Streamline your wardrobe for 2023

Do you have a wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear? You are not alone. 

So many of us have plenty of clothes but struggle to put an outfit together. It doesn’t make sense. Surely, if you have more clothes, you have more options? 

Well, no, the more clothes you have, the harder it becomes. You end up wearing the same things over and over again and leave the rest on the hangers. The answer is a capsule wardrobe. Now bear with me. A capsule wardrobe does not mean you restrict yourself to 10, 33, 100 or any other specific number of clothes. It means streamlining your wardrobe to fit your lifestyle, colouring, body type and personal preference. The result is a collection of clothes that mix and match easily, save you time, money and space and have you looking and feeling your best. And the best bit? It is much better for the environment. 

Ready to streamline your wardrobe for 2023?

First, you must find the time to gather all your clothes in one place. That includes everything from the basement, loft, and car, EVERYWHERE. You can declutter your wardrobe in one of two ways; either go through item by item, for example, shirts followed by trousers, etc. Or, you blitz the whole lot in one go. It depends on how much time you have and how much you have to declutter. To decide what to keep and what to donate, consider the following;

Your lifestyle

Think about what you do in a typical month and break it down from 100%. For example, you might spend 50% of your time at work, 25% at home with family, 10% out with friends, 5% at a yoga or fitness class and 10% on others; this will become the basis of your wardrobe. You should now have an idea of how many clothes you need for each part of your life. In addition, you should consider how often you do a wash cycle or visit the dry cleaners. If you have too many multiples in your wardrobe, pick out the best options by quality, how new they are, how often you wear them and how comfortable they feel. Donate the rest.

Your colouring

Why should you care about your colouring? Because knowing which colours suit you can make a huge difference in your mood, make you look younger and healthier and enhance your best features. There are three main areas I look at when a client comes to me for a colour analysis:

The depth of colour: How bright or muted their colouring is

The temperature of the colour: How warm or cool their colouring is

The strength of the colour: How dark or light their colouring is

If you have yet to have a colour analysis, these simple rules can help you make the most of colour. 

Firstly, look at the inside of your wrist to determine which colour will suit you best:

If your veins are…

Green – you are warm-toned

Purple – you are neutral-toned

Blue – you are cool-toned

Next, if you have a lot of colour in your skin, hair or eyes, you will likely be able to wear brighter shades. If you have minimal colouring, you should opt for more muted shades. 

Finally, you want to look at the strength of colour. The easiest way to do this is to look at yourself in a black-and-white headshot. If you are fair and have little contrast between your hair, skin and eyes, you would be better suited to pastel shades and should avoid head-to-toe dark colours. If there is high contrast between your hair, eyes and skin, for example, dark hair and pale skin, you can afford to have contrast in the colours you wear. If you have dark skin and hair, you can afford to wear bright and dark colours and have contrast in your wardrobe, but you should avoid pastels from head to toe.  

Your body shape

Next, look at your wardrobe and consider which styles suit your body shape. Knowing which body shape you are can help determine which styles and cuts enhance your best features. The simple rule is, if you are heavier on top, choose brighter, lighter, looser and patterned garments on your bottom half; if you are heavier on the bottom, select the reverse. If you are heavier around the middle, consider one block colour throughout and straight lines in overcoats etc. Avoid frills or anything fancy in places you are trying to hide. And finally, wearing something huge and baggy to conceal an area you are not happy with will only make you look bigger!! 

Your wardrobe going forward

Once you have looked at your wardrobe and considered what works and what doesn’t, donate the rest and put aside anything you intend to replace. If there are garments you are unsure about, set them aside for one season, and if you do not use them by the next season, you have your answer and can donate them. 

Finally, to maintain your wardrobe, consider your lifestyle, colouring, body shape and budget in every purchase. For more detailed help with your wardrobe, book a free consultation.

www.capsuleclosetstylist.com