Winter is just around the corner and the wardrobe has become a limbo of summer dresses and windbreakers: it is time for the End-of-Season Wardrobe Change!

This is a guideline for tardy women, but very useful for anyone who wants to tidy up and maintain a neat wardrobe:

SAME CLOTHES TOGETHER

Cataloge clothes by the type: skirts with skirts, shirts with shirts, jackets with jackets. If you don’t have enough space (it’s never enough, you’d say), divide it by macro-categories: upper body, lower body and coats/jackets.

THE LIST OF GOOD AND BAD

Immediately put away the clothes that surely you’ll use next year. Remember though that you have to store them clean, otherwise they’ll retain irreparably stains, creases and bad smells. Leave out the item which you have doubts on …

FAREWELLS AND GOODBYES

Permanently delete only the clothes that A) are not trendy; B) they are old or overused; C) do not enhance you either the lines or the colors. If however respond to only some of these points, you can fix them with minor tailoring changes or new styling ideas.

SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK

With the End-of-Season Wardrobe Change we often come across historical relics. Let’s be honest and ask ourselves if we will ever use them one day. If the answer is NO, and if the sentimental value is faded along with the color, then you have to close with the past and make room (in every sense) to new things.

BOX OF MEMORIES

If you know that you’ll never wear some clothes, but you don’t want to just throw them away because they have a sentimental value, then you can create a box of memories where to collect them all. I recommend, however, store it somewhere else without clogging the closet.

SORTING CENTRES

So, at this point we have the following clothing groups: A) those to be washed (at home or at the dry cleaners); B) those to take to the seamstress for small changes; C) those to say goodbye, but with generosity (inquire which Community Used Clothes Recycling Bank is next to your home).

GRANDMA’S ADVICE

 To maintain clothes in good conditions, fold them inside out; place them in breathable bags; store them in special boxes for clothes. Avoid too thin hangers, because they create false folds. For drawers and shelves, get sachets and anti moths bags.

SHOES AND BAGS

Accessories should be subjected to the same examination of clothes: how many times did we use them this year? Will we use them in the next few years? Are they hopelessly consumed? If they pass the test, then they should be cleaned and preserved with special shapes or with tissue paper.

UNDERWEAR

Once the raid started, nothing is excluded! The underwear occupies drawers, yet we always wear the same “trusted” outfits. Let’s say goodbye to graying panties, to missing underwire bras, to chipped cheekies , etc… (your partner will thank you).

SHOPPING LIST

We got rid of unnecessary weight, we discovered buried treasure and recovered unexpected space. Now it’s time to take stock of the situation: gaps to be filled, must-have that can not be missed, basic pieces to reintegrate. You just have to do your shopping list.

If the wardrobe is your enemy, you could be interested to my post A closet full of clothes and nothing to wear? Here why!

Rossella Migliaccio
Image Consultant