You will have had a clear out of your wardrobe at one time or another.
Whether it was a seasonal switch round of items – or the mammoth task involved when your wardrobe is bursting at the seams with ‘nothing to wear’. Some may have been down to moving house, a refurb, or even just running out of space for anything more, I expect it involved what you thought were two key decision; Keep or Get Rid.
It’s the same old story; You start off strong – delegating those awful trousers that never fit properly, along with that jumper with a stain you cannot get rid of to the rubbish pile. But then you notice an elusive “Maybe/Not Sure” pile that is starting to build in the corner. “I’ll revisit those later” you tell yourself…. even you believe it at that stage!
No one ever knows what to do with that ‘Maybe’ pile. No one ever has a plan for the ‘Maybe’ pile. It can just sit there in a bin liner in the corner of your bedroom, or on the landing, or by the front door enticing you to dip back in to it time and time again. You need to take action there and then, while firmly in the zone!
In my 7-Step Process, the Review step not only helps to sub-categorise those “Maybe’s” but also gives you an action plan and an end date to clearing out your wardrobe and you might be surprised to learn that there are actually six choice of what to do with the items that are not going back into your wardrobe immediately.
Going
Selling – designer or vintage items that can be sold via eBay, a dress agency or a design resale website
Charity shop or friend: for decent clothes that a friend or charity can make use of
Recycling or Bin: Has holes, rips, poorly made – no one will find a use for it. Ever.
Keeping
Keep but needs attention: dry cleaning, press or refresh
Keep but needs alterations: needs a hem fixed, button sewn on, taking in/taking up
Keep but doesn’t fit right now – set a deadline for this one in particular and get it out of the wardrobe for now.
Identifying with these is only half the battle – setting an action plan to make sure you have completed the job is a whole other story. You can find out my tips and tricks to battling this next stage in my new book, which is out now.
Lizzie Edwards is one of London’s best Personal Stylists and Image Consultants for Business Women. You can read more about this and other topics, in her new book Look Like The Leader You Are; A 7-Step Style Strategy for Ambitious Women, which is out now and available in paperback and Kindle download on Amazon.
