5 Lessons Learned from My Wardrobe Clean Up

1) Everything you own must be immediately visible when you open your wardrobe. You will not wear what you can't see is there.

Maje T-shirt, J.Crew necklace, H&M skirt, J.Crew suede pumps

2) You feel great when you look great. But on mornings when you don't feel so great, you often don't make the effort to look great. That's why everything you buy should be amazing. If even your most basic necessities (white T-shirts, knickers, bras, tank tops) are beautiful it doesn't matter what you throw on in the morning, you will always look great and therefore feel great. 

     

You have probably heard of the Marie Kondo method of de-cluttering your wardrobe. Basically, Ms. Kondo, who is Japanese, tells her readers to throw all their clothes in a pile on the floor and then pick up things one by one and ask themselves if this piece of clothing sparks joy. Those words spark joy sound a bit awkward, but they work like a charm. Pick up any old T-shirt in your wardrobe and ask yourself if it sparks joy. I think you will be throwing quite a few of them out, right? And hopefully, as a result, the next time you buy a T-shirt you will do it more carefully, with more respect for your hard earned money. 
T-shirts have never been my favorite thing - I have bought many carelessly, never quite liking them enough to wear them regularly. And then Melbourne Fashion Girl sent me an Anine Bing T-shirt a while ago. The fabric had a lot of stretch and weight, the neckline had a nice triangle detail like you see in sweatshirts, and the sleeves were rolled up and stitched down just right. It washes beautifully, and is virtually wrinkle-free when you line dry it. It feels super soft against my skin. It really sparks joy every time I wear it.
I now take great care when I pick T-shirts, and Maje and Isabel Marant are also favorites.

Prada patent leather shoes that were stored right on top of each other

3) Always separate patent leather shoes with some tissue or a cloth shoe bag (unless they are black). When patent leather is stored against other patent leather it can cause dark spots underneath the surface, so be especially careful with light colors.


4) Do buy trendy things if you love them, but then instantly start wearing the hell out of them. Despite the fact everything goes nowadays, there are often shoe trends that come and go quite quickly. But if you wore them right away (didn't save for a special moment) and all the time, it doesn't matter that they are now dated.

I should have worn these Alexander Wang sandals way more when they were hot, maybe 3 (?) years ago. Now the thick sporty soles and straps feel awfully wrong alongside the kitten heel.

5) Make sure you have some kind of a dressy pump in your wardrobe. I often equate dressy shoes with strappy sandals but then if you need to dress up in a pinch, and your heels are looking cracked or your pedi is a few weeks old, you do not want to wear sandals. Cracked heels in sandals..  brrrrrrrr that gives me the willies. I love black suede pumps for a dressy occasion.