Managing Your Wardrobe with Minimal Space

We are all painfully aware of the fact that the majority of our clothes we rarely wear. Plenty of those inspire regular neologisms of ‘floor-drobe’ ‘chair-drobe’ and…  ‘duvet’. Stop validating purchases by delegating household objects as storage devices! We in London in particular are deeply fashion-conscious consumers. No sooner have we found our next desire than we have moved on to another absolutely vital, yet totally unnecessary item. Then there’s the sample sale, the charity shop and those ‘limited sales’ that seem to never end. From self-realisation to reinvention, we are obsessed with aesthetic styles we just can’t resist. However, there is hope. This is some guidance, a mere approach, to how you can get just slightly closer to a perfect wardrobe.

What’s the Problem

This is London. Unfortunately, accepting your hoarder personality isn’t going to cut it when space is the most valuable commodity here. Stashing stuff at your parents’ house kind of works for a while, but someday your stuff is going to end up costing you. You may have found it in a charity shop for a tenner, which alone makes it worth keeping as a unique find, but if your next flat has to be bigger to keep it what is that really going to cost, and keep costing you? Transport is also bad. How many trips and tickets will it take to carry all those shoes- which are mainly empty space?

Upgrade Your Wardrobe

How much of your wardrobe would you say is high quality? What do you feel you will wear again and again? What is regular night-out wear and what is waiting for that one perfect occasion (when, let’s face it, you will probably just buy something else.) This is not about one-in one-out. This is three or four out and one luxury treat in. Ebay the excess while holding in mind your ideal reward.

At this point you may notice most high-street items aren’t really worth much. High-end labels, while obviously expensive, hold a certain pedigree throughout their lifetime. In a good brand this lifetime should be long.

Think of this as a ladder almost like your dream home. You clear out the bulk and go up a notch. This isn’t couture level. A few years later, with (hopefully) better income and maybe a slightly different style, do it again.

If you really have bargain-hunted the very lowest price in sales and second-hand then you should quite easily evade the selling fees and the obvious ‘second-hand’ reduction in value.

“But this piece is special!”

As a materialistic race, we naturally attach values and meanings to items we share our life with. Whether this is band t-shirts we bought at the gig or dresses worn to a friend’s wedding. While some things- like your own wedding dress- really should be kept, it is worth remembering that we form our own histories. These histories are better documented than ever before.

You will able to see photos across social media of your memories and the outfits worn making them, but these outfits can be saved in the photographs rather than shoved under the bed. Get rid of it and with the proceeds and space treat yourself to something better, so that new memories have their own identity- with more grandeur!

What You Need

Now this is daring, but we are going to suggest the few items you really need.

Work wear- Smart, formal yet stylish. This is the outfit that defines you 35 hours per week. This alone is reason to invest in it rather than be satisfied in whatever looked respectable in M&S. Three outfits is probably the maximum you need for versatility. Obviously the likely is you won’t like what you have to wear so this is an easy means of rotating summer and winter by simply replacing each time.

Leisure wear- This is your style, and therefore most complicated. Chances are this focuses on comfort over elegance. This is perhaps the true case of where the upgrade system is most important as your weekend wear is what you buy the most of.

Evening wear- Again, maybe three outfits here. One for hot nightclubs and summer nights. Another all-rounder with a bit of glam. Then maybe a special outfit with ‘black tie’ potential.

Luxury- You’re still going to shop so you will have a few unique pieces that don’t really fit any category.

So this is around ten outfits, which is quite generous but will fit in a standard wardrobe. Have a look at your wardrobe and consider if this approach could help.

The Jewellery Alternative

If you just can’t let go of having a wide variety of choice, and a collection to keep adding to, consider jewellery. Most families have traditionally had jewellery boxes of preserved treasures. If you feed your shopping desires on jewellery (men and women) you will develop a ‘nest-egg’ of valuable treasures that can be liquidated if necessary but enjoyed in the meantime. Experience all the joys of clothing with variety and colours without needing an extra room. Anyone familiar with antiques programmes on television knows how much a grandmother’s costume jewellery can be worth. Equally, accessorising with items of costume jewellery can radically change an outfit. Also, hardly anyone wears quality jewellery out so you can be sure to stand out. Be sure to focus on decoration rather than cost, no one likes a showoff but glamour is accessible to all.

The important downside here is that jewellery is vulnerable. High values can be held in very small objects easily taken. In fact one jewellery box could be easily taken with all its contents. Because of this, be sensible. If you believe in having a large high-value collection then buy appropriate insurance.

 

The (Hopeful) Result?

More space. Cleaner home and mind. Better clothes you actually wear and look after. Possible financial savings.

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