Spring Wardrobe Update

April 13, 2012 by 8 Comments
Photo of blossoms in tree

A new wardrobe of beautiful blossoms for a bare tree

Spring is here! Flowers are showing up, trees are blossoming with new growth. It’s time for us to join in the promise of beauty this season. In other words, it’s time to update the clothing in our closets!

The urge to purge seems to show up every spring. Perhaps it’s that inspiration to start fresh after the heavy winter season begins to fade. Maybe it’s because the beautiful blossoms, gentle rains that make everything sparkle when the sun shows up, compel us to follow nature’s calling to start anew.

When clearing clutter, many of us head for our closets, ready to store the heavy clothing and start looking at spring and summer clothing.

There are many ways to clean your closets and update your wardrobe. This year, how about trying something different? How about listening to what your clothing is telling

you? It will make a huge difference in how you decide what to keep and what no longer serves you. The labor is short-lived compared to the joyful feeling you get for the rest of the season. Here’s what to do.

  • As you go through your wardrobe, try on your clothing and ask, “What is this outfit telling me? If it’s saying, “You look fabulous,” create a “Fabulous Pile.” Another way to do this is to ask yourself, “How do I feel when I put this on?” Take a good look and decide why you look so good. Is it the fabric? The fit? The color? Probably all three.
  • Does an outfit say, “You look sloppy and I don’t flatter you?”  Was it a bargain? Was it a gift? Was it a last minute buy? Has it simply seen too many washings? You can learn a lot from this pile. Put this in your “Toss Pile.” (Toss means give, consign or throw it away).
  • If the outfit tells you, “It’s okay to wear this. It’ll do,” ask what it needs to make it pop. Maybe it needs alterations or maybe it needs great accessories. This goes into the “Update Pile.”
  • Then there’s the “Someday Pile,” You know the one! That’s the one with clothing we want to get into some day soon. This one may be say, “Watch your diet, start exercising, cut out the sugar, chocolates, fries, etc. Ask yourself why you want that “someday” outfit and how badly do you want it. I had a “Someday Pile” that I finally put into the Toss (aka give away) Pile. I figured that after 5 years it didn’t matter how much I paid for it. It was dated and I’d never be that shape and size again. It also gave me an excuse to buy something I needed and could wear immediately.

Wardrobe tip: When you clear the clutter in your closet, you’ll make space for something that makes you feel significantly wonderful.  Because that’s who you are, that’s what you should have. So when you buy something new, buy it only if it tells you, “This looks significantly wonderful on you!” Keep that as your new shopping motto.

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Three easy steps you can take to winterize your wardrobe.

October 14, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Autumn is a great time to plan for the cooler months ahead, namely Winter and Spring. When it comes to organizing my closets, I include Spring because in most areas the weather is cool and transitional pieces are on the warmer side. Here’s an easy way to get your closet ready for the next six months.

As you pull out all the summer clothing from your closet and put them two piles, Keep and Toss. Now go to the Toss pile and decide if it’s good enough for a thrift shop or if it’s so sad looking it needs to be thrown away. Put donations out of sight and the throw-away items in a large garbage bag.

It’s now time to attack the Keep Pile so that it’s manageable.  Again, you will make three piles from this one: Keep, Toss, Repair or Launder. It’s like breaking down a project into smaller increments. So, as you pull out each item, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Did I wear this last Summer? If not, why not? Again, either keep or toss.

2. Does it look fresh and is it in good condition? – Keep, Toss or Repair.

3. Do I love it and does it reflect the sensational woman I am? – Place in Keep or Repair.

Next, go through all your dresser drawers and use the same method to clear any items that are strictly Summer wear.

All of these can be stored in boxes, in storage closets or wherever they’re out of the working part of your closet. Boxes that fit under the bed are great for getting things out of the way safely. Of course, items have to be clean before they’re stored. The whole idea is to find a storage area to place this clothing out of the way of your working wardrobe.

Check out all the pockets for things you may have forgotten. I stored a silk jacket that I had worn only once after it had just been cleaned and didn’t think about checking the pockets. What I didn’t realize was that I had put a piece of candy in one of the pockets. It melted and ruined the jacket.

Follow the same procedure for shoes. Sandals, flip-flops, and other beach wear have a way of looking worn out at the end of a season and are usually inexpensive enough that getting rid of them is an opportunity to treat your feet to new footwear next summer. Also, fashion and styles change from one season to the next so unless your shoes still hold their shape and look like you can wear the next year, toss them.

Finally, organize your closet by item and color. Blouses and jackets on one area, by color, of course, pants and dresses in another by color. What I love once the closet and dresser drawers have been cleared, is the room I have in my closet. It’s a great feeling of release and freedom. It also  provides space for something new and significantly wonderful to fit into the empty spaces.

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