New Year: New Wardrobe |
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| Written by Nicola Hyland | |
 The start of the year is a great time for everything fresh, including leaning out your wardrobe. AskBronny gives you to tips on how to get the most out of your new year clearout.
A crucial addition to your New Year’s resolution list this year should be to blow all the cobwebs out of your wardrobe. You can start the year off afresh by shedding some of the hopeless and abandoned pieces in the deep recesses, while adding some sparkle with new and revised outfits.The much-avoided clean-out can be a daunting and emotional task. It is never easy letting go of much-loved shoes, flamingo-coloured party dresses or your memorable ‘lucky’ trousers. As always, the AskBronny team are here to offer you some fashion advice and helpful tips whilst guiding you through the mountain of regrettable and forgettable fashion disasters. Categorisation You cannot get a clear perspective on what your wardrobe contains until you remove every article from it. The best way to organise the contents is to categorise each into piles according to fashion ‘genre’ – casual, work, formal, exercise etc. Then divide each pile into ‘frequently worn’, ‘occasionally worn’ and ‘I hope no-one ever finds out I own this.’ The adage “less is more” is equally important in the wardrobe; try to reduce your personal collection to a comfortable staple. The Twelve Month Rule There is an unwritten rule that if something hasn’t been worn during a one year period, then it should be discarded forever. This is a helpful guide - particularly amongst seasoned hoarders - although not entirely hard-and-fast. Certain lifestyle changes mean that particular pieces may not be worn though practicality. Long-term travel, pregnancy, injury and return to study are all obvious examples of altered fashion choices. A recent resolution to change careers might necessitate that long-abandoned suit you last wore in 2004. However, it is important to be assertive with yourself. Will you ever again wear those fabulously uncomfortable heels that last landed you in A&E? Fads and Classics The practical wardrobe should always have a strong set of classic staples – such as the black cardigan, the good pair of jeans and the LBD. You should avoid throwing out anything timeless that builds a basic outfit throughout the thick and thin of fashion. What you should focus on is fickle fashion trends: getting rid of one-season wonders. Let’s be honest, no-one in their right mind will be wearing bubble dresses next year. If you have a piece that has never matched anything you own (including your own body), then it is far more economic parting with that instead of buying something else to wear it with to further clog your chocker wardrobe. Buy One, Lose One Summer looks to be all about fabulous dresses and everyone – especially you girly-girls should embrace the flattering styles all over the January sales racks. When you do buy something new, think of the rule of ‘buy one, lose one.’ For everything you gain, you should be parting with something tired and forsaken. Remember this rule generally applies to the current season, so you should be throwing out summer clothes in summer etc. Revitalisation Cleaning out a sparse wardrobe can be disillusioning if you are left with limited options and a limiting wallet. Often pieces that you are tired of and yet are still in good condition can be completely revitalised with a little makeover. Large craft stores stock amazing beads, appliqués, transfers and trims that can transform something previously lacklustre. The addition of snazzy new buttons can charm a plain shirt. What about making tailored trousers into smart dress shorts, or an A-line skirt into a cute pencil cut? Even ratty old jeans can be transformed into this season’s hot ‘billy shorts’ (very short cut-offs). If you are on a budget, sometimes a little addition can make a season far more bearable. This year a new belt will make drab instantly ‘fab’. Hidden Treasure If you are having trouble parting with clothes and you do have alternative storage areas, you might want to think about creating a little personal treasure chest. These might be expensive or vintage pieces you wore too often this year but can’t disregard forever. I often put a few things that I can’t live with or without together in a dry place, way out of everyday visibility. Then, when you finally rediscover them down the track, you can re-embrace them, or part with them for good. Make sure these pieces are still wearable: let go of your favourite holey trackies once and for all! The ‘Skinny’ Jeans / Pants If your resolutions also include a dedication to lose weight then you should hold onto that vital pair of “skinny” pants. Most of us have a piece in our wardrobes that, when we last wore it, made us feel more fabulous then we ever have since. This ‘skinny’ outfit can be a personal goal, a reward for the hard work you have pledged to put in to fill them. Remember that there are realistic limits too – puberty and gravity means you will never fit into those jeans you loved when you were twelve. Finally, it is equally vital to clean the actual wardrobe – dust and mildew will destroy your clothes! When you put everything back together, make sure you arrange it into feasible categories. Like your CD collection, this organisation will inevitably be disregarded, but, for now at least, just celebrate the aesthetic of a clean wardrobe and your own willpower. |
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