Wardrobe Overwhelm

There are many, many reasons why your wardrobe is a source of stress for you. The good news is, it’s fixable. I’ve been inside countless wardrobes over the years and have yet to be beaten by one.

There are two equally important steps to dealing with wardrobe overwhelm.

1. Set aside some time to sort things out.
2. Decide to start doing things differently.

Habits can be hard to break, but to set the intention of a new way forward is a great start. The very fact that you’re reading this blog, means that you’re prepared to put some effort in to making your wardrobe work better for you. And I’m pleased to say, I have tips coming out of my ears!

Imagine opening your wardrobe and seeing all your clothes neatly hung, with space between each piece, ready to wear. Together, we can get your wardrobe to a place of joy.

What goes wrong

Very often a combination of factors leads to an over-stuffed, unfunctional wardrobe. See if you recognise any of these symptoms.

1. Not knowing what suits you, so you try a bit of everything. You’ll know this is you if your wardrobe is full of every possible print, colour, shape and style, but a lot of it remains unworn.
2. Having a full wardrobe but wearing the same three outfits on repeat.
3. You have niggling feelings of guilt at how many clothes you have and how much money you’ve wasted over the years.
4. You find it difficult to get rid of things because you might miss them when they’re gone.

Here’s the thing

I bet, if you were honest with yourself, you don’t even like much of what you have.

You hang onto it because without it you’d not have much left. So, although you aren’t wearing most of it, you are just too scared to get rid. That would be an admission of waste and you’d rather not face up to it.

I assure you that facing up to the situation and getting your wardrobe sorted is SOOOO worth it when your reward is the wonderful, light and happy feeling every time you look inside.

Gail’s Wardrobe Transformation

Gail was a client that has always stuck in my mind. Hers was one of the first wardrobes I had the pleasure of editing towards the start of my career.

Her job meant that she was often on stage presenting to large audiences and she needed different outfit options that gave her confidence, made her look professional and showed her in her best light as the successful business woman she is.

When I took a look inside Gail’s wardrobe, I immediately saw the problem. She had a LOT of tops. She had a LOT of trousers and skirts. She had a LOT of jackets and shoes. But there was no cohesion.

Gail was tearing her hair out. Despite all of these individual pieces, she felt she had no real outfits.

This desperation meant that she kept on coming home from work with another top/blazer/pair of trousers/shoes which she picked up as she popped into M&S for a sandwich. The overwhelm and despair grew and grew.

She needed three things to get the situation under control:

1. An education and understanding of her style. Once Gail learned what suits her, she was more able to identify pieces that would be great buys. These became the cornerstone pieces of her wardrobe. She felt empowered with this new knowledge and stopped buying so much because it was easier to say ‘no’ to pieces that had caught her eye when she was buying her lunch!
2. A good old wardrobe sort-out. Using her newly identified style rules, we went through every single piece in her wardrobe and confidently made decisions about how well each piece matched up to her style guidelines. Lots of pieces went into the charity bags and some were put aside to be re-sold. The only pieces left were ones that would form part of a flattering, stylish outfit that Gail would be excited to wear.
3. A plan. We made a list of the pieces that Gail would benefit from owning. Versatile pieces that were more up to date and would bring an extra bit of fabulousness to Gail’s outfits.

I left Gail with a wardrobe she loved. She had pieces that could easily be mixed and matched to create stylish and up to date looks that made her feel feminine but powerful. After too many years of stress and overwhelm, Gail finally knew how to keep her wardrobe working in the right way for her lifestyle. She changed her habits and only bought new pieces when she knew when, where and how she would wear them.

3 steps you can take TODAY to help you to get your wardrobe organised

1. Turn all your hangers around so that they are facing the same way. Every time you wear an item from your wardrobe, return it with the hanger facing the other way. This makes it easier to see what you haven’t worn and makes you more likely to reach for something new. Try to wear something different every day until you’ve either worn it all, or got rid of the pieces that really shouldn’t be there.
2. At the end of the day, when you get undressed, make a decision. Did you enjoy wearing this outfit? Was it comfortable? Did it fit you well? Was it fit for purpose? If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no’, this is very likely a piece that you can remove from your life. Put it in a charity bag. Within a couple of weeks you might have filled the bag without too much effort.
3. Start wearing your ‘special’ clothes more often. Most people spend more on occasion wear and less on the clothes they wear every day. I say, wear your good stuff more often. Mix them with more casual pieces. Check out this blog post I wrote on High/Low dressing which will help if this is a new concept for you.

If you’d like more help in getting organised, I have three ways to help you.

1. Register for today’s free online style class
2. Skip straight to one to one support. Get in touch to book a call and I can give you some personal consultation solutions.
3. Come along to my live event on Saturday 25^th April to change your habits forever! Learn what suits you and why. Tickets to Get Your Style Sorted 2020 are available here.