New Year, New You! Handy Tips on doing your own Wardrobe Detox…

The New Year is often a time of resolutions on health, love and money, but there are other ways to restart fresh, new life into yourself for 2011 that doesn’t involve measuring your waistline. It does however involve a Detox...of your wardrobe!
Now is the time to get into those dark and dingy edges of your wardrobe and really think about each item of clothing you own. A cluttered wardrobe equals a cluttered mind - and a ruthless overhaul can give new energy to your style.

If you think you have the skills to conduct a DIY Wardrobe Detox, here are a few handy hints that will help you to decide what to keep, store (because it’s bound to come back in fashion!) or purchase. Of course, it is never the same as having a stylist standing in your bedroom, advising you on what works and what to throw. Wardrobe Detox packages start at $380 for two hours or $550 including a two hour shopping trip to update your wardrobe. Click here to find out more or to book email us at mail@chicinthecity.com.au

Step One: Sort

1. Sort by Season – one wardrobe per season

2. Sort by item – pants, shirts, jackets, dresses

3. Sort by colour



Step Two: Cull

Sort the non-wanted items into four piles

1. Charity/Giveaway

2. Tailoring or Dye to another colour

3. Storage/Keep for memories

4. Trash

CHIC has just discovered a wonderful dying service, CullaChange (link – cullachange.com.au, where you get can your clothing, bedding or just about anything, dyed to the colours of the season or colours that suit you. They have a fabulous postage service where for $5.50 you can post your items to them to dye and they will post them back all done! A great way to revamp items and get them working for your skin tones.



Step Three: Assessing for your body shape

1. Is it right for your proportions?

2. Is it road weary? Worn out?

3. Is it a clone? Almost but not quite right basic? Choose only the truly good ones, in the best fabric, and condition

4. Is the colour flattering?

5. Have I worn it in the last 6 months?



Here are some tips on organising your wardrobe:

Organising Your Wardrobe

Have your wardrobe sorted by the season – Winter/Autumn

Use uniform hangers

• Shaped wooden hangers for jackets and coats to maintain their shape

• Heavy plastic hangers for shirts

• Plastic suit hangers for pants and skirts

• Padded hangers for silk or delicate shirts/cardigans

• Not a wire hanger in sight!



Use boxes

• Put things that lose their shape easily into boxes e.g. jersey knit dresses, bias cuts, long delicate dresses, vintage pieces, tops with beading.

• Sweaters folded by colour in a box or on shelf visible



Underpants, socks, and tights

• Put into drawer dividers – available at Ikea



Bras, silky things, and foundations

• Folded in their own drawer with a nice lavender sachet



Shoes/Boots

• Sort by season and only have that season in your wardrobe

• Either keep them in their box with a Polaroid on the outside of the box or invest in clear plastic/canvas boxes (CHIC has lovely black boxes now available for purchase – click here to find out more – link = email address – mail@chicinthe city.com.au)

• Store under your skirts/pants section of your wardrobe

Handbags

• Sort by size in a separate cupboard

• Soft large leather bags can be stuffed with old t-shirts to retain their shape

• Clutches are filed side-by-side

• Small evening bags, delicate beaded or embroidered bags are boxed with a layer of tissue paper between them and the box labelled by its content



Belts/Sunglasses

• In their cases (or in Ziploc sandwich bags)


Silk Scarves and shawls, hats, gloves

• Each group has its own plastic box

Jewellery

• Every girl has their own system for this – however you decide to sort, ensure that you find a way to centralise everything so you can see what options you have

• Ruthlessly clean out your box – organise only what you wear most and what’s relevant now

• Store keepsakes and sentimental things elsewhere



Storage

• For any clothes that are not in season, store them away. Hang them on appropriate hangers, have them cleaned and in garment bags that breathe.



By reviewing what you have in your wardrobe may give you some inspiration to style items of clothing together that you would not have otherwise thought. This is where a stylist comes into play, stylists can look at items and immediately see options that work together that in most cases you wouldn’t have thought of. Adding belts, shoes, scarves and accessories can create an entirely new look!