Top 5 Tips for Wardrobe Heaven

By Professional Organiser Janet Tse from Life Habits Consulting

Janet Tse is a firm believer in implementing the psychology of habit formation. She is passionate about empowering clients through her unique multidimensional approach to help transform every aspect of their lives.

Your wardrobe is the first thing you see everyday, and sets the tone for the rest of the day. If you are waking up saying, “I’m running late and I can’t find that X, Y, Z”, then chances are, you are stressed and overwhelmed – even before you have stepped out the door!

Here are my 5 top tips and my unique organising system that I teach my clients to achieve ‘Wardrobe Heaven’.

1.

Lightening Your Space

Have you thought, “I’ve got nothing to wear”? You are not alone! According to a Wall Street Journal article (Smith 2013), we only wear roughly 20% of our wardrobe. By pulling everything out of the wardrobe, it helps us assess how we have utilised each piece of clothing and start creating outfits with our entire wardrobe and effectively utilise our wardrobes.

Finding your 20% – take out all the pieces you wear regularly for work and place it in a pile. Do the same for weekends and other regular activities
Finding your 80% – take out the remainder of your clothes and place it next to the previous piles.
Creating outfits from the 80% pile. Think of it as shopping in your own wardrobe! I integrate my skills as an image consultant to help clients make the most number of outfits from the least amount of pieces through style, colour and body shape.
For the remaining items that do not fit in outfits, consider if you would like to keep them. Decide based on:

a. Quantity – how many do you have and need.

b. When you had last worn it. If it has been more than 1-2 years, it is unlikely that you will wear it again, unless it is a special occasion piece or sentimental.
Lastly, the pieces that do not fit into any criteria, mindfully donate, fix, recycle or bin them.

The elfa Shelving System, ask about Howards free design service.

2.

Setting Your Intention & Plan

When you have a clear space, it is much easier to set your intention and plan your ‘Wardrobe Heaven’ with functionality and form.

Write or find images on how you want your space to:

a.Function – how do you want to use it.

b. Form (look and feel) – colours, textures, atmosphere, lighting, size, location.
Place the types of clothing (shirts, bottoms, jackets etc) in different piles and consider how much space is needed for each.
Plan out how they will fit in your wardrobe. Will they be hung or in drawers?
Consider partnering with a Howards Storage World expert to help build a customised wardrobe using systems like the elfa Shelving System. This system is modular and can be changed to suit you.

elfa Shelving System has a 10 year guarantee.

3.

Filling Your Space With Systems

Fill the space using organising systems that suit YOU! An effective system is one where you can easily access and put things away.

Based on your intention for the functionality of the space, fill your space with systems that suit you. Your system will have distinct zones and/or categories where they are placed together so you can easily access and put things away.
Consider your laundry habits, including how you put clean clothes away. Are you a ‘folder’ or ‘hanger’? Often I see clients who try to fold everything but the system does not function after a few weeks because they are just not a ‘folder’!
If you like to hang clothes, and have the space, hang them! I love to dry clothes on hangers, and put them directly into my wardrobe when they are done, saving time and stress. If you are a folding type, consider using a garment folder to cut down the time folding and have them uniform so you can file them in drawers.
For large drawers, divide them up further with containers or drawer dividers so you can easily access them so they do not get lost at the back of the drawer!
Use your vertical space by adding clear bins at the top of your wardrobe that you do not use much and still see the contents. If you’re petite, add a foldable step stool inside your wardrobe to easily reach them. Use hooks on the sides of your wardrobes and the wasted space behind doors. Hang your scarves, necklaces, accessories and bags for easy access.

elfa Shelving System will maximise the space in your wardrobe.

4.

Edit Your System Often

Your organising system should be edited and reviewed often. As your life changes, your system will adapt to it.

Consider how the system is working for you? Do you need more space? Consider hanging your clothes on space saving Flocked Hangers or fold your clothes.
Are you not wearing some pieces, consider going back to the first step of process.
What habits stick and do not? We teach a method to make habits stick so that their system is sustainable. This is attaching one small step after an existing habit. Eg. Putting a load of laundry immediately after your morning coffee. It keeps you on top of your system.
How can you utilise the space? With less clothing, I have helped some clients cleverly converted half their wardrobe to a home office – that’s a different take on a ‘Wardrobe Heaven’!
Continue to assess your clothing and consider creating a capsule wardrobe for work and weekends. That way, they are easily able to easily create more outfits with less pieces. I help clients with this every season along with guiding them to edit the system, fine-tuning their habits and wardrobes

elfa Shelving System with Diamond Drawer Organisers

5.

Have Fun!

Your wardrobe is where you start and end your day and should be relaxing, calming and the clothes make you feel confident for the day ahead.

Think of items around the house more creatively, like cutlery trays can be used to put your jewellery in.
Include a fun laundry hamper that saves clothes from going on the floor.
Consider some artwork or decorations that truly light you up to make your ‘Wardrobe Heaven’!

Business Name: Life Habits Consulting

Website: www.lifehabitsconsulting.com

Writer’s Name: Janet Tse

Biography:

Professional Organising | Image Consulting

Janet, a Professional Member of the IOPO International, is passionate about empowering clients through her unique multidimensional approach to transform every aspect of their lives. As Director of Life Habits Consulting, she works with clients to become more confident and credible, by reflecting their values, vision and contribution in life are represented by their appearance, nonverbal and verbal communication and physical environments.

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Article Reference:

Smith, R 2013, ‘A Closet Filled With Regrets’, Wall Street Journal, 17 April, accessed 29 August 2018, .

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