I’m on a mission to help you to build a wardrobe that works. One that truly reflects your lifestyle. That’s filled with pieces that fit well, feel good and are easy to mix and match.
In order to achieve this for yourself, its hugely helpful to:
- Know your style – that is, the colours, cuts, fabrics and styles that truly suit you.
- Be discerning when you bring new (to you) pieces into your wardrobe.
- Do regular ‘Mini-Audits’ of the contents of your wardrobe to make sure you are using what you have and spot your gaps.
- Switch over your wardrobe at least twice a year so that you are only working with season-appropriate pieces.
Today, I’m going to share the benefits of carrying out a ‘Mini-Audit’ and how to do your own. You should only need an hour or so for this and the benefits are oh-so-satisfying! Get involved and spend the final weeks of the season, making more of what you already own before you switch things over.
What is a ‘mini-audit’ and why do you need to do one?
I’m a big fan of packing away winter pieces in time for spring and vice versa so that everything in your wardrobe is a viable option for the time of year. But, before you do your seasonal switchover, there is just about enough time to do a ‘Mini-Audit’.
When a new season is in sight, (right about now!) I recommend that you spend a bit of time reflecting on how well (or not) your wardrobe has supported you over the last few months.
Doing this now means that you can use the last few weeks of winter (or summer depending on where you are in the world) to make the most of what you already have.
Getting into this habit makes a wonderful difference to your seasonal wardrobe and the outfits you create. It’ll help you to weed out those never-worn/ill-fitting pieces and help you to spot what might be missing. And sale time is the perfect time to plug those gaps if you identify any!
How to do your ‘mini-audit’
1. identify anything you haven’t yet worn this season.
This simple task is one of the most eye-opening things you can do for your wardrobe as well as your purse. You might realise that you have a habit of buying sumptuous cashmere but never allowing yourself to wear it in case you ruin it…Please get it worn! Or stop buying it, or both.
When you’ve uncovered your unworn (or not worn nearly-enough) pieces, bring them together at one end of your wardrobe or tie a colourful ribbon on the hanger so that each piece is easily identifiable.
Each time you get dressed for the remainder of the season, try your utmost to use one of these pieces. If you can’t make them work, it’s time to say goodbye. Let them go and create some space.
2. check in with your warDRobe heroes.
What have you worn-to-death? These pieces are your wardrobe heroes. They could be component parts of an outfit, outerwear, footwear of even accessories.
It’s useful to know what these pieces are so that you can check in with how they are holding up. Do they need repairing, re-heeling or de-bobbling? Have they enough life left in them for another season or do you need to replace them? If you decide to replace, I’d recommend you invest as much as you can comfortably afford. These are your hero pieces and you already know you get good wear out of them. Buy the best quality you can for a long life.
3. spot your gaps.
I usually find that in doing this kind of audit, you are able to spot your gaps. In step one for example, you might realise that the reason you haven’t been wearing some of these pieces you own is because you don’t have the right accompanying pieces to make an outfit. If you can identify that you could do with a particular type of boot, simple shirt or skirt, then that’s something to make a note of and try to find. The sales are coming to an end but if you can find what you need at a fraction of the cost then you’ll be winning and all set for next year.
And that’s it! Find an hour or so and get your ‘Mini-Audit’ done. I promise you it’s worth it.
Leave me a comment when you’ve done yours and let me know the results! In leaving a comment, you’ll be inspiring others to get started too.
