Your wardrobe is the focal point of your world. It contains everything you need to live your best life. It is filled with travel clothes, career wear, leisure wear and exercise gear. It tells the story of the way you live now.
Or it should.
If your wardrobe is bursting it can be a thorn in your side. If it contains items that no longer pertain to your lifestyle, those items are taking up valuable real estate. This is your clue that it's time to detox. This is the time to get serious and free up some space so you can create a functional wardrobe that brings you bliss rather than stress.
STEP ONE: ANALYZE YOUR LIFESTYLE
Before you begin to remove anything you need to be clear about what you need to keep. Analyze the way your life is now. Are you physically active? Do you participate in any sports or go to a gym? Check. What about your night life? Do you go to restaurants or nightclubs and dance? Check. Do you work in a professional office or the retail industry? Check. Your wardrobe should contain the right type of clothing for all these activities. Alternatively, remove any sportswear you used to wear years gone by when you were a figure skating champion or tennis pro. Discard that glitzy disco clothing from the '80's and all those business suits you wore pre-retirement. None of these items will be worn by you again ever, and definitely don't pertain to your life currently!
STEP TWO: OBSERVE THE COLOURS IN YOUR WARDROBE
Most women I know have had a seasonal colour palette done at some point in their life. Others simply know what colours suit them by looking in the mirror. There are people out there though, who have absolutely no sense of what looks good on them and their closet is a reflection of that. If your closet is full of more than two seasonal colour palettes, this is a good indicator you are confused about what actually complements your skintone. A lot of women are able to wear several colours from two different seasonal colour palettes because they have changed their hair colour or regularly tan, however it is not typical to wear colours from any more than that. Get another opinion from an expert or a trusted friend and remove any colours from your wardrobe that don't do anything for you whatsoever.
STEP THREE: OBSERVE THE STYLES YOU ARE BUYING
If you have had a styling session with a personal stylist you are probably already wearing styles that flatter your figure or showcase your personality. If you haven't you probably aren't. Most people buy the same styles of clothing over and over again because they are comfortable and don't require much thought. There are two things going on here, however. You are filling your closet with more than you need, and you're not trying anything new, which is sad. If you never try any new styles or trends, how will you know what else looks good on you? You won't. You'll be forevermore stuck in a rut, or a time warp. Go through your closet and remove all your doubles. You don't need a t-shirt in every colour. Pick two or three max. If you have more dresses than you wear because of your lifestyle, keep a few favourite ones. One little black dress and two others. That's all. Consign cocktail dresses you wore once and get some of your money back. Scarves are another item that, like hangers, seem to multiply in your closet. Tie one on your handbag and keep one other. That's enough. The next time you go shopping resist the urge to buy the same styles again. Think out of the box and expand your horizons!
STEP FOUR: DO A FITTING
As time goes on bodies change and our clothes don't fit the same. We age or lose weight or we gain. That's a given. That's why we should always re-visit anything we purchased more than two years ago. This is another reason the two-year window is an industry standard for a closet cleanse. You want your clothes to fit well so you look and feel great. When you feel confident in them you naturally want to wear them often. Clear out anything that is too tight-fitting, too loose, or has lost it's shape. If your favourite item is too large but suits your lifestyle, however, get it tailored. Too many women hang on to clothes they haven't been able to wear in years. Break those emotional bonds and buy some new ones!
Women especially have a tendency to stock up on clothing. I do it too. We see something at an amazing price and can't pass it up when really we should. If, however we stay focused on what suits our figures, our personalities, and our lifestyles, we will be able to resist the urge to fill our closets with excessive amounts of items that create havoc in our closets and stress on our wallets!
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