Get a style makeover…

… without spending a penny

Doesn’t it feel like it’s time you revamped your wardrobe? Research suggests that we wear 20 per cent of our clothes 80 per cent of the time, with an average of 12 outfits, worth £289, that don’t fit us. With a good clear out you can not only save money but also make some cash. A good edit of your clothes and a spot of organisation can make it feel like you have a new wardrobe, and you’ll also find it easier to decide what to wear each day, saving you time.

Start afresh

It’s important to start with a blank canvas. Take everything out of your wardrobe and drawers so you can see exactly how much you have and what you’re dealing with – all those dresses that no longer fit, impulse purchases that are thrown in the back of the wardrobe and the sale shoes that are too big. While your storage is empty, clean it. Elika Gibbs, 44, the founder of wardrobe organising service, Practical Princess, whose clients include Lily Allen and Tamara Mellon, says, “Most people don’t realise how dirty their wardrobes are. You wouldn’t eat off a dirty plate, would you?” She recommends using a non-bleaching agent, such as lavender-scented Method all-purpose spray, because the fragrance keeps everything smelling fresh. “But make sure you get rid of the residue and get everything thoroughly dry before putting clothes back in.”

Should it stay or go?

Now you need to look at your clothes. Be brutally honest. Do they fit? Do they work this season? Do they go with the rest of your wardrobe? Do they flatter you? How do they make you feel? “Fit is important,” says Gibbs, “If it doesn’t fit, it shouldn’t be in your wardrobe. You need to take a step back when you’re trying on, and really look at yourself.”

Stand in front of a full-length mirror and assess yourself from every angle. If you’re not sure about doing this on your own, ask a good friend to help you.

Lifestyle choices

Know your own style. What suits you? What regular events do you need to dress for? What can you wear to work? Do you need more weekend clothes than work clothes or vice versa? “Think about who you are and the life you lead,” says Gibbs. You might wish you went to glamorous parties every night but do you really need 20 cocktail dresses? Spend money on things you will actually wear rather than fantasy pieces.

Get organised

Once you know what fits and what doesn’t, you need to sort your clothes into piles, for example, ‘keep’, ‘alter’, ‘bin’, ‘sell’, ‘archive’. Again, be honest with yourself. Is it really special enough to keep for your daughter? Will it sell on eBay? “Things need moving on, details change,” says Gibbs, who singles out trousers as particularly troublesome. “They rarely come back exactly as they were; they date.” Think about when you last wore the clothes. “If you haven’t worn them in five years, you probably won’t,” says Gibbs. People also hang on to clothes that are too big or small in the belief that they will fit again one day. “Are you really going to lose or gain a stone?” says Gibbs. “Think about your age – it might have worked in your 20s but does it still work in your 40s?”

Be brave

Getting rid of clothes can be emotional. “People hang on to things because they’ve spent a lot of money on them or because they were bought for a special occasion,” says Gibbs. “Some people are good at culling and other people will fight over an old T-shirt. I just edited a man’s wardrobe and there were ancient pants from his teens in there and he’s in his forties now!” Gibbs’s trick is to keep ‘maybe’ items in bin bags out of the way. If you haven’t missed them after six months you can resell them via a car boot sale, eBay or hold a ‘swishing party’ where a group of friends swap their unwanted clothes.

Take a look at the catwalk trends before you throw anything out. This season hold onto shearling, leather, chunky heeled boots, oversized knits, long skirts, neutral colours and ladylike handbags. For spring, Seventies styles, knife-edge pleats and bold colour are all big news. And keep classics that never go out of fashion. Finally, re-sole shoes, sew on buttons and hems to make clothes last.

Archive it

If it’s a piece that you don’t wear any more but want to keep for your children or for sentimental reasons (your wedding dress, for example), then archiving is a good option. “Clothes should be stored somewhere free from damp and sunlight – an attic, spare room or under the bed – and you should check your items regularly,” says Gibbs. You can vacuum-pack items if you are short on space but make sure your clothes are put away clean and well protected. Depending on how many items you’re archiving you might want to take photographs of the pieces so you remember where everything is.

Divide and conquer

Now it’s time to section your wardrobe. “Separate clothes into categories – trousers, dresses, skirts, jackets, coats etc, which makes things easier to find, and then put them into colour sections,” advises Gibbs. “Fold your jumpers; they don’t need to hang. You’ll be able to see at a glance what you have and what you don’t have. People only wear a small percentage of their wardrobes because they can’t find things or there’s too much in there.”

Balancing act

Once everything is hanging together it is easier to spot the gaps in your wardrobe and the areas where you overbuy. It may be that you’re attracted to stripes, jackets or sequins and your wardrobe is unbalanced because of this. This should stop you buying the same things. “People buy in patterns, and repeat buy, we all do,” says Gibbs. “My wardrobe staples are little black dresses, leather jackets and jeans, so I have to be careful not to buy any more of those things.” When you go shopping (or swishing) you can fill in those gaps and avoid impulse buys.

Tidy and tempting

Ensure your clothes look attractive so that you will want to wear them. Gibbs sells storage solutions, including hangers, via her website, “We use our product so that everything hangs on the same level, and our hangers won’t ruin the shape of your clothes,” she says. She also encourages clients to stay organised. “Put hooks on doors for necklaces, and buy plastic boxes for jewellery. Don’t hide things away where you’ll forget about them.”

Shoe shuffle

“How many times have you spent 15 minutes in the morning hunting for a lost shoe?” asks Gibbs. “It’s not under the sofa or the bed and by the time you find it you’ve got sweat patches, your hair’s all messy and it’s ruined your day.” Gibbs advocates storing shoes in boxes with a photograph attached to the front of the box, which keeps them together and out of the dust and sunlight. “Racks or shelves work too,” she says. “It depends how many shoes you have. Just remember to dust them with a feather duster every few days, as once dust gets ingrained it can dull the colour, especially of suede.”

Seasonal variations

As you’re returning clothes to your wardrobe, separate them into seasons. There’s no point having summer dresses cluttering up your wardrobe in winter.

The same goes for heavy coats in summer. “Get a holiday box for bikinis and kaftans and keep it under the bed or at the top of a cupboard,” says Gibbs. “These items have no place in your wardrobe.”

Keep up the good work

Once you’ve finished, remember to schedule in another clear out, preferably as the seasons change. This will ensure that your wardobe remains manageable. “Think of it as maintenance,” advises Gibbs. “Every season go back and clean everything out and change things round. It pushes one forward and stops you getting stuck in a rut.”

practicalprincess.com

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