I hate to say it, but autumn isn’t far enough away for my liking right now. The one plus-point to the changing seasons, however, is the opportunity to get out all of my colder weather clothes, and feel like I just acquired a whole new wardrobe. I’m not quite ready to give up the hope of some late summer weather yet, but when I do, here’s how I’ll be preparing my wardrobe for autumn…
01. GO THROUGH YOUR SUMMER CLOTHES, AND REPAIR/CLEAN THEM BEFORE PACKING THEM AWAY
I know a lot of people like to switch their closets over between seasons, but even if you have enough space not to need to store anything, it can be a good idea to spend a bit of time re-organising things so that the warm-weather-only items are at the back of the wardrobe, while the clothes you’ll be wearing most often are in the most easily accessible place. While I’m doing this, I also like to take stock of what I have, and see if anything needs mending or dry cleaning before I put it out of sight: no one wants to get to next summer and reach for that dress they’ve been dying to wear, only to find that it has buttons missing, or needs a clean, do they?
At this point, I’ll also have a look at the clothes I HAVEN’T worn during the spring/summer season, and decide whether I want to keep them. I don’t stick to strict rules when it comes to deciding what to keep, and what to toss – all it takes is a particularly cold summer to render a large part of my wardrobe useless, after all! – but I’ll just take the opportunity to try things on, and work out WHY they didn’t get worn. If it’s just because there wasn’t an opportunity to wear them, but I still love the items, I’ll keep them for next year: if, on the other hand, it’s because they don’t fit, or I just don’t feel good in them, to the donate pile they go!
02. POLISH AND MEND YOUR WINTER BOOTS
Ideally, you should have done this when you were sorting/packing your winter clothes, but if not, now is the time to get out your winter boots and take a look to see if they need mending or cleaning. Better to find out before you actually need them, after all!
03. MAKE A SHOPPING LIST OF THINGS YOU NEED FOR THE NEW SEASON
Following the two points above should have given you a good idea of what’s in your closet, and what you need for the new seasons. Now, I’m not suggesting you run out and buy all of these items in one hit, but I like to make a list, which I then keep on my phone, so that when I’m out shopping, I can remind myself of what I’m looking for to plug those gaps in the wardrobe. Doing this helps keep me focused, and distracts me from all of the pretty summer dresses I’ll find on sale – or that’s the idea, anyway!
04. CREATE SOME NEW LOOKS!
OK, so this is the fun bit! Now that you have your autumn wardrobe sorted, it’s time to go through it and start putting together some outfits, to keep in mind for when you need them. So, it’s a bit like playing dress-up in your own closet, really, but it’s also a really useful way to experiment with different combinations and looks. By the end of your trying-on session, you should have at least few outfits lined up for when the autumn weather hits – now you just have to wait to wear them! (Or not, if you live in the UK…)
