Finally, we have some sun!  Now is a good opportunity to have a good declutter your summer wardrobe.  If you are struggling, have a read of my basic tips.

The question is, where to begin! I can hear you screaming and panicking, not knowing what to keep, what to get rid of, what works for my body and style and finally, not knowing how to put it all together.  Well, if it makes you feel better, we all feel this way.  It is so overwhelming building the perfect capsule wardrobe; it takes time and knowledge, to get it right.

So many of us, hate shopping.  Not knowing what to choose, what suits us and what colours work together.  Nothing tends to fit us properly, so we either go home with nothing or buy some random piece which doesn’t work with anything else or sits in the wardrobe with the label on; sound familiar?  Hardly any of us are happy with our bodies; our confidence being affected massively.

Well, I am here to help!  Below, are some fab tips on what you need to do, before creating a perfect capsule wardrobe.  I have provided some basics to help you shift your mind set into positive thoughts. Before you do anything, take a photo of what your wardrobe looks like now.  This is so powerful to look back at in 6 months time.

So, are you ready to begin again?! Let’s go!

1. Organisation

The first thing to do, is to put all your clothes into piles on the bed.

Knitwear, trousers, skirts, t-shirts, dresses etc.

Bring all your shoes out, and put them into neat sections with flats, heels and trainers.

2. Condition

To have a polished look, you need to have clothes that are in good condition.  Wearing tatty, beaten up clothes is not the answer.  Look at your garments carefully.  If they have holes or are worn, faded, stained in anyway, then put into a pile to throw or charity.

This includes going through your shoes.  If they have turned up toes, totally soleless, scratched or full of mud, get rid of them!

The garments that are ok to keep, use good quality wooden hangers and shoe trees in shoes and boots, to keep the shape and take out the moisture, keeping them fresh and good condition.

3. Comfort and Fit

One of the most important things on a day to day, is to feel comfortable. If you don’t feel this way, you won’t enjoy wearing your outfits, and it will seriously, affect your day.

You will know the garments that feel uncomfortable to wear as soon as you put them on.  This could be the fabric being too stiff or itchy.  It could be the fit is too tight? It could be the other way, and the garment is too baggy, which bothers you. Go through and clear them.

If you have gained weight for whatever reason, what you need to ask yourself is, am I going to lose that stone?

If the answer is yes, then great.  When you have reached your target, then go out and purchase clothes.

Be honest with yourself!  If you are not going to lose the weight, that is fine.  Be happy with your new size and ensure that you have pieces in your wardrobe that fit you well and flatter your shape.

Don’t forget your shoes.  They are the hardest item to get right in your wardrobe.  If they feel uncomfortable, whether they are too high or they rub or cut in the wrong places, or just generally uncomfortable to wear, then give to friends, sell to a dress agency or give to charity.

You will never want to wear shoes, if they are uncomfortable.

4. Up to date

One of the problems I see in people’s wardrobe, is there is always clothes, shoes and accessories, that have been in there since the 1980’s. My clients give me a great tale of when they wore it and get a little excited.

If you would like an up to date modern wardrobe, you have to move on!

• You are not at university anymore.
• You are not in a corporate role anymore, so why have all those clothes in the closet?
• The Dallas look with the wide padded shoulder pads is no more!
• Shapeless trousers with the large, low waistband is not going to look good on anyone.
• Are you saying to yourself I have had that necklace since school?

Having modern, classic pieces in your wardrobe is going to make you look fresh, young and modern.  I am sure, we all want that!!

5. Fear

If you have been good and achieved numbers 1-5 WELL DONE!!

This is great, you have done so well.  Give yourself a pat on the back.

You might have experienced many emotions whilst clearing your clothes. Some of my clients feel a failure that they did not get it right or have spent so much money on clothes that were not right.  When I first started doing this exercise, I felt the same.

I need to say that this is very normal to feel this way.  You need to remember, that you didn’t know!  If you haven’t had the education of what to do, then you cannot achieve the perfect capsule wardrobe.

You can now turn this round to a positive and clear out the old and start with the new you!  It feels fabulous when you get it right.

6. Memories

There will be clothes that you have in your wardrobe that mean something.  Maybe, from a loved one, funeral or wedding.  This is not going to be part of your day to day wardrobe.  A suggestion is to put these clothes in a memory box or in another wardrobe with a suit cover so they will be protected.

7. Other

You will have other clothes that again do not take part in your main capsule wardrobe.  This could be gym wear, walking gear, gardening or cleaning.  These clothes can be put somewhere nice and tidy away in a drawer or another part of the house.

8. Visible

The amount of wardrobes I have gone into that have 4 garments on one hanger or hidden shoes and scarves or areas that you cannot get to.

If you cannot see the items, you will not know that they are there so you won’t be wearing them.

When you put the pieces that are right, back into your wardrobe, ensure that they can be seen.

This will also make it easier when mixing and matching your garments.

By doing the above, will help your mind feel less overwhelmed before getting to the stage of knowing your colours, style and body shape. We all need to do the above twice a year, for our clothes and wardrobes to be updated and fresh.

Here is an example of the end result. This is a process and takes time.  I have worked with Clare for quite a few months before we got to this stage.  Clare did the above to begin with.  We then worked on her style preference, colour, and understanding her body shape.

I helped her blitz her wardrobe a couple of times, took her shopping and completed a perfect capsule wardrobe that was right for her.  Here, we have all the correct colours, styles and style preference.  All the garments work for her in the day and evening and match perfectly.

This is what Clare had to say.…. “I used to despair when choosing clothes . . . Nothing really fitted me, so many were colours that were wrong and the styles were a bit of a mish mash.

Now, it is a pleasure to open the wardrobe and see beautiful clothes hanging on the rail. Now, I have colours that suit me, styles that make the very best of my figure and there are so many combinations from just a few well chosen clothes.

I have a confidence that I haven’t had in years.”

The next stage of your capsule wardrobe is to inject colours that are right for your skin tone, hair and eyes, then look at your clothes and keep the ones that project your style preference.  We are then looking at your body shape.

Join me on the ‘capsule wardrobe part 2’.