How does a wardrobe edit for men work?
Have you thought about doing a wardrobe edit or clear out on your own but always get a bit stuck halfway through? It's hard to tell if things look dated or worn out yourself when you've had them in your wardrobe for ages. Or it could be that you've got loads of clothes and know you could be using them more, but aren't confident about putting them together into outfits.
If your wardrobe feels a bit disjointed and you're fed up with everything but don't necessarily want to go out and buy loads, as you feel like you'll just be adding to the chaos, then it might be helpful for you to do a wardrobe edit with me. This really helps to shine a light on exactly what you have and perhaps more importantly, what's missing. And, if you're not really sure what it entails, then here's exactly what happens:
Before your Wardrobe Edit
You'll need to allow around 4-5 hours or so for your wardrobe edit. This does very much depend on how many clothes you have but that's a good amount of time to go through a reasonably sized wardrobe. If you have a lot more, then we can see how we get on and either add on some extra hours or book in a second session.
If we haven't worked together before, then I'll ask you to fill in a questionnaire so I can understand your needs and what your lifestyle is like. This is so I know what type of event you need outfits for and any practicalities that need to be considered......this could be having lightweight, non crushable things for business travel, dressy outfits for social events, or practical waterproof (but cool!) stuff to take the kids to the park at weekends.
You don't need to do anything else to prepare beforehand, though it is helpful if you have all your clothes in one place. So if you have shoes and coats in the hallway, then it'd be useful if you could gather them together in the bedroom or wherever the rest of your clothes are before the session.
During your Wardrobe Edit
Once I arrive, I'll get you to give me a quick overview of what you have before we start. Then we'll go through section by section. I tend to start with suits/jackets but it doesn't matter too much and if there's something more important for us to cover then let me know. As we're going through, I'll check to make sure you like it, are wearing it, it fits well and has no stains or repairs that need to be dealt with.
You don't need to try absolutely every piece on, so if you're happy with it and I like the look of it too, then we can skip the trying on and put it back in the wardrobe. That way we can concentrate on trying the things that either you or I are not sure about for whatever reason.
Anything that has a question mark - because you don't know if it fits, don't like the fit, don't know what to wear it with, or I'm not sure about the colour / shape for you, then we'll put in a "don't know" pile to try on. Once we've gone through each section, we'll turn our attention to this pile.
Firstly we'll check if it fits.....if it doesn't, we'll look at whether it can be altered and if it's worth doing so. If the answer is yes, then we can move it on to our "to do" pile. If not, then we need to decide if it's worth keeping - if it's not due to size but is just not the right fit for you then it needs to go, but if it's something that may fit if you lose or gain weight in future, then we'll address that. If it's worth hanging on to, then I always suggest putting it in a different wardrobe or suitcase so it's not in with your everyday clothes. It's so hard to get a clear picture of where you're at and what direction to head in, if your wardrobe is full of things you can't wear right now.
If there's something that needs to be washed, cleaned or repaired, that can go straight on the "to do" pile as well. Depending on where you're based, it's possible I can suggest places for repairs and maintenance.
Next we'll tackle the items on the "don't know" pile that you struggle to combine with other things in your wardrobe. The likelihood is that you probably do have something to put it with but just never thought to try out that particular combination. In some cases though, you really may not have the right thing, in which case we'll start our shopping list off with whatever it might be that you need to make a great outfit.
The common thing I see a lots of guy's wardrobes, is an overload of navy and black with nothing to break it up. This gets especially difficult when it comes to tailored jackets and smart trousers that are too similar and end up looking like a mismatched suit....they're much easier to mix and match when there's some contrast between them, either in colour or texture.. The other thing I frequently see, is repeat buys of the same thing! You love a navy jumper so you have six of them, or you always tend to go for a similar style of jacket. This doesn't give you much variety in your wardrobe, so you find yourself bored or unable to put together good outfits.
You may also find yourself with items that no longer play much of a role in your wardrobe day to day, if your dress code at work has changed or your lifestyle, Maybe you're wearing smart/casual to work now, so you no longer get much wear from your suits. Or perhaps you've got a new baby and are not going out as much, so no longer wearing your smarter clothes. If that't the case in your wardrobe, we'll explore whether you could wear those things in different ways eg; split up the suit and wear the jacket and trousers separately for smart casual or wear it in a different way to give it a fresh look - a darker coloured shirt or piece of knitwear could take it from being a business suit, to being a great party outfit.
If you have a lot of clothes and you like them all, then for the majority of time during the wardrobe edit we'll concentrate on this part, making up different outfit combinations and taking photos of them. You can try them all on, or I can lay them out together on the floor and take a photograph. I tend to do a mixture of both to save time......and energy on your part!
Whilst we're going through everything and creating the outfits, we'll find out what you're missing (if anything) and add them to the shopping list. This could either be specific items to complete the looks we've put together or it might be items for occasions where you don't have the right thing.
After your Wardrobe Edit
Once done, you'll have a tidy wardrobe filled with things you know fit, you know how to combine or you know what needs to be bought to go with them.
You'll have a "to go" pile which you can either take to your local charity shop, give to friends or family or sell on eBay. If there's good quality business wear in this pile, you might like to consider donating them to the Suited & Booted charity, who assist vulnerable men get back into work and provide them with clothes, plus training to help them.
Wherever possible, I'll advise where you can take things for repairs and alterations to clothes and shoes - you can find some of them listed in this blog post.
I'll send you the photos of the outfits we created, and the shopping list. I can give you an idea of where to go and include some links with that, but if there's a lot of things, then it'll be best to book in for a personal shopping trip or an online shopping session.
It's amazing how much clearer, not only your wardrobe will be but your head too! It always becomes very apparent during these sessions, as to what's missing or why you're not wearing something, and no doubt, you'll rediscover some things you'd forgotten you liked, or you'd "lost" in your wardrobe! Like this client did during his wardrobe edit:
"I asked Sarah to do a wardrobe vet for me which turned out to be a great investment.
Not only did she give me the confidence to throw away one third of my clothes, none of which suited me or were worn out, but she also recovered quite a number things I'd forgotten about and arranged for many of them to be cleaned and repaired.
I ended up buying very few new garments yet feel as though I have a wardrobe which is refreshed and now have a pretty good idea of what to wear (and what not to wear)!
If you like the sound of this and think it would help you get the most from your wardrobe, then book in here, or email me if you have any other questions. I look forward to working with you!
You may also be interested in these posts:
What to expect from a Personal Shopping trip
Wardrobe Storage - helpful tips for men