Written in collaboration with Rebecca Lee
Does your wardrobe need an overhaul? Don’t worry, it happens to all of us.
A lot can change over the course of a couple of years, especially when it comes to fashion. Whilst lockdown was in place, you might not have been able to wear many of the pieces in your collection, and now that it’s over, it’s possible, they just don’t have the same appeal as they once did.
So, there comes a time in every girl’s life, when they need to take the bull by the horns and make some radical changes. After all, as your clothes are an extension of your personality and how you express yourself in the world, you should love each and every item of clothing you wear.
As you grow as a person, your closet should change. Particularly when you consider some garments have a certain life cycle to them. If you are looking to spruce up your clothes in the form of a major wardrobe makeover, you’ll find yourself facing a big, potentially daunting, endeavour.
Thankfully, we’re here to help with the metamorphosis, courtesy of our quick guide to six things you should do when overhauling your wardrobe. Follow these steps, and it won’t seem like such a big task.
Phase 1: Get rid of the deadwood
The first thing you will need to do when overhauling your wardrobe is to get rid of the dead wood.
We all have it. Those items that have been in our possession for longer than you can remember that you just don’t wear. Like your fifth-choice shorts, or that t-shirt you bought several years ago that reminds you of your ex.
By clearing out the items you don’t wear anymore you are effectively doing two things. Firstly, creating valuable space in your wardrobe, and secondly, potentially rediscovering cool pieces you forgot you had (purely because you couldn’t see them).
When it comes to decluttering, be ruthless. Get rid of anything you haven’t worn in at least 12 months, and either sell them, or give them to charity. If you find it hard to let go of anything, enlist the help of your friends, especially any close male friends you have, who will have the job done in five minutes!
Ultimately, you want to have a wardrobe full of clothes you adore and will feel happy and confident in. This is the first, and a major step, towards doing so.
Phase 2: Do a stock take of what you already have
A trap many fall into is that our wardrobes can often be a little unbalanced.
Some girls for instance have lots of dresses and only one pair of jeans. Others have plenty of tops but few skirts. Then there are those who have more than enough casual wear, but few options for formal events.
So, to avoid finding yourself in this situation, once you have decluttered, the next phase involves working out what you have left at your disposal.
The best way to do this is to take everything you’ve decided to keep out of your wardrobe and put them on the bed. Then take a detailed inventory of what pieces you have.
You will soon discover how many skirts, dresses, pants, jeans, tops, jumpers, jackets, sweatpants and all other types of clothing you have. Which you can then further break down into categories like home, work outfits, casual day wear, evening attire etc.
Phase 3: Decide what areas you need to address
Taking stock of your clothing in this way, will give you an excellent picture of what areas of your wardrobe you might be lacking depth or variety.
Be sure to take the time to fully evaluate what areas you need to buy more clothes. You can do this by working out how many outfits you currently have, as it will soon become apparent what is missing.
For instance, you might find that a black pair of jeans will go with most of your tops, or a white blouse could create a whole new look with several other pieces you already own.
By doing this, you will be able to draw up a shopping list based on what you actually need, as opposed to what takes your eye at the spur of the moment.
Phase 4: Start shopping
This is where the fun part begins. Time to go shopping!
Before you head off to the mall, or plaza, you might consider buying online from a fashion outlet like Maple Store. No, we are not being killjoys! We love shopping there as much as you do.
But if the purpose of this exercise is to get you a wardrobe of clothes you love and need, then it’s worthwhile not having the distraction of long racks of other clothing, and big sale signs.
Buying online might also steer you towards purchasing high quality items that you will wear more often. As well as having more durability, than some of the impulse bargain buys you might otherwise be attracted to in the shopping centre.
Phase 5: Make sure your clothes are well looked after
Once you have assembled the wardrobe you’ve been craving for, it is important to look after it.
Be sure to keep it well organised, so you can see what clothing items you have at all times, and always wash them as per the instructions on the labels.
You have spent your hard-earned money on every single item in that wardrobe, so it pays to look after them to preserve their overall shelf life.
Phase 6: Be proud of what you wear
This could well be the most important phase of all.
Whatever you choose to wear make sure you do it with poise, confidence and a little dash of pizzazz. After all, you opted to buy these clothing items because they spoke to you in some way. So, be proud of your choices!
Like we said right near the beginning. Your clothes are a reflection of who you are. They are the embodiment of your style and personality. So, every time you look at your wardrobe, when you are deciding what to put on, just give yourself a little smile and say to yourself, that’s my style.
