The Winter Wardrobe Cleanse: “A Comprehensive Guide on How Women Can Detox & Elevate Their Wardrobes"

The art of cultivating a wardrobe that reflects your personality, embraces your style evolution, and promotes confidence is an ongoing process. A wardrobe cleanse is not just about decluttering; it's an opportunity to curate mini personalised collections within your closet that resonates with who you are today. Of course with out a doubt this will change. As you navigate through your life your body also goes through changes. As you grow, personally, professional and emotionally - at every level your style will also evolve.

Not only is there a practical element to organising and cleaning your wardrobe, but there is also a mental health connection between a cluttered space and a cluttered mind. So lets look at some quick facts. According to the research from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Princeton Neuroscience Institute:

• Our physical environments significantly influence our emotions and subsequent behaviours, including our relationships with others.
• A cluttered environment can increase cortisol levels, leading to depression or anxiety disorders.
• Clearing clutter from the home and work environment resulted in a better ability to focus and process information, as well as increased productivity.

This article has been written to help guide my current clients and women through the transformative journey of cleansing their wardrobes, helping them make mindful choices, and ultimately, rediscover their authentic style.

There are a few key points I will dive into, which can be applied instantly, no matter the size of your wardrobe. These key tips will keep your wardrobe in tip top style.

7 Key Points to Detox Your Wardrobe

1. Self-Reflection: Understanding Your Style Identity

Before embarking on a wardrobe cleanse, take a moment for self-reflection. Consider your lifestyle, values, and the image you want to project. Identify key style elements that make you feel empowered and confident. Understanding your style identity is crucial to building a wardrobe that authentically represents you. Just as importantly, understanding your lifestyle habits and calendar schedule is a key part to knowing the type of items you will keep, need and add. Something we cover in point 3.

2. Body Balance - Fall in love with your Silhouette

I look back as some of my clients and it’s such a great feeling to see them grow in their style. Understanding your body shape is a crucial element in knowing how to dress and be your best self. When you learn to appreciate your body shape, every curve, lump, bump, role and alike - you begin to select items that suit your frame and in turn, take ownership of your style.

Once you have identified this you can be critical in knowing what items you wish to keep in your wardrobe and which items to let go. But this doesn’t have to be such a dreary task - do it with a friend, a trusted stylist or wardrobe expert who understands you well and who is honest enough to provide feedback.

3. The Purge: Decluttering with Purpose

Now the cleansing can begin! Decluttering your wardrobe can be very therapeutic and now that you are in full swing of points 1 & 2, the purging can begin. Remove items that no longer serve you, whether they no longer fit, are outdated, or simply don't align with your current style. Ask yourself: Does this item bring me joy? Have I worn it in the last year? If the answer is no, it might be time to let it go.

But be mindful - we all have pieces that have sentimental value. It could of been passed on from a friend, family member or reminds you of someone special. If this is the case make a box to put these special items in. You dont have to decide on what to do with them right away but something to circle back to. And with the our help, our Alterations Room can help you transform that piece into something you can wear again and fall back in love with.

Create three piles: keep, donate, and discard. The keep pile should consist of versatile pieces that align with your style identity. Items that you can mix and match season after season. A mix of classics and on trend pieces. Donate items that are in good condition but no longer fit your style. And lastly responsibly discard items that simply no longer represent who you are today. Now as a conscious brand and with sustainable standards, when I say discard, I would suggest thinking about recycling or composing natural fabrics as apose to throwing away. Recycling textiles means turning old apparel into reusable material so that we dont add more to our landfills. Companies such as Renewcell uses technology to break down used cotton and other cellulose-rich textiles and transforms them into a new, biodegradable raw material.

https://www.renewcell.com/en/

4. Effectively Organise: Streamline Your Closet

Organising your wardrobe is as important as decluttering. Arrange your clothes in a way that makes it easy to see everything that you have and access each item. Some suggestions to consider, could be organising by category or season. For example, all jackets and all tops, or by all blues and black together or by all lightweight fabrics, dresses and tops to more tailoring and wool pieces. Whichever method you decide on make sure it works best for you. This not only makes getting dressed a breeze and a lot more fun but also helps you identify any gaps in your wardrobe that may need attention. Having a well organised wardrobe creates an exciting place to play dress up. Especially if you love fashion and have an extensive range of pieces and dont want to get rid of anything, closet management is vital but also allows you to wear a wider range of pieces. Helping you to get the best out of your purchases and makes the process quicker if you have a busy lifestyle.

5. Capsule Wardrobe: Quality Over Quantity Every time!

After streamlining your closet you can really start to have some fun. Consider adopting the concept of a capsule wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe consists of a curated collection of essential, timeless pieces that can be mixed and matched effortlessly. Invest in well-made, versatile items that can transition seamlessly from day to night and from season to season. Believe me, you will definitely get a return on investment from investing in well made items from quality and durable fabrics. Our Garment Concierge article deep dives more into this and how by creating mini collections for your calendar events can save you time, money and keeps you always looking fresh so you never fail to amaze.

6. Embrace Sustainable Fashion: Shop with Purpose

If you do identify gaps in your wardrobe think about prioritise sustainability when adding new pieces to your wardrobe. Choose brands that align with your values, opting for eco-friendly materials and ethical production practices. Investing in timeless, vintage, high-quality pieces reduces the need for constant replacements and discardment. Try contributing to a more sustainable and mindful approach to what you buy. Womens tailoring and sartorial fashion shouldn’t need to be expensive but should be looked at as an investment in your style and the relationship you build with yourself.

7. Mix and Match: Experiment with Style

Now that you have a streamlined an intentional wardrobe, added pieces to fill in the gaps and created capsule collections for work, dinners out, girls night out etc, challenge yourself to mix and match different pieces. Experimenting with style allows you to discover new outfit combinations and express your creativity. Create the whole look by teaming your looks with accessories and shoes to elevate simple outfits, and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. With having every piece of item to hand makes experimentation much more fun. Take inspiration from your favourite style icons, film principles & characters but put your own personal twist on it to create something that is authentically you.

In closing, cleansing your wardrobe is a transformative journey that goes beyond the physical act of decluttering. It's about redefining your style, embracing mindfulness in your fashion choices, and cultivating a wardrobe that empowers and uplifts you both mentally and physically. By adopting a purposeful approach to your wardrobe, you'll not only look great but also feel confident and authentic in every outfit you wear. So, embark on this journey with excitement, and let your wardrobe reflect the best version of yourself.

References - https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/what-does-clutter-do-to-your-brain-and-body

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

**What does clutter do to your brain and body?**Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

https://www.simplyfiercely.com/cluttered-house-cluttered-mind/