Wardrobe Taming — Day One

Wardrobe taming series:
Day One Day Two Day Three Day Four Day Five Day Six Day Seven Day Eight

Carrie Bradshaw's famous closet

What’s stopping you from looking your best? When I say best, I mean drop-dead gorgeous. I mean you could show up Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt on the red carpet. I mean feeling good in everything you own. So, what’s holding you back?

Here’s a hint: it’s not your thighs/beak/haircut/eye colour. Everyone can look amazing, regardless of their physical attributes! Odds are, when it comes to looking fabulous, your problems stem from your wardrobe. We are all faced with some kind of wardrobe dilemma! Left unchecked, a closet can easily turn into a hulking beast, bulging with odds & ends. This sort of closet is adept at dosing its owner with a big spoonful of dread as soon as it’s opened.

Here is but a paltry selection of things that can go wrong in the depths of your wardrobe.

You can’t find anything, &/or
A whole lot of your clothing needs fixing or tailoring, &/or
You don’t have the right pair of shoes to pull everything together, &/or
You’re missing the basics you need to add versatility to your wardrobe, &/or
You don’t have the confidence to wear half the stuff you own, &/or
Your body has changed shape & your clothing hasn’t, &/or
Your style has changed & your clothing hasn’t, &/or
You have realised, after reading Fashion Help For Recovering Goths, that most of what you own is entirely the wrong colour… & the list goes on!

How many did you say “yes” to? How many made you CRINGE in recognition?! Oh, you naughty thing! Time to get it together, what do you think?

Your mission… (should you choose to accept it) is to set aside a chunk of time today. Say, an hour. Skip the time you usually spend watching The Hills, or baking, or reading the newspaper (it’s bad for you, anyway!). Put on some good music — I recommend Busta Rhymes & N.E.R.D., but your mileage may vary. Clear a space on the bed. Take a deep breath. Open your closet, & start going through it.

Divide the items into piles: things you wear, & things you don’t. This shouldn’t take long. (Hint: the evening dress you wore once goes in the “things you don’t” pile!) Be honest with yourself, it will benefit you in the long-run! Once this is done, you can put the “things you wear” pile back in your wardrobe. Now, look at what’s left on your bed.

Why don’t you wear these things? Wrong size, shape or colour? Does the hem need taking up (or letting down)? Don’t have the confidence to wear it? Don’t know WHAT the hell to wear it with? Again, sort into corresponding piles. Once you’re finished, move the stacks out of the way, but somewhere you will see them. (Maybe onto a couch or an empty bit of floor space.) Now, have a cup of tea & a sit-down.

Over the next week, I’m going to tell you what to do with these stacks. I will assign you “wardrobe tasks” — which you may carry out at will. The aim, by the end of next week, is to have transformed your wardrobe & the way you look at it! I plan to have you wearing things you had previously relegated to the “I’m not magnificent enough to get away with that!” pile. Your closet will be streamlined, organised & totally user-friendly. Time to whip that beast into submission!

Are you with me?!