Organise Your Wardrobe, Change Your Life!
I had the pleasure of joining Andrea from Organised and Inspired at her recent event in the Cotswolds. I was there to provide a talk on the benefits of a capsule wardrobe, and was delighted to be part of Andrea’s session covering why we cause clutter in our space, what to do about it and the benefits of living clutter-free.
Tidy space, tidy mind
It may sound obvious that having a clear and tidy home will make us feel better (and for our homes to look better), but it’s not always as easy to put into practice. I was delighted to join Andrea to demonstrate the beauty of a capsule wardrobe, which goes hand-in-hand with an organised space because it is about simplifying our lives. A capsule wardrobe is about making getting dressed easier and ultimately, removing those ‘I’ve nothing to wear’ days from your life, for good! Having a nucleus of hard working pieces that we can refer to season to season, year after year, is going to make your life a lot easier in the long run. Read my recent article on how to create your own capsule wardrobe.
I am a practical person and I like to offer no-nonsense style advice. I want my clients to get the most out of their clothes in a way that allows them to create great looks, that feel amazing, quickly and easily. I firmly believe having a well-ordered wardrobe is a prerequisite to great style!
A gift of self love
There are countless joys of having a well ordered wardrobe. Not only can you actually see what you have, but you will not feel overwhelmed by choice. Having your items stored in a way that makes them easy to view is going to change your life. Trust me. How many times can we recall an experience of being pressed for time and needing to put our hands on a certain item, only for it to evade us, and then scrambling around chucking everything out of the wardrobe onto the floor/bed/chair in an attempt to retrieve whatever it is we are desperately searching for. It is so frustrating! Perhaps you’ve raced back from work and heading off to the gym and you can’t find those leggings that you recall taking off a few days prior and now you don’t know where they languish. We are juggling so many things that keeping our space clean and tidy is almost a gift of self love in our hurried lives. Self help guru Mel Robbins talks about this with regard to making her bed each morning which she feels is her gift to herself when she comes home and can dive straight into ready-made sheets. The small things in life really are the big wins!
The benefits of an organised space
Despite being there to provide a talk, I came away from Andrea’s space clearing session feeling inspired to organise my space too. Andrea has a way of gently but confidently advising in a straightforward and down-to-earth manner. When I arrived home from the session, I managed to clear up three small bundles of ‘tidying’ I had been meaning to sort for longer than I care to remember; strategically placed items that I had been walking past with a view to finding a proper place. Truthfully, I didn’t know what to do with them. Andrea’s logical and commonsense approach made me spot and question why I was not sorting out these small incidental piles of items. One was simply a paper bag with a leaflet inside. Upon reflection, I did not need yet another paper bag, so put that and the accompanying leaflet I found inside, into the recycling. Success! I had taken action and felt a little more in control of my space, and life! It really does have a liberating effect.
My top ten tips for a well-organised wardrobe:
Use hangers that are narrow. Avoid chunky wooden hangers that take up a lot of space.
Save hanging space and keep items such as jeans, chunky jumpers and cardigans folded in a drawer - it will help to keep the shape of the knitwear rather than being weighed down on a hanger.
Hang cedarwood moth ball repellents to avoid holes (and the tears when you discover your favourite knit has been demolished) in your clothes!
As Andrea from Organised and Inspired suggests; hang clothes in categories; trousers; tops; skirts; dresses and then colour coordinate within those categories.
Depending on where your wardrobe is situated, have the clothes facing in the direction most helpful to you when you open the wardrobe door, and also ensuring that all the coat-hanger hooks are facing in the same direction.
Use clothes storage bags for items that are more delicate or aren’t worn as often such as smarter items like suits, formalwear, coats etc.
If you store your shoes and bags in the same wardrobe, keep them contained in storage boxes/ bags.
Try and keep items to one hanger only, so that you can see what you have rather than being hidden under something else. If materials are delicate or embellished and likely to snag on other items, turn those items inside out.
Plan your outfits using the outside of your wardrobe door - simply handing the pieces up and next to each other can help to envision your outfit.
Ensure there is good lighting in or near your wardrobe - a well place lamp or internal lighting (search for LED light strips which are inexpensive but will make a big difference) to be able to shop your wardrobe with ease.
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Happy space clearing!
Zoex
