Every so often when I have the time, I dedicate about two hours to streamline our wardrobe. Since my sister and I share one giant cabinet of clothes, sometimes the piles get messy. While there should be a dividing line between casual wear and office attire for us to easily choose clothes every morning before showering, we hadn’t spared any time to decide on how to organize and set this up. Last weekend, mom called me to segregate those clothes we can donate to charity/church. I felt it was a great timing for me to streamline our wardrobe as well.
Because my sister was not home, I had the sheer liberty to “throw away” those I think don’t fit us anymore. Also, I came up with some the following rules which can be helpful to you as well. Note that these tips cover not only clothes but also shoes, accessories, bags and other garment.
5 Steps on How to Streamline Your Fashion Wardrobe
1. Get rid of torn pieces.
This sounds too basic but I sense that many people still keep their favorite old shirts after it has been damaged for so long. If you see fading, apparition of holes and other signs of wear and tear, eliminate the clothing as you will less likely to wear it in public anyway. If you cherish it much and it can be worn comfortably at home, then maybe you can stock it up in the sleeping attire section.
2. Don’t hold on to items which you have not worn in the past six months.
This is except if it’s a classic vintage material that you can pass down even to your next generation. But the rest of the clothes you haven’t worn for so long a time are only collecting dust, getting ready for deterioration and taking space in your closet.
These are perhaps clothes that you bought because they were the last pieces on the sale rack you’ve been saving for a special occasion. If it’s for the wedding of your four-year-old brother, then passing it on to others would be a safe decision. Make 2013 the year you set them free at last!
3. Do away with clothes which are not your size.
You saw a really pretty dress in a store. Unfortunately, they don’t have it in your size. Desperately, you still bought it thinking you will achieve your dream body figure. High-five for that positive thinking. The sad thing is that it didn’t happen.
So here is the mantra you should live by: Don’t ever get clothes that do not flatter your figure, even if they come with cheap price tags. Instead of online shopping, go to the physical store and try the clothes on. Forget relying on the size written on the label and go with your instincts. Do you see that it fit perfectly right? Have a critical evaluation when you look at yourself in the mirror.
If you currently have those items that don’t fit well, do not have second thoughts on donating them. Do it fast and trust me, you’ll feel great.
4. Organize whatβs left.
After eliminating everything that needs to be eliminated, the next step is to organize the rest of the clothing that passed your tests. In this part, you can follow these arrangements: by color, by category or by outfit. To make them look better as a whole, get good-quality hangers and closet organizers for hard-to-hang items.
5. Shop for missing or required items.
This is the really fun part! Now that youβve streamlined your wardrobe, you probably realize you need a few key staples. With your new system in place, you know exactly what to buy!
In this case, I need…
(1) A purse that is not black – I’m thinking of a snakeskin minaudie`re, a tangerine-hued clutch or a tasseled fuchsia satchel.
(2) A little black dress that I can always feel great in regardless of the the party guest list
(3) A neon-colored pencil skirt, jacket, dress, bracelet or bauble that brightens an otherwise all-black outfit
On second thought, I changed my mind! I’ll just save some more bucks for the car. Holy Camoly, it’s quite expensive leh. π―
Anyway, hope you keep these steps in mind. Donβt worry, there won’t be a quiz afterwards, but hopefully, there will be dinner. π
Do you have suggestions on how to streamline your wardrobe? You’re welcome to educate me in the comments.
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
nice tips dear! when we started packing our things to move here in KL before. It was a hard proces for me to let go most more than half of my clothes shoes and other things. Though, knowing that my frends would be so delighted to be receiving something like that, I took a deep breathe and give everything away to my frends back in singapore. xx
I know..it’s especially hard to let go of branded clothing but it will be easier if we think about our friends who will appreciate our “trash” and treat them as treasure. π
I do my wardrobe reorganization by giving away my old stuff. Well, whenever I had the chance to buy myself a new dress, I would look for old ones inside the cabinet and give it to my churchmates. I love how they would light up receiving dresses that still looks good and for FREE. π
This style keeps me from hoarding items I don’t really need. Plus it enables me to share and be unselfish π
Hi Sarj! That’s good to hear. I have been one of those “beneficiaries” of old clothes from different people (church mates, friends and dorm mates) before. And I think the feeling of paying the act forward, i.e. giving my old clothes to someone else’s who can wear them with a smile (because of happiness and thankfulness) is just awesome.
I’m not buying new ones unless I get rid of old ones first so as not too add clutter to the closet.
Hi Franc! Yup, that’s a good way of making your closet clutter-free as well. In fact, I have a friend who shared before that whenever she buys an item, she literally disposes one item from her closet. The number of items taken in should be the same as the number of items taken out. π
Good tips sis, I will do that this Saturday. We will have our house general cleaning and that includes the CABINET.
Well, good luck for you, Raine! π General cleaning is my mom’s favorite house chore.
Nice tips, sis! Ako nman, every year, I clear up my cabinet (clothes that don’t fit anymore, I’m not into anymore, I don’t feel good about anymore, already out of my league kind of clothes, etc. – you get the drift) I compile them and give them out. Everybody happy!! hihih…
Thanks, Rizza! That’s a nice yearly habit. But it’s better if you can do it quarterly at least to maintain more orderliness in your closet. π
Great tips! You can also hold a garage sale and earn extra cash. Thenyou can go shopping to fill up your closet again with new clothes hihihi!
Correct! Actually I’ve done that–I’ve managed to sell some of the clothes thru eBay. π
I don’t usually shop but ill shop around when its necessary. I’m not so attached with my stuff so if i feel that i no longer need it then ill dispose it.
Great thinking. Value for money there for your things π
The last time I organized my wardrobe was like hours before New Year. I do not like any mess in my bedroom so I really scheduled this one seriously. Nice tips you have here.
Thanks! Wow, from the sound of it, you have taken a lot from your wardrobe. If you still have too much stuff, try another round of organizing. You might get rid of those which did not “make the cut” after the first purge.
“Shop for missing or required items.” This maybe quite hard. But if we cannot find them in malls and department stores, shop online! π
Online shopping is super convenient nowadays. With just a few click of the buttons, you get what you need/want and pay for it instantly. Within days, the item is at your doorstep! π
There are still a lot of Filipinos you will see wearing clothes out of their size… We tend to buy clothes larger because we think we can still grow =)
That is so true, Archie. Haha, I heard lot of people are doing that. “Sigurista” kasi diba? π But it’s better to just buy the size that fits us at that moment rather than stock it up for years or decades.
Great tips! I will follow your third tip since medyo nag-slim down na ako and I will have to get rid of those over-sized shirts..
Thanks! Yup, that’s right! Setting aside some time for this activity is the first step. If you have a lot of those large shirts, you can send as much as half a weekend day. Get your boxes or plastic bags ready and don’t feel guilty to put those clothes away for good. π
such a helpful blog post! this will helped me for sure because my wardrobe is so messy π
Thanks for reading, JayL. π To add to the tips, you can also have label storage containers for clothes that you don’t want to wear now but really want to save for later. Clear containers are best so you can mark them with labels or a tape with marker.
i recently clean and clear our wardrobe, get the old one that doesn’t fit us anymore and put them on the plastic to be given . nice steps you have here.
Great! This chore is not much time-consuming but the feeling is fulfilling, especially when you know you can help out others (those in need of clothes).
Clearing out the wardrobe to leave only what is actually being used has a psychological effect of renewal and order ( at least to me), a similar feeling that I get after a general cleaning of the house. Great tips!
That psycho effect never fails to apply to me also. π
cool!! I usually separate my clothes in different categories: blazers/ cardigans/ jackets, formal, “pambahay”, shorts, jeans.. and sometimes, by colors too! it’s much easier to know what to wear next without having to spend a lot of time.. π
Right on. Every day we take a lot of minutes just to decide what to wear and the decision process becomes simpler when we have an organized closet. π I thought this was just true to us girls. Haha.
great tips there..but i don’t think i can get rid from my clothes i haven’t worn the past 6 months..hehehe…i seldom go out and wear those dresses, so i better have them on my closet yet.lol
Haha okay! Thanks, Gagay! π
I don’t have problem with this, if I don’t like the clothes I give it to someone whom I know needs clothes, especially sa mga “nasunugan”.
Giving away clothes to charity is always a good decision. π
if you have an article of clothing you haven’t been using for 6 months, then most likely you won’t wear it in the future. that’s the one to give away. in my case, i check my cabinet annually for stuff that i no longer wear and give it away
That’s right, Alwin!
recycle, reuse, return! lol! I usually give it away, so I’d have reason to buy some more!Lol!
The 3 rules of R – great! π You just have to set proper timing and decide where and to whom you are donating your pre-loved items.
I am guilty of holding on items. Time to clean up my closet, i don’t have enough space from those old clothes.
It’s never too late to start with the cleanup and organize your closet now. It’s still the start of the year (for Chinese, especially). π
I just removed my old clothes and unnecessary things in my closet. I realized I have lots of unused stuff din pala.
Good for you, Karen. Just load up on your basics everyday wear and those pieces you think you will wear for the next sixth months. Go easy on the patterns and indulge in one showstopper for special occasions.