Soon after Labour Day my thoughts used to turn to the cooler days ahead, and the labour-intensive "wardrobe cleanse" I always dreaded. That meant pulling all my summer sundresses and sandals; dragging out my heavy winter sweaters and boots, and doing a complete 360 degree reversal. I don't know about you, but there has never been enough room in my home to keep all four seasons worth of clothing in my closet at one time!
Switching out my wardrobe was definitely a daunting chore. I had boxes upon boxes of sweaters I hardly wore. I dragged them out and back in again every fall and spring until finally the light came on and I decided this had to end.
The time was more than due to create an "all-season wardrobe".
The best way, I mused, to create this wardrobe was to expand upon the concept of the capsule. Capsule wardrobes are typically used for short-term travel, particularly business travel, but they are also useful for a number of other activities, and for creating a lot of different outfits with relatively few items of clothing. They are the perfect solution for condo dwellers or anyone who has household storage challenges. No longer will you need to stack large plastic bins inside already space-challenged closets, or outside on balconies, or up in the attic. What you will need to do is pare down your wardrobe and get rid of all of your doubles. Keep only one of each by selecting your most frequently worn items and colours, then consign and donate everything else. You really don't need three pairs of white sandals. Or five LBD's. Or ten cashmere sweaters. Do you honestly wear every one of them? I'm willing to bet you don't. What about all the stiletto's you bought for your BFF's weddings? Which do you wear and which are gathering dust bunnies? Those twelve pairs of flared jeans . . . you see what I mean.
Women like me typically own more than we need. We make impulsive purchases when we're in need of a treat but most of the time we get home to find something just like it in a similar shade or style. Our wardrobes keep growing. Our closets keep shrinking. Pretty soon it's impossible to see what we actually have in there and think we have nothing to wear!
Once you eject all the things you don't need and haven't worn for two years or more, you can create a more compact, functional wardrobe that contains items you can wear throughout the year. There's no better time than now because you can wear pretty much anything year-round and still be on trend. You don't have to limit yourself to one or two color tones for an all-season wardrobe. You can also wear white all year round. You can pair lots of different patterns and textures together. People wear plaid in the summer too! You can do bold accessories year-round as well. Red shoes and mustard handbags, for example. Did you notice the rich jewel tones in all the spring collections last year, and all the pastels the following winter? How about those patterned scarves paired with textured "Chanel-style" jackets? There are no more seasonal biases to fret over, as far as the current designers are concerned, and that's a good thing because we don't have to dread every season change any longer, and switch around our closets twice a year!
The result once you're finished will be a functional wardrobe you can wear all through the year and best of all, you will see really clearly what you have in your closet and not waste money buying things you already own!
