14 August 2014

Little Tips: How to declutter your wardrobe!

Oh hey there. I see you. Floundering in a mountain of clothes screaming ‘I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!’ 10 minutes before you have to go out. And I feel your pain, because I on more than one occasion have done just that.


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I recently treated myself to Dawn O’Porter’s This Old Thing book, inspired by her Channel 4 show of the same name. I am literally obsessed with it right now, a) because I love all things vintage, and b) because it is packed full with useful tips and tricks to help you with all things clothes. Whilst working my way through the book, I discovered a little check list on how to declutter your wardrobe. Now I have tried many methods before, but this one really caught my eye. Mainly because she gives the piles of clothes names, which, in my opinion, is so much more fun! It creates a fun experience out of a rather scary task. Don’t get me wrong, I think having a lot of clothes is a good thing, but I have realised that you have to really love every single piece of clothing. So I decided to give it a go and road test Dawn’s list for your enjoyment! Let me know if you also gave it a go, and whether it worked or not! So here’s how to declutter your wardrobe inspired by Dawn’s list (credit goes to her obvs) and how I got on with it!


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  1. Open your wardrobe. The simple part. Well kinda. I have more than wardrobe, and several draws. But we’ll treat my room as one massive wardrobe.
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  1. Take out the things you wear all the time and put them in the pile. Dawn calls this pile Gary. Say hi to Gary! Gary is your friend. (Other names available)
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  1. Take out the things you love, but haven’t worn for ages. Put them on Gary, he won’t mind.
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  1. Take out the things you like the idea of, but have never worn. Put them in a new pile called Dave.

  1. What’s left is what you get rid of. It helps if you close your eyes for this part, as you’ll starting spotting items and think ‘Oh but I might wear that at some point in the near unrealistic future’ when you know darn well that you won’t, and it’ll sit at the back of your wardrobe taking up the space that could be filled by that dress you’re after! Put them in a bin bag.

  1. Go back to Dave, he’s feeling a bit lonely. Try on all the things you love but have never worn and be brutal. There’s no point keeping it if you won’t love it as much as your fave jeans, for instance.
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  1. Be honest and realistic. There’s a reason why you haven’t worn it yet, be it the colour, sizing, or the way the fabric falls. If that reason isn’t going to change, then get rid. This pencil skirt, for instance, was my aunt's and since she gave it to me I hadn't worn it. But after trying it on, I fell in love! It's so flattering, and is a great separate for evening! The embellished leaves and fringed beading on it just makes it so special! If I hadn't tried it on, I probably would have got rid of it, which would have been such a shame!
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  1. Pop all the rejects from Dave into the bin bag, seal (so you can’t go rummaging back into it) and take to the charity shop. If you’ve got high end items then you can decide whether to sell them or not, but whatever method you choose, just get rid of it.
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  1. Dawn said that you don’t have to name the bin bag. I disagree. I’m calling the bag Reggie.

Dawn also suggests you keep notice of what things you keep, what shapes, fabrics and styles you like as it’ll stop you from buying things you don’t like next time. And don’t duplicate things. There was on girl on This Old Thing who had a grey jumper section in her wardrobe. A GREY JUMPER SECTION! I cried internally at the lack of variety!

So thank you Dawn O’Porter for being a life saver at clearing wardrobes, and being generally awesome! It worked for me, did it work or you?

Did you try decluttering your wardrobe too? How did you get on?

Gx

10 comments

  1. I haven't tried this method but maybe I need to haha
    xx, Jodi
    http://highheelsandtutus.com

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    1. Definitely give it a go! It worked for me :) xx

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  2. this is so helpful! I always sit in front of my wardrobe for at least 20 mins trying to find something to wear aha, might look into getting that book too! would love if you could check out my fashion blog? :)

    Istylethereforeiiwear

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    1. Same! Glad it helped you, it definitely helped me! I really recommend it! Sure I'll take a look :)

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  3. Dear Georgie,

    I so desperately needed to read this! My closet is a mountain, not the beautiful kind you find in geography, but the kind that is overwhelming and you cannot climb over it. Thank you for posting this, I love the idea of piling my clothes and committing to getting rid of the ones I no longer wear.

    You're great!

    amyflyingakite.com

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    1. Hi Amy! I'm so glad this helped you as much as it helped me! Haha I know how you feel :) no problem chick :) Aaw thanks!

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  4. This is so helpful! Thank you :) was great to meet you at the Bloggers Festival xx

    www.ohhellomango.co.uk

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    1. Thanks Naomi! That's okay, was great meeting you too! xx

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