6 steps to a stylishly organised wardrobe
The fight to get the family out on time in the morning is brutal & sets a stressful tone for the rest of the day. It’s too easy to put yourself at the bottom of the pile when it comes to being organised & dressed.
Whether you’re looking after little people all day or navigating a commute & work, it’s a battlefield & you need to be armed & ready!
The secret to being organised is reminiscent of the flight safety advice on board - "Please put your own mask on first before helping others" If we're organised in the mornings then we're more likely to get everybody else out the door on time too & that involves proritising ourselves & the things we control - namely, our wardrobes & what to wear.
Why an organised wardrobe is KEY to a stress-free morning
An organised wardrobe means we're ready to take on whatever the day has to throw at us. Our wardrobes are the only places in our homes that we fully control (whether that be a half a wardrobe rail & a drawer or a full-sized dressing room) & an organised, maintainable space reduces morning stress.
There's other benefits too. When your wardrobe is organised, you’ll visualise the clothes you have much better when you’re shopping & avoid making duplicate purchases. According to a recent survey by Weight Watchers, we in the UK have £10 billion worth of unworn clothes languishing in our wardrobes - what a waste of money but what a drain on space in our homes & on our mental wellbeing too.
So if you want to save money, space & your sanity, check out these great tips to get your wardrobe organised!
6 tips to an organised wardrobe & life
1. Declutter regularly
Regular decluttering is key to an organised wardrobe but it takes planning & forethought. Put a reminder in your diary for a time that suits you & stick to it! Make it a fun experience by playing your fave tunes & grabbing a cuppa & set a timer so you don't get overwhelmed.
The most efficient way is to get everything out & review by category (e.g. trousers together, t-shirts etc) but if you're short on time, just pull out 1 clothing category, say t-shirts & go through those. Make sure to bag those decluttered items straightaway - donate or sell.
2. Organise your wardrobe in a way that suits YOU
Once you've decluttered, think about how you're going to organise your clothes back into your wardrobe. I tend to think about the colour I want to wear first and build from there.
So as an example, I arrange all of my black tops together then sub-categorise into jumpers, shirts, t-shirts, sleeveless etc. I do the same with trousers i.e. all black together and then sub-categorise into formal, casual, jeans etc.
This helps me assemble lots of different outfits really quickly & I can easily visualise what I have when I go shopping so I don't buy something I already have. This also works well as I have a limited number of colours that I enjoy wearing (& that suit me) so helps me stay within that colour range.
To help you decide, consider how you choose an outfit in the morning - you might consider the weather or comfort primarily, you might always choose bottom half first & then build up from there.
However you decide what to wear in the mornings, organise your wardrobe to suit you best.
3. Invest in slimline hangers
Once you've decided how to arrange the items, you can save serious space in your wardrobe & create a calming visual consistency with all black slimline velvet hangers. This will definitely give your wardrobe a designer store look too.
4. Use clever hanging hacks to save space
If you only have short hanging space (i.e. 1 rail over another) and no full length space to hang dresses, then you can use 2 hangers to hang your dress & stop it trailing on the rail below.
If you have the opposite issue & only have long hanging rails & need more hanging space below then this hanging rod from Amazon will do the job. Or place a chest of drawers underneath to maximise the space underneath the rail.
5 File fold as much clothing as you can into drawers
Essential to an organised space is using the space in your chest of drawers to maximum potential. Use the vertical folding method (items folded and filed vertically, rather than on top of each other) so you can see everything you have at a glance.
It's also much easier to pack for a weekend away when you can grab what you need and place it vertically straight into your suitcase. Check out my Instagram for videos on how to fold your clothes & pick up the Skubb organising boxes from Ikea to contain items neatly.
6. Decide your outfit the night before
If you lay your outfit out the night before, there's no morning panic & stress to contend with. All you need is a hook to hang all the items you need (even underwear, handbag, jewellery) ready for the morning.
Organised wardrobe = organised mind & life!
Having a stylishly organised wardrobe adds calm, order & confidence to your day. You'll feel in control, ready to deal with whatever the day throws at you!
The Style and Wardrobe Audit from Style Partnership will help you rediscover your wardrobe and add calm, confidence and style to your day.