STYLE WATCH WITH GRACE CAHILL
From the catwalk to your wardrobe… Grace Cahill on the fashion fixes that work in the real world
IT MIGHT NOT BE COLD but it’s definitely feeling autumn-ish. Yesterday I swapped a cream dress and espadrilles for Levi’s jeans and a blazer, which is normally a telltale sign that my wardrobe needs rejigging. A ‘transitional update’ is how we describe it in fashion jargon, which simply means rooting out your favourite woollies. Often what you replenish, you must take out so a good, thorough sartorial declutter in September is actually the best way to kickstart your autumn/winter wardobe – not to mention it’s endorphin-releasing therapeutic qualities.
There is something incredibly liberating about sorting/throwing out clothes, although I’m aware that it’s defintely an age thing. There was a time in my early to late 20s when I found it impossible to say goodbye to anything. Back then, everything in my wardrobe had a ‘what if’. What if lose weight? What if the weather miracously gets better? What if I go on holiday? Clothes are sentimental for many – I know I struggle to part with them every season. You see the memories that give life to them, not forgetting the money you spent on them, and so you leave them there to acknowledge every once in a while and eventually crease into a dusty space.
Remember, whether your clearing out and taking to your local charity shop or simply rolling summer stuff into boxes under the bed, this is the best time of year to take stock because the weather tends to change so drastically. I find it to impossible to lament the loss of open-toe shoes or cute tassel dresses in late September because I’m freezing – my wardrobe is so crammed with chunky roll-neck sweaters that any remnants of summer are well rid.
Some, however, still don’t find the parting process that easy. I have friends who keep sandals at their front door in November (notions) and shorts tucked underneath jeans – just in case. These are others who spend every season squeezing clothes into their wardrobe and still have nothing to wear. Their closets don’t close but they can’t throw together a outfit at 8am. To de-suffocate, start by counting everything in your wardrobe. Every single thing. Then you’ll find it much easier to escalate certain things into the throw pile.
A general rule is that if you haven’t worn it in a year then you never will, so be strict and realistic with yourself. Make mini piles for charity, a women’s refuge and/or your sisters or friends – knowing your clothes are going to a better home rather than a fabric recycling bank or clothes bin is sheer motivation for me.
One last thing, colour coordinate your wardrobe once you’ve decided what your keeping. It’s a great way of re-establishing order and mindfulnesss over everything in there. You’ll get a good, literal idea of what you are and aren’t wearing.
“THIS IS THE BEST TIME TO TAKE STOCK BECAUSE THE WEATHER CHANGES SO DRASTICALLY”