| If you are somebody who buy clothes on impulse | | | | Now you need look at how often you have worn |
| without planning when you will wear the item of | | | | the clothes you have. The general rule is that if you |
| clothing and with what, then you are not alone. | | | | haven’t worn something for 12 months, its time |
| There are many reasons why we shop and often it | | | | to get rid of it! Some clothes have sentimental |
| isn't because we need to buy anything. Sometimes | | | | value, in which case they can be packed away with |
| we buy clothes to cheer ourselves up or we see | | | | moth repellent lavender, under the bed or on a top |
| something lovely on somebody else or on a | | | | shelf. |
| mannequin in a shop window. | | | | It is important to have a structure to your |
| This can be both wasteful of money and wasteful of | | | | wardrobe. You need some basics in a good neutral |
| wardrobe space. Think about it, how many pairs of | | | | colour that suits you. If you are struggling to work |
| jeans do we really need and how many classic white | | | | out what your neutral colours are, a colour analysis is |
| shirts will we wear in a week? Most clothes are | | | | perhaps what you need. You will need two or three |
| washable these days and nearly everybody has | | | | pairs of trousers, skirts and jackets (this needs to be |
| access to a washing machine, so clothes can be | | | | altered according to your lifestyle pie chart) in neutral |
| washed, dried and ironed very quickly. Gone are the | | | | colours which can then be mixed and matched with |
| days of Monday “washing day”. | | | | tops, blouses and knitwear in a range of flattering |
| Before embarking on a wardrobe weed, it is worth | | | | colours. If you get it right, you will be able to make |
| spending a little time working out how you spend | | | | several different outfits out of a handful of items. |
| your week. A pie chart is a useful tool here. Work | | | | Once you have decided what to keep, make three |
| out how much time you spend at work, at home, | | | | piles with the discarded items. One pile of good |
| socialising and at what level you socialise. For | | | | quality, clean and relatively up to date items that you |
| example do you socialise informally with friends at | | | | can either sell through a seconds shop or on ebay. |
| the pub, go clubbing or attend smart dinner parties or | | | | A second pile of clean unstained items that can be |
| fundraising balls? Once you have ascertained how | | | | taken to a charity shop and a third pile that is |
| you spend your time, you can start sorting your | | | | probably unsalvageable that can be recycled. |
| wardrobe. The aim is to match the quantity of | | | | Alternatively why not arrange a “swop shop” |
| clothes to the quantity of time you might be wearing | | | | with some friends. Your cast offs may be just |
| them. So for example if you work a 40 hour week | | | | what someone else is looking for! It could be a fun |
| and are required to wear smart suits, a large | | | | way to get together and you could end up with a |
| proportion of your wardrobe needs to be allocated | | | | whole new wardrobe too. |
| to work clothes. | | | | |