How To Declutter An Old Wardrobe And Reorganize The New

Most of us are not blessed with a separate closet room where we can have one wardrobe for each category of clothing item. As a result, right when you are dressing up for the Friday gig or Sunday church, there’s a tendency to struggle with finding your favourite handbag or how to match your outfit  since everything  is not in full view so you probably do not see the full content of your wardrobe.  For most of us, de-cluttering or getting rid of old stuff is perhaps the most difficult and most important step in the process of reorganizing. This step of getting things organised doesn't always leave you having a lot of things, but in my opinion would leave you with a fab wardrobe comprising only of items carefully chosen and cherished. We all buy clothes both online and off line, but keeping things stylish and organized is something we frequently ignore, here is a close take on how you can keep your wardrobe looking like a true fashion diva.

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Get rid of the old items: In every closet, there is a range of clothes, accessories and shoes that have hardly been used in years  and probably will never be used again. Most fashion lovers keep changing their likes and preferences as per trends and runway hits, and it is good to get rid of stuff that is out of vogue if you are trend follower or items that you would never wear.  

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So how do you sort your wardrobe into items you want to Give away/ Throw away/ Donate / Sell Or even Keep?

Here are a few tips to help with this all important stage, 

Firstly, You need to try On every single item in you wardrobe for Fit and wearability  and sort them based on the following

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       1. I may wear this one day -  

This is simply an excuse to just keep loads of space sapping stuff!, this day may never come and if it does come you would probably  want to buy a new outfit for that occasion. Most often than none these items should go in the Throw away, Give away, Donate Or sell category. If you have not worn this items in the last One year for whatever reason, you are most likely never going to wear it again!.  Most times we choose not to wear items because they are either worn out, ill fitting, badly tailored or simply doesn’t conform to our current style. If these items cannot be put to good use again then this is a good time to be a little generous to your sister, friend or give to charity. It will help you get rid of the basic clutter and have a better idea of you true wardrobe size, content and how it fits to your current style.

2. Can I Mix and Match them well-

Another way to de-clutter your wardrobe is to think of your current style and take a very critical look at the pieces you have left in your wardrobe. Do they fit well into your lifestyle, the Image you try to portray, and can they be easily matched with other items in your wardrobe?. With the style and lifestyle question only you can truly answer that, with the mixing and matching, take a piece in your wardrobe and try to visualize how many outfit you can make out of it with other pieces in your wardrobe. If you can successfully match an item with other pieces in your wardrobe to produce five different outfits then it’s a keeper for

me.

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3. May Be Someday -

Now if you have carried out the two steps above you will find that there are still items you are on the fence about, may be because you have not worn them in over a year but you really really like them or they were very expensive and you are not ready to let go or maybe they are just a bit tight and you plan to lose some weight. With these items you can pack them away in a box and store away somewhere outside the wardrobe until you have the need for them, that way you can have more space for the things you wear on a regular basis. These lot are also keepers but not in the wardrobe. They come out when you think of what to match them with or after they become perfect fit, if after say another year they still do not come out from the box then you probably need to let go of them.

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Separate the essentials: After trimming down your wardrobe this is the next step, think of the number of items you have before trying to put things in place. You need to create a separate section for dresses, pants, skirts, leggings and shorts, lingerie, jewellery and shoes in any wardrobe. Get everything on the bed and make a good numbering from the heap, get each piece properly cleaned and  ironed in readiness to be kept in its section. Check the largest sections, like you may have more jeans than dresses or so on, and compare the closet to find which space can be allotted to each section.

Find the small solutions: The smallest things such as your small accessories, handbags and jewellery don’t need to be kept under the clothes, but look for more appropriate investments. Buy a few boxes and wicker baskets as per the items you own and keep them on the lowest rack of the wardrobe to find them easily. If the space is a constraint, look for more additional options in ottomans and chests. Also, invest in shoes racks to help organize your shoes, that way you have more space in your closet.

A box for lingerie: The lingerie section of the closet is often the most ignored one, and you need to see if you have every camisole and panty in place. This is mainly because many times your dresses give a quick peek in what you are wearing underneath. Add a small section in the closet for the same, or use the locker or other boxed section of the wardrobe for the same.

This Post was done in collaboration  with Suzy Walsh a fashion blogger and style expert for many magazines and websites and is well known as the editor in chief for The Houseof Elegance Fashion. Her stint in fashion comes from experiences in real life, which makes her a true expert in her niche.

Image Credit:  thefashionista.com