Sunday 26 April 2015

The Big Wardrobe Spring Clean

Its that time of year again, when the wardrobe is bursting at the seams and yet I still have NOTHING TO WEAR!

And so it is times like these when a wardrobe clear-out is needed - but where do you start!?

The best idea I have found has come from Boxes2Move who advise that you to sort your clothes into three categories - Throw, Fave or Favour.

It is pretty self explanatory, but for those of you who are fond of checklists and questionnaires (like me) they have produced this handy little infographic to make the chore of de-cluttering as pain-free as possible.



So the sleeves got rolled up and I faced my wardrobe head on...

First category - Throw. 

I have a real metal block when it comes to throwing away clothes. Whether it is because I am still a slave to my money-saving student ways...Why throw something away which I spent money on so that I then have to spend MORE money on something else(!?) ...

Or whether it is because I am a self-confessed hoarder... But a jumper with a hole in it might be fashionable one day (!)

What I do know is, I have to be brutal! Like ripping off a plaster - that All Saints dress with an irreparable hole... gone.




 That DIY tie-dye the-shirt... bye bye.

Those self-cut denim shorts I wore for four straight days at Glastonbury in 2009... bin for you - wait, actually I can't throw them away...

This brings me to the second category - Fave.

There are some items which are just to special to throw away- they hold memories which can't be replaced and their threads hold secret stories which will probably never be told to anyone until 2050 when the grandkids doubt that you were once 'cool'.

Like those self-cut shorts ... they saw me drink my first underaged tin of lager and helped attract a rather gorgeous boy with half a blue face whom I snogged while watching Lady Gaga.

Incidentally, the boy with half a blue face is now one of my best friends, and even though life's pace has sped up, he will always be a very special person in my life.

Glastonbury 2009 - Without half a blue face.

Fave also includes that rather expensive winter coat that was bought on a whim in the Lake District which comes out at Christmas and makes you feel like a golden age Hollywood film star.



These are the items that need to be cherished and looked after - placed into storage waiting for that time they can be re-born whether it be to combat the first chill of winter or to relive that debauched summer memory. They will always hold a special place in the wardrobe of your heart.

Speaking of the heart the final category is all about spreading the love - Favour.

I have to admit that whenever the big wardrobe clean-out does happen (usually on a 6 monthly recurring basis) the favour aspect is initially aimed at my younger sister.

Moving her back to University recently I was helping her unpack and I am not kidding when I say that a good 50% of the items we unpacked did use to be mine. I am not saying this as a criticism- I think it is great that the clothes I invested my pocket money/student loan in are getting a new lease of life. My only bug bear is that they do tend to look better on by sister...grrrr

However once the more beautiful sibling has snaffled up her share of my wardrobe rejects I do tend to stuff the rest of the wearable items into the first charity plastic bag that 'fulumps' through my letterbox.

I still love visiting a good charity shop, you never know what you might stubble across! My Graduation dress was a charity shop find- who'd a thunk it!

The charity shop Graduation dress

And if you can't bare to give away an item for free there is always Ebay, Gumtree or Wallapop for you to re-coup some of your losses and fund a new item - refreshing the wardrobe for summer.


Coming to a charity shop near you soon...
All in all it has been a very useful exercise and I can say, with my hand on my heart, that my wardrobe is looking a lot more organised and I even found pieces I had forgotten about.

So when wondering what to wear for my mothers 50th birthday meal recently I revived an FCUK dress which had been gathering wrinkles in the back of the wardrobe for months!

Happy 50th Birthday Mum 

So now I do have something to wear - Problem Solved!

Love x

9 comments:

  1. Such a lovely post. I always try my hardest to donate unwanted clothes to charity :)
    x

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  2. I love that you found a charity shop goodun' to wear to graduation! Mines in a few months - need to find something!

    Georgina
    foxonthehunt.com

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  3. Oh gosh I've been meaning to have a huge clear-out for a while! I totally agree with your 3 categories and how to decide what is worth keeping hold of.
    Jen x
    http://englishrosefrommanchester.com/

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  4. Oh gosh… I need to follow these rules! I have to many clothes and nothing to wear!! xx

    Rock On Holly

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  5. your graduation dress is beautiful! i keep forgetting about shopping in a charity shop.

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  6. This looks like a good idea. I always take clothes i don't wear anymore to a charity shop x

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  7. Brilliant post! I need a spring clean myself but never quite knew where to start... this gives me great ideas of what to do with my old clothes! :D

    Oliver

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  8. Lovely post :) I recently went through my wardrobe too, got rid of things I'd clung onto thinking I'd lose weight again (sadly I doubt that'll ever happen). It was good to clear out though, helped rejuvenate my wardrobe and make me less fed up as I'm not being greeted by clothes I don't fit all the time! I donated them to charity too so I hope someone enjoys them now!

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  9. A really handy guide! I desperately need to go through my clothes, so thanks for the inspiration!

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