How to edit your wardrobe
Learn to let go of pieces that were purchased on impulse and don’t suit your lifestyle, sensibility or the rest of your closet.
What do you already own?
Start by taking an honest view of what is in your closet and what you wear the most. Are there any patterns? Sometimes you purchase things with a fantasy of how and when you’ll wear them, but the occasions may not be something coming up in your social calendar or even your lifestyle.
Sort by colour
This may be controversial, but the first thing I do when clearing out my current wardrobe is to sort everything by colour. Colour coding not only allows you to identify outliers in your wardrobe as a whole, but also identify the patterns in colours you love to wear and buy. I find colour sorting an objective way to simplify my wardrobe down to colours I’m attracted to and suit me, so it might be that you prefer certain shades of certain colours and though you loved an item, it was in the wrong colour and you never felt quite right wearing it.
Regardless of category, put everything on a hanger in one constant rail. If you can’t fit everything, omit denim and neutrals to be tackled separately afterwards.
Take a step back and take stock of your wardrobe by asking yourself a few questions:
Which colours do you wear the most?
Which colours do you buy the most?
Are there colours you’re not as comfortable in?
Do any pieces stand out as a colour you don’t own anything else in?
All of these observations will help you simplify your wardrobe and make it more efficient. If there are any pieces that immediately jump out and don’t feel as cohesive as the rest, pull it out to one side.
Question the wear and when
Aside from the colour outliers, there are pieces that may look good on paper - the right colour, the right shape, the right price… but you will still never reach for. You may never have worn it at all! This is the other side of the edit that is less visual and more practical, so go through each piece on the rail and pull out anything you haven’t worn in the last 3 months. Be very honest with yourself about the following:
When was the last time you wore it?
Do you like the way it fits or flatters your body?
Do you ever reach for it, but never actually put a look together and wear it?
How did you envision wearing it when you first bought it? Why haven’t you been able to achieve that?
Is it season specific, for a summer holiday or cooler temperatures?
If you’ve never worn it and it doesn’t fit… it’s time to let go. I don’t think that you should have pieces in your wardrobe that are intended to inspire fitness or dieting. You’ll always attach that negative self-image to the clothing! Focus on what makes you feel good instead.
If you really love it, but don’t have the right styling pieces… consider how many additional items you would need to buy in order to make it work. Would the pieces you need to style that item also be cross functional with the rest of your wardrobe? There is minimal use in owning something that only goes with one thing, because you may still never wear it.
If it serves a climate you aren’t currently in… put it in storage. It’s perfectly fine to buy summer or winter specific pieces, but be careful how long those seasons are where you live and how much you actually need. If you only go on a beach holiday once a year, you don’t need piles of summer dresses and bikinis. Pick out your favourites and then you’ll be excited to pull them out when packing up your suitcase!
Test your attachment
Once you’ve picked out the duds, there’s one last step before giving them up. If you’re not sure about something and you’d like to keep it, try putting it in storage or just tucked away in a separate drawer. By separating the piece from the rest of your wardrobe, you will only seek it out if you want to wear it. Out of sight, out of mind… and much easier to donate to a charity shop or even sell on Ebay or Depop.
Keep these pieces aside for up to 2 months, and if after that time you still have not reached for them, your attachment isn’t as strong as you’d have yourself believe. The question is really, does you wardrobe feel incomplete without it? If not, then the space is better filled with something you will wear and love more often.
You've culled back your closet and now it’s time to fill in the gaps you may never have realised you have!