There’s great footage of The Rolling Stones performing ‘Lady Jane’ on the Ed Sullivan show back in 1966. What’s great about it? Brian Jones playing the electric dulcimer in a black, white and red striped suit with a contrasting polka dot pocket square and tie. A total peacock legend.
Minimalist cousin to H&M – Arket – is fast becoming a by-word in eco-friendly basics. Using recycled polyester, organic cotton, and planet-conscious ice crêpe, Arket delivers on closet classics like suits (see mine here!), separates and 2-in-1 jackets that segue between the seasons. The bad news? London, Berlin, Stockholm, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Munich are currently the only benefactors of an […]
Looking to declutter with intent? Take the war out of weeding your wardrobe with these three simple tips.
Do the math: Have more than three wardrobes? Stuff stashed in the attic? What about the garden shed? Calculate your estimated closet inventory by the amount of time needed to clear it. g. 4 hours per closet x 3 closets = 12 hours plus breaks. That’s an entire weekend or one closet per night for three allocated nights of the week or month. I advocate the latter. Here’s why: The willpower required to tackle a project as emotionally-loaded as closet decluttering is enough to have you give up mid-way and commit to a life of chaos. Small and consistent increments (like starting with your underwear drawer) are key to easing anxiety, building personal agency and kicking procrastination in the goolies.
I can’t begin to tell you just how cold it was the day we did this shoot; even the brass monkeys fecked off inside for a hot chocolate. After #TheBeastFromTheEast took its leave, I prematurely jumped at the chance to shake off the cabin fever and bask in the snowless sky. Rookie mistake. After Mother Nature took an unseasonal dump on our small island, she left us a parting gift of Baltic winds – the kind that slap you across the face, laugh and point when wearing anything besides YakTrax and a full-length Polar fleece-lined puffer coat.
Pleats are elitist. Fact. Their geometric rigour is designed to highlight and shame anything that doesn’t comply with their rigorous lines. As our girl Shakira put it, ‘The hips don’t lie,’ especially in the presence of a sharp knife fold. Ouch.
Maybe it’s the 70s child in me, always looking to her older sisters with their Dorothy Hamill centre-parted hair flicks and andro-hippie cool. Perhaps it’s a more ingrained rebellion against the prescriptive levity of the season. In any case, I prefer to channel ice-cream shades in a tailored suit and turtleneck – with an ice-cream and some shades. (See what I did there?)
I am a stickler for hangers. When tasked with decluttering any closet, the first order of business is a deep and meaningful on proper hanger usage. I bring my own stash for demonstration purposes and back-up and a wagging finger of shame (patent pending) should things get ugly. This might be seen as taking it a bit too seriously. I say you can never be too serious about hangers. Why? Used properly, these humble tools can carry out a few basic but critical functions:
Whether it’s a keepsake or an old reliable with an incomparable cost-per-wear ratio, the things that have us dialling 999 are those which we determine the true value of our wardrobe. The prospect of loss has a unique way of concentrating the mind which comes in handy when you find yourself moaning, ‘I have nothing to wear.’ Simply shout FIRE and you’ll soon find out what you really value.
Ignorance is not bliss – not in a happy closet. It creates a disconnect between what we buy and what we admit to having bought. OUT OF SIGHT may be OUT OF MIND but it also leaves you OUT OF POCKET… It’s time to take stock of your clothing collateral and confront the underlying behaviour that got you here in the first place.