I live in a single room/studio appartment, and when I moved in I decided that I didn't want to clutter it with a big, bulky closet (I find a big sofa that my friends can sit on in much more important!), so I've just been using this hanging rack for all my jackets, skirts, sweaters, dresses and shirts/'special' tops. The heels at its bottom are just there for exhibition purposes as they don't get worn day-to-day (my everyday shoes are by the door), and I store my jeans, shorts, T-shirts and underwear in various shelves and drawers.
It's a bit of a pain to find a place for all your clothes when you don't have one of those huge 'black hole' closets, but I'm actually thankful for this. My space limitations force me to constantly edit my little collection of clothes. There are no hiding spots for 'forgotten' or ignored garments, and any addition needs to be considered carefully (although my student budget also takes care of that part!).
I love that my clothes are exposed in this corner of my room like a little boutique, and I even arranged them by colour -slightly neurotic, but it reflects something important about the way I see my clothes: I take care of them, because I love them. But it also works vice-versa. I love them because I take care of them.
I've used the title 'wardobe rehab' as a wink to Geneva's series where she teaches you how to edit your wardrobe and make sure you have all the basics you need. But for me, the main thing about having a wardrobe that works (whatever you have in it), is this: you have to show your clothes some love.
This is another kind of rehab*.
1. Make sure that you'll be wearing everything hanging in your closet.
If you're not going to be wearing it because you don't love it anymore, or because it's out of season or whatever, then there's no reason for it to be distracting you from the clothes you'll actually be choosing from. Store it, donate it, resell it (accordingly)**. Obviously, I'm not telling you to get rid of your gala dress because you don't wear it every week, but you might want to separate it from your everyday clothes.
2. Make sure everything fits.
Alter or, if you don't wanna throw it out, put it in storage. You probably don't have time in the mornings to remember that you need to shorten those pants and have to change your outfit.
3. Make sure everything hanging in your closet is ready to be worn:
Clean, stain-free, and if possible wrinkle-free too. Bonus points if it smells nice.
4. Make sure you're helping your clothes (and accessories) last.
Part of having a 'curated' (this is the new 'it' word in fashion) wardrobe is loving the pieces in it instead of constantly replacing them. Here's how to care for them:
-If it should be hand-washed, hand-wash it. Dry your wool sweaters flat.
-Dry clean whatever needs to be dry-cleaned.
-Keep leather bags in their dustbags (they don't like the sun!)
-I don't really have a problem with moths, but lavender bags/lavender spray (none of that chemical stuff) can never hurt!
-Take care of your shoes. Clean them, polish them, take them to the shoe repair when they need to be resoled. You'll be able to keep them much longer (without looking like a bum!).
-Repair holes and tears and replace missing buttons. There's nothing more annoying than not being able to wear the shirt you want because you still haven't gotten around to sewing a simple button -I should know!
-Store your things lovingly.
5. Make sure you can see everything and you know where to find everything.
Obviously I have my own system (aesthetic purposes also factor in, in my case), but find what works for you. Just make sure to be organized, whether you arrange your clothes by occasion, type of garment, colour or anything else.
The result?
The other day, my friend said to me: "I love your wardrobe."
Me: "You mean the rack I use to hang my clothes on?"
She said, "no, I mean everything in your wardrobe. Every single thing."
Now, you can put this down to similar style preferences, but mostly, I think, to the fact that everything is organized, visible, and lovingly taken care of. And if your friend loves it just by seeing it, imagine how much of a difference it'll make when getting dressed in the morning!
*Don't worry -you can still make a list of everything you want to buy when you're done ;)
**I have trouble getting rid of things, so I sometimes put clothes I haven't been wearing in a 'trial period' where I try to wear them to see if they work or not. If they don't, it's time to break up with them. :P
No comments:
Post a Comment