It has come to my attention that spring is here. I was told about this turn of events my myself. So naturally, it's time to take a trip to whatever storage you have and get the clothes you put there last fall when the weather got so cold it was unreasonable to assume you could wear them during the winter. Or, if you're like me and just stuffed your summer clothes to a bag and pushed it down the stairs threw it to the back of your closet, get the bag from the closet and wonder how long it would take to iron them all.
While some clothing swaps for the spring are obvious - out with the knits, in with the dresses and the 7/8 length pants - the opportunity to do some quality control also presents itself. For the past year or so, I've been paying close attention to the material of which my clothes are made. Having suffered for years of the effect tops made even partly of plastic have on my hair, I now only buy shirts made of natural fibers, like wool, cotton, or cashmere. Shirts made of solely natural fibers don't develop those little string balls, nor do they make your hair stick up. They might cost a little more, but they last longer and maintain their high quality.
Doing a clothing inventory allows you also to see which clothes you've worn the most, which are covered in dust for lack of usage, and which items together form a harmonic wardrobe of your preferences. For example, I like autumny earth colors - rusty brown (see picture), dark green, dark blue, white, and black. (I entertained the idea of wearing camel brown merino wool knits but the color didn't fit with my skin tone.)
To get the most out of your spring closet cleanout, here's what to do:
- Choose your color palette - a handful of colors you like and look good together (capsule wardrobe as an added bonus!).
- Get a large bag and throw in all winter knits that are too warm for the next half a year.
- See what remains in your closet, and take out all items that don't fit the palette. Place them in another bag.
- See what items you had in storage during the winter, and hang in your closet those that fit the color palette.
- Browsing through your closet, see how many outfits you can put together in your mind with the items hung up.
- If some items are obviously missing, make a shopping list, and get the missing items in high, natural fiber quality.
- Take the knit / winter coat bag to the storage, and hide the other bag with the wrong-colored items somewhere you can't see it. If you don't miss anything from the bag, it's probably worth giving to charity.
Spring clothing clean-up - done! The quality of your clothes - upgraded! Harmonic, even capsule wardrobe - created! Ready for spring - you bet!
RK
