Detox your wardrobe

 As autumn is approaching, colder months call for a change of season in our wardrobes. 

We have to say goodbye to bikinis, floaty dresses and sandals and welcome boots, cozy knits and jackets. 

Autumn is my favourite season fashion-wise. I feel more confident in my body, I can experiment more with layers and textures and unleash my creativity. 

That's why when colder weather knocks, I'm more than happy to open :) 

Here are the steps I take (and recommend) in order to renew your wardrobe in an efficient way.

 1) CREATE THE ATMOSPHERE

Cleaning out the closet requires time. Take a day off without friends, boyfriend and appointments in order to have time to  think about every item. Put on some music background and start. Take advantage of the daylight to really look at your clothes and spot any defects, rips, spots or unsewings that wouldn't be noticeable if you'd be doing this in an artificial lighting. 

2) CREATE PILES

As you take the clothes out from the closet, divide them in 4 piles: 

KEEP : I love this item, it fits me well and I wear it frequently. It makes you feel like a million bucks, it's versatile and can be worn with at least 3 outfits.

 TOSS: I don't like these items and they aren't in good condition (toss away all the things that really had run their course like tights and socks with holes in them, 100 times washed underwear, garments with armpit stains,etc).

DONATE: Donate all the items that still have a dignity but don't fit your tastes anymore. They will for sure go to someone who will appreciate and wear them.

SELL: Sell all the items that you don't like or wear anymore but which are still in really good condition or even new. They could be impulsive buys that you got on sale but never really worn, gifts that you don't really like (I'm sure we all have one or more items that fit in this category). There are good chances that someone is looking for that specific garment and you could use the money you get for buying items you really love.

You could use Ebay or Depop to sell those items online. 

3) ASK YOURSELF SOME QUESTIONS

When dividing the clothes into piles, there are some questions you should ask yourself in order to make sure you are making an objective decision not driven by emotional moods. 

The first one I always ask myself is - If I was shopping right now, would I buy this?

- If this is damaged in any way, will I actually make the effort to get this repaired?  

-Have I worn this in the last 12 months? 

-Does this fit me?

If the answer to even one of these questions is no, there is a very high probability you will never wear that item ever again because it doesn't suit your current style or you don't really need it anymore.

4) EMOTIONAL CLOTHING

  When evaluating an item, ask yourself: what precisely am I sentimental about? Chances are, it’s not the object itself but its association with a person, place, or time. You will retain that memory without a physical object to remind you. If you truly love the object itself, however, then it’s not clutter.

5) THE "I'M NOT SURE" PILE 

There will be some items you will just don't know what to do about..you like them, but not so much..you've spent a lot of money on them and don't want to let them go, etc and continuously move them from a pile to another without a clue on what to do. Do this insted: take a box, put the items in it and hide it for a month. If during those 30 days you will not have the urge to reach to those clothes, this is the sign you were waiting for: you just don't need them. Toss them away. 

I always make sure to take these steps whenever I feel my wardrobe is getting cluttered. When I have the power to let things go I just feel better. Having a clean closet makes me feel much more ispired and creative with my outfits. 

Kisses, Antonia :)