Move Management – Maintaining a Wardrobe Makeover – Part 2

We have come this far…Now let’s get down and ORGANISED!  

1. KEEP – FREQUENT USE – Items that fit, that go with other items, that you wear often – or have worn in the last 3 months
2. KEEP – INFREQUENT USE – Special occasion items such as evening wear, wedding dress, maternity wear
3. KEEP – OUT OF SEASON – whatever is not worn in the season you are currently in

So the next question to ask yourself is – What Should You Keep, and Where?

Step Six – Pride of place

1. FREQUENT USE items being located in a place that’s easiest to access,
2. And INFREQUENT USE garments should be kept somewhere that’s not as accessible, and this is the same story for any OUT OF SEASON clothes.

In STEP THREE you will have looked at the wardrobe and storage space you have available – both immediate space and secondary storage space. So you would have made a start on deciding where the best places for each category of these clothes would be.

Now that you have sorted and got your allocated clothing piles ready to be replaced back in their new homes it’s time to see if it will all fit back nicely into your closet and storage spaces. Below are some tips to solving space issues…

Here are Mooving Matters wardrobe makeover professionals top tips for this step:-

• Store clothes you want to keep but don’t need every day in various locations – For example; under the bed, in a loft space, in a closet in a guest bedroom etc… These spots are for occasional access over the every day.
• Wardrobe stylists will understand everyone has sentimental items like their wedding dress, evening to ski attire and christening gowns etc.. But what about cherishing their importance and looking at displaying them over placing them in deep storage areas? If you can’t display please make sure that they are stored properly as clothing can be damaged over time by buys and mould if not correctly packaged up

If you don’t have a huge amount of storage, be careful about where things go and sort your clothes like so:

• Hanging space – Hang from left to right as follows: 1. Going out clothes – dresses, tops, Skirts, trousers 2. Working outfits – dresses, tops, skirts, trousers – 3. Casual wear – dresses, tops, skirts, trousers. Below this you can have space for fitness clothes and your gym bag.
• Shelving – Should be where jeans, jumpers and t shirts are folded and placed on top of each other.
• Chest of drawers – Is the best place for all underwear and accessories, and above this on the dresser top you have a jewellery organiser
• Colour code – Try sorting everything in colour groups as well – it makes it easy to find a certain coloured top when you need it right away.
• Seasonal Items – Best spot for out of season clothes are kept in storage containers or vacuum bags under your bed

Step Seven – Organising Each Space

You are now ready to fill and sort your wardrobe! Your Wardrobe makeover is nearly complete – you have everything that you need to store back in it, that you use frequently, and also possibly other items dependent on space available.

For all the spaces you have available, ask yourself the following questions –

• Do you need more hanging space, drawer space, or other type of storage?
• Is it possible to add a shelf above or below the hanging space?
• Is it possible to add storage above the wardrobe or underneath?
• Is it possible to add boxes inside your wardrobe for shoes etc…?
• Can extra hanging space be installed? –increasing hanging space with new rails at the certain positions can be a great way of doubling up space if you have mostly hanging items. This goes hand in hand with the type of hanger you use as well
• Can you add hooks on the door for accessories or jewellery?
• Wardrobe stylist non negotiable rule – Everything must be visible! – if you can’t see all your clothing on accessing you wardrobe then you may as well not have it or wear it!
• Categorise – Consider storing things by colour / style / type or a mix. It will make life so much easier!
• Do any of the clothes need specific storage?

By following the above or  storing your clothes with all this in mind, then you will find that selecting and accessing your outfit each day will be a breeze!

At this stage you will be back to the beginnings of wardrobe stylists dream – a professional and personalised system that hasn’t broken the bank!

If you are battling with space still and can’t fit in certain items, you may well want to go and maximise the space further by using the correct storage products in the next step…

Step Eight – Get Any Organising Items / Storage essentials That Are Really Needed

Only ever look at purchasing items when you are out of the available space and there are actual items you still I want to keep. You want to buy the correct items to help assist rather than cause more clutter and just throw away your money.

Do some research on wardrobe storage tips and tricks and refer back to the questions you asked yourself earlier so you buy whats essential..

Now Let’s Take A Step Back….

Well done on achieving your DIY wardrobe makeover! You will hopefully see that these changes are for the best and can also be maintained in the long run…Now to Reality, the real life of your living wardrobe…

Step Nine – The real life – Live With It For A  Little While…

The 2nd last step is to live with the system, and to work with it daily.

Unfortunately clothes are constantly needed, will need to be constantly looked after to stay organised in your wardrobe otherwise sooner rather than later they will get messed up and cluttered once again.

Here are some essential wardrobe makeover directions to try and stay on top of your clothes and lifestyle, so lets create some new closet rituals:-

• The one in one out policy: Replace an old item for a new one so you don’t run out of space, a future proofing technique so that your wardrobe doesn’t become overwhelmed again.
• Know what you need –spend a little time working out what items go with what in your wardrobe, and what you need to complete an outfit – that way you are only ever getting more value out of what you already have. Stop wasting time and money on buying items that you won’t wear because you don’t need it or you haven’t got anything to complement it.
• Clothes rotation is key as the seasons change – look  to change your clothes over as weather shifts to hotter or colder months. Rotating clothes is also a good idea if you have a lot of them and none of them get missed!
• Look after your clothes – an organised wardrobe equals more wear and value from every piece of clothing you own – another way of saving you time and money.
• Catalogue you outfits – Take photos of you wearing the clothes, and add them to inside of the wardrobe door. That way you won’t forget that ensemble you liked and can see at a glance what you look like in things, what items complement each other. This trick makes it even easier to put outfits together quickly, and even easier to see what goes used.
• Prepare outfits the night before – if you have time think ahead, if you know what clothes you need for the following day you can hang them out ready so that you don’t need to rush around when you need to leave trying to ironing or having lost a pivitol accessory.

Step Ten – We have made it but Lets Evaluate & Make Any necessary Tweaks…

Finally the last step but an important one – The Evaluation Process. When it comes to evaluating the system you have put in place, you want to be able to easily change or correct anything that doesn’t seem to be working out for you.

You could be finding it hard to find items quickly still? Or do you still feel that you have too many clothes? – there are numerous ways that you could evaluate, but getting into the habit of upkeep will make daily life easier – especially if you have a lifestyle (career or weight) change that means a wardrobe change!

• Unsure of what you wear? Keep track of it! Get into the habit of having all coat hangers facing the same way when they are put into the wardrobe, and then when an outfit has been worn, put the hanger back but turned around. This is a super quick way of seeing at a glance what you actually wear…, You may be able to get rid of more clothing than first thought!
• The yearly wardrobe organisation assessment – On a yearly basis its a good idea go through your wardrobe and ensure that you have all the staples for your look, and that they are in good condition – if not, replace them! Items that can be considered staples are things like a good pair of jeans, a white shirt, a little black dress, knee length boots, strappy shoes, trainers, a good gym kit etc…. whatever you need that works for your look.

If you need help to getting started on organising your wardrobe chaos, contact your wardrobe organisation experts Mooving Matters your team of trusted and caring Professional Organisers  and Wardrobe makeover services Sydney. To arrange a complementary on-site inspection of your property by  Mooving Matters, your home organiser Sydney or to simply discuss our ‘Ultimate full service packing + moving’  experience call (02) 93375333 or visit us at moovingmatters.com.au.