HOW TO SIMPLIFY YOUR WARDROBE
Check out this post for 20 tips on how to simplify your wardrobe. Declutter and streamline your closet and save time, money and stress without compromising on looking or feeling good! Simple tips for a simple wardrobe.
SIMPLIFY YOUR WARDROBE FOR LESS STRESS AND MORE EASE
Getting dressed each morning but running out of time and quickly throwing on the first thing that came to hand was what prompted me to begin one of my very first decluttering projects. I decluttered my wardrobe and made it simpler to get dressed each morning.
To this day, decluttering my closet has probably been one of my favourite and most satisfying projects too! Read more about how to declutter clothes.
The benefits of simplifying my wardrobe, curating clothes that I love to wear and feel good in, but importantly, without spending hours of my time doing it, has been wonderful!
- It’s quicker to choose my outfit and find what I’m looking for.
- Is one less decision I have to make and avoids decision fatigue.
- I know that whatever I do put on will fit me, suit me and make me feel comfortable and prepared for the day ahead.
- I have plenty of options but without being overwhelmed by too much choice.
- I still go shopping but rarely, if ever, buy stuff that I later regret.
My wardrobe works for me without me really thinking about it. I can reach in knowing that, whether it’s walking the dog or going to work or out for dinner, I’ll have something to throw on that matches the occasion. This means much less stress and a whole lot more ease and fun for me!
If you’ve got too many clothes stuffed in your closet, you have lots of pieces but still have difficulty finding a complete outfit, you’d like to look and feel good with less stress and in less time, then streamlining your wardrobe can help. Read on for some helpful tips to simplify your wardrobe…
HOW TO SIMPLIFY YOUR WARDROBE
Here are some helpful tips on how to simplify your wardrobe so you can spend less time stressing over what to wear and more time for getting on with the rest of your day!
1. Review your clothes regularly
At the start of every month or every season, set aside a little time to go through your wardrobe. Edit what you don’t like or don’t feel comfortable in. Store clothes that are no longer suitable for the coming weather and take out of storage the clothes that are more appropriate. It’s unlikely you’ll need shorts ready to pull from your closet if it’s freezing outside.
2. Choose easy-care
Clothes that are high maintenance require effort. Where possible, make things easier by choosing pieces that are easy to wash and don’t require ironing or a trip to the dry cleaners.
3. Go for a ‘uniform’
If you look through your wardrobe now, I bet you can identify certain key features of clothes that you regularly wear. Maybe it’s colour, texture or cut? Develop a signature style and personal daily uniform for yourself and stick to this when buying or choosing clothes. Switch it up with different accessories but reduce decision-making by having a go-to uniform that you can feel good wearing but with minimum effort.
4. Organise your closet
Where possible, make sure you can see all your clothes, bags, shoes etc. What you can’t see often gets forgotten about. Hang or fold your clothes in some sort of system, perhaps by category or colour so it’s easier to find things. Use drawer dividers or little boxes inside of drawers to section things off. Using clear storage boxes is helpful so you can see the contents inside.
5. Keep your closet for clothes only
Don’t cram your closet full of random stuff. It’s for clothes and things that you put on your body only, not as a storage space for items you don’t know where else to put (yup, I’m guilty of this!).
6. Follow trends with caution
We’ve all made the mistake of buying something because it’s fashionable right now, only for it to sit in the wardrobe unworn through subsequent seasons. If you want to follow a trend but you’re on a budget, go for smaller accessories like a bracelet or scarf, rather than wardrobe staples such as coats or jackets.
7. Choose a colour palette
Sticking with a favoured colour palette makes shopping for new clothes easier and gives you better flexibility for outfits. Go for neutral colours for wardrobe basics and add pops of colour for the rest.
8. Declutter
Clear out the clothes you don’t like wearing. Question whether the clothes that never see the light of day or are repeatedly left at the bottom of the pile really deserve that space in your wardrobe? Could you replace them with other pieces that you like better? Do you really need them anyway? Read this post for more tips on how to declutter clothes.
9. Not sure what you wear
Try this handy little tip to work out what you do actually wear. Put all your hanging clothes facing the wrong way around. When you’ve worn something, put them back facing the right way round. Over time, you’ll build up a picture of what you wear and what you don’t.
10. Know yourself
Your wardrobe is personal to you. Don’t get caught up in what other people are wearing or let yourself be swayed into keeping things or buying things because you think you should or it’s in fashion. Be honest with yourself. In your heart you know what you like to wear and what you don’t. Be comfortable in just being you.
11. Make sure your wardrobe reflects your lifestyle
If you have 20 party dresses but never go partying, do you need so many options? If you live in jeans but only have one or two pairs, perhaps you need to invest in another? Make sure you have enough outfit options to fit how you live your life. This makes it much easier to put outfits together and mix and match.
12. Hangers
It may be a little thing but having matching or the same hangers instantly makes a difference to the look and feel of your wardrobe. It’s neater, tidier and looks much more appealing. There are lots of ingenious hangers for all type of clothes and sizes of wardrobes available.
13. Consider when enough is enough
You could have 30 t-shirts but you can’t wear all of them all the time. Perhaps 7 that you absolutely love could work for you instead? Quantity doesn’t beat quality and having more of things doesn’t always give you more choice or make you feel or look any better!
14. Keep a donation box handy
When you come across an item that you don’t like to wear, pop it straight in your donation box (not stuffed back in your wardrobe). Empty the box regularly so you’re not tempted to sift through it!
15. Deal with damaged clothing
If you have a skirt you don’t wear because it has a broken zip, get it fixed. Repair clothes you know you’d like to wear and get rid of the rest that are damaged beyond repair (and beyond donation/recycling).
16. Stuck for inspiration
If you find deciding what to wear each morning stressful, frustrating and/or time-consuming, you could either plan your outfit the night before, take some photos of different outfit combinations and stick them on the inside of your wardrobe for quick inspiration or hang your clothes in outfit combinations in the wardrobe. See what works for you!
17. Shop mindfully
Try not to get tempted by the sales or sharp marketing tactics in the shops. Go armed with a shopping list and a budget so you only buy what’s going to add real value to your wardrobe. Read my post on shopping with intention for some more helpful tips on shopping intentionally.
18. Assess what fits you now
Our bodies change over time. Wherever possible, I encourage you to only keep what fits you now. Your body is working hard for you right now. Treat it with respect and love by clothing it well, not chastising yourself for putting on weight every time you open your closet and see your skinny wardrobe still hanging there. Be kind to yourself, not mean.
19. Keep up with the laundry
Making sure you’ve always got fresh, clean clothes means you won’t need many extra sets of things to clog up your wardrobe or dirty laundry basket.
20. Treat your clothes with respect
Like anything, the more you look after things, the longer they’ll last and retain their shape and quality.
RESOURCES TO HELP YOU DECLUTTER CLOTHES
I hope you find these tips helpful when it comes to simplifying your own wardrobe.
Like any decluttering project, it’s a question of being mindful and aware of what you use and how you use it.
Even if you’ve not decluttered your clothes before or find it difficult parting with items that you’ve had for years or are keeping for those ‘what if’ moments, I encourage you to give it a go.
Start small, start slow and keep re-assessing what you’ve got and how it works for you.
Here are some more articles and resources to help you declutter clothes and simplify your wardrobe:
- Tips to simplify your wardrobe and keep it simple going forward!
- Which clothes to declutter? Simple questions to help you decide
- The benefits of a capsule wardrobe for reducing waste
- How to purge your closet quickly
- What to do with unwanted stuff you’ve decluttered
- How to find the motivation to declutter
- Declutter Starter Kit – a free guide and workbook to help you understand the what, why and how of decluttering. Projects, tips and guidance to clear the clutter in your home and life.