame a couple of event shirts to hang in my robe room: nothing tricky, just an Ikea frame and some double-sided tape. I love the idea of blankets made of pieces of fabric and things like that too. Consider a method to display these sentimental items so they can be appreciated.

 

And if you follow these three easy steps, you will soon have a considered, edited wardrobe. SURE it might take a few throw-out rounds before you part with that threadbare t-shirt you wore as pyjamas in high school, but you’ll get there. Take your time, be a little brutal and remember, no new stuff comes in unless some old stuff goes out. Make it your unique personal rule. Good luck!

 

*Oh, and you might notice photos of my robe room included. I finished that clean-up. Finally! And boy, does it feel good to have it cleaned out. I’ve got a short list of items that will move on next time if they don’t get worn to bring it back again. You’ve got to be a little brutal when you want an edited wardrobe… No man who gets left behind can not survive here. Haha.

Right, over to YOU. Any questions for me?
Have you got any tips that work for you when it comes to editing your wardrobe? 

Skimlinks Test