Today, I am going to talk you through how to "take stock" of your existing capsule wardrobe before you change it over for the coming season. (If you are new to the capsule wardrobe concept, you may like to read my previous blog post, which explains what a capsule wardrobe is and why you should build one.)
There comes a point when you feel ready to change over your wardrobe for the next season.
For me, that point has arrived this week. The morning and evening temperatures are now much cooler and, while it can still be warm in the middle of the day, I’m starting to want to reach for my lighter sweaters.
I find that it can be very tempting to want to pull everything out of your wardrobe and switch it over immediately. However, I would recommend that there is one very important step that you do first. And that is to take stock of your existing wardrobe and how it worked for you over the past few weeks and months.
Step 1 - Take a look inside your wardrobe
So open the doors of your wardrobe and take a look inside. It may even be helpful to take a photo so that you can sit down and look at things a bit more objectively and at leisure with a cup of tea in hand.
(Don’t forget to check what you have in the laundry so that you can review those items as well.)
Step 2 – Take a full de-brief
Having taken a look inside your wardrobe, you want to take a bit of a de-brief.
Here are some questions to ask:
How did your wardrobe function for you for the season just gone?
Are there any items which you did not wear?
Are there any items which need cleaning, repairing or altering before you put them away?
Are there items which you are now ready to get rid of?
Are there any items that have crept into your wardrobe and should not be there?
Is there anything else which you would do differently next time around?
I find that it’s helpful to write your answers down in a notebook. That way, over a couple of seasons or more, you can start to identify common thoughts, themes or ideas. These you can take note of when building your future capsule wardrobes.
Step 3 – Empty your wardrobe of everything
Once you’re happy that you’ve taken a full de-brief, you can then empty your wardrobe. I recommend taking everything out. I find it helpful to lay the clothing on my bed.
Step 4 – Create piles
As you empty your wardrobe, I recommend creating a few piles:
Items which can be stored away immediately.
Items which need to be cleaned.
Items which need to be repaired or altered.
Items which you want to get rid of.
Items which don’t belong in your wardrobe.
Step 5 – Schedule a time to deal with each pile
Next, schedule a time on your calendar when you are going to deal with each pile. If you can, I would suggest that you put away piles 1) and 5) that same day. For the others, schedule a date in the next week or two to deal with them. You don’t want these tasks to drag on for the rest of the season!
Step 6 – Give your wardrobe a good spring clean
Now, give your wardrobe a good spring clean and airing.
Putting it into practice
So that you can see what I actually do in practice, I am going to follow all of the above in relation to my own wardrobe. So, for the first half of this 'How To' series, I will be posting on my blog twice a week. Make sure you check back mid-week to see exactly how I got on with taking stock of my own (summer capsule) wardrobe.
Next week
Now, with a clean and empty wardrobe, you are ready to plan your capsule wardrobe for the coming season. Come back next week for Part 2 when I will talk you through exactly how to do that, step-by-step.
In the meantime, you may like to check our my Autumn Edit or some of my previous blog posts like Capsule wardrobe basics: white or black or Top 5 Trends: Autumn 2019 or How to choose a colour palette.
Til next time!
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