February Is The New January

Next month I’ll be turning the big 3 0. An exciting but somewhat scary life milestone

So I decided to use January to get my life in check, I felt like I needed to get all of the annoying job's and aspects of my life in order before looking ahead at what 2018 may hold. I suppose you could say I am aiming to start as I mean to go on.

I am now going into February with the following mantra "Messy House Messy Mind" so the first job is to remove the clutter!

So a life clear out is petrifying and my inner child definitely wants to revolt. 

But dreams of organisation are spurring me on. Going through your belongings and choosing what adds value to your life and getting rid of things you no longer use is so relaxing. … and so the wardrobe clear out is inevitable also my wardrobe is currently fit to expload!

Regardless of your reason, a wardrobe clear out is something we all do, and if we don’t probably should do at various stages throughout our life. Whether it’s finally letting go of those size too small items you’ve been holding out to fit back into, the quirky edit that in reality will never get worn, or the 8 white tees that in reality only need to be two.

Today I’m going to share my four tips, for the ultimate wardrobe clear out! Prepare yourselves, we’re about to get ruthless

GET NAKED

Now you are listening! 

So by get naked I mean strip your cupboards bare, pull all of your clothes out and start from absolute scratch. Empty your wardrobe, your drawers and anywhere else you have clothes in the house Remember that spare jumper you keep in the car and those coats on the hooks downstairs. It is the only way to ensure you see every item you own and the only way you will be able to fully filter and re create your wardrobe. I like to put all of my clothes on the floor in my dressing room and then tackle the mountain! Although another great place is on your bed as it gives you a timeline as you are definitely going to want to sleep in your bed so you have to have finished before bedtime.

Now all of your cupboards and wardrobes are empty give them a good clean as you would be surprised how dusty they can get and then they are ready for you to put away all of your organised piles.

WEAR SOMETHING COMFORTABLE

You’re going to need to try things on! You need to know what fits, what bits you still like, and what bits just cannot be lived without!

Stand in front of the mirror and ask yourself the following questions:

• When did I last wear it? If you haven’t worn it in the last year, you probably won’t wear it again.
• Does this work for my current lifestyle? No point in having 5 festival outfit's if the last festival you visited was five years ago. ( A personal battle I had to face when sorting my wardrobe out - What looked great at V Festival 2013 would not look great at Newmarket night's 2018 )
• Does it suit my current style? Our style evolves with us and changes as we grow does this item fit your style today or have you moved on?
• Does it fit? Only keep things that fit you now, no point in saving things just in case you lose weight. Chances are you will want new clothes if you do
• Does it suit me? Does this item work for your current shape and figure? Do you feel confident and look good in it?
• Is it in good condition? Nobody need's to wear bobbley jumpers or faded black jeans or white t-shirts that are no longer white.
• Would I buy this now? If you saw this online or in store today would you buy it?
• Do I love it? Ultimately if you still love it then you need to keep it don't throw anything away that you love as you never know it may come back in style and then you will wish you kept it, but keep this to a minimum otherwise you would keep every item of clothing that you had a great time in.

BE RUTHLESS

Now you have your mountain and know the rules it's time to get your ruthless hat on.

Anyone that knows me, will know I love stuff, but it's time to take control of the emotional hoarder lurking inside you, and take note of the cut throat motivated voice that you need to hear to keep you on the straight and narrow. Remember your end goal of the perfect organised easily accessible  wardrobe full of pieces you adore, is in sight.

KEEP, CHARITY, BIN, SELL

And this leads me to my final tip. The most important thing that you need to do is you need to create four piles.

Your first pile is the pieces you absolutely love, could not be without, wear all the time and absolutely will under no circumstances get rid of. Everyone of these garments must be one you wear regularly excluding evening gowns. I personally never get rid of my evening gowns as they very rarely date and they are usually expensive so I tend to rotate the wear.

If they don't fall into any of the above then, maybe they make the second pile … the charity pile, I tend to let my friends or girls that I know who are younger than me have the first choice on if they would like any of the pieces in this pile. These pieces deserve a second home and have not yet reached the end of their lifespan, they still deserve more love, perhaps items that no longer fit you, suit you or get the attention they deserve, after my friends have had their final rummage I donate the remainder to charity. Make sure this process takes no longer than a couple of day's otherwise you are likely to find the odd piece making it's way back into your wardrobe.

Remember if it didn't make the keep pile to start with, then you don't love it enough.

The third pile is the Sell pile, again this is a pile that you must be brutal and honest with yourself with, only put things in this pile that are definitely worth selling, I know that you may have paid hundreds of pounds for a dress or bag five years ago but i'm afraid the reality is someone is only going to want to pay you a minimum amount now and the buyers can be very demanding. Do the market research before look on ebay or Depot at the things you are thinking of selling and way up if it is worth the time and effort selling them, or if you are better off being charitable and putting it in the donation pile.

The final pile is the hardest, so brace yourself!!! This is the pile for those holed tees, too ripped or faded jeans, worn through the sole shoes, worn out pants, bras with the wires poking out. I know you loved them once and you shared fabulous memories but they have to go, they are cluttering your home and you wardrobe! Immediately put the ‘bin’ items in the bin / skip.

Once everything that you have decided to keep has been put away in an organised manor - 


I have two final tips.

I buy vacuum bags to store my evening wear in as it reduces the space in my wardrobe and if you put lavender bag's in before you seal them the clothing comes out smelling fresh. I also do a winter and summer changeover as I don't have much wardrobe space.

John Lewis has a fantastic selection of Vacuum storage but you can get cheaper versions from ebay.

Another tip is to always have your evening wear dry cleaned straight away after you have worn it as you never know when that black tie invite may pop through your letter box.

Now sit back and finally, with a clear wardrobe and mind, remember clear outs are necessary, emotional but ultimately liberating.

I used the above mantra to clean out my makeup bag, kitchen cupboards, bathroom and office.

So with everything fully in order I have decided that February is my new January and I am ready for the adventures of my thirtieth year ! !