I help people to edit their closets because it’s one of the fastest and most effective ways to make your style feel easier, clearer, and more you. Having edited countless wardrobes over the decades, I have a lot of hands on experience to share and have written about the topic from many directions.
Here’s a quick summary and refresher course.
Alignment
Wardrobe editing is not about achieving perfection, owning a certain number of items, or dressing like someone else. It’s about honesty and alignment.
Your clothing, footwear and accessories should align with:
- Your lifestyle and climate
- Your body as it is today
- Your sartorial preferences and style goals
- Your need for variety
An edited wardrobe supports the way you live and how you want to feel when you get dressed.
Thoughtful Observation
Editing is not about getting rid of things for the sake of being streamlined and minimalist. It’s about making thoughtful decisions.
- If you like or love something and wear it. It’s earned its place.
- If you like or love something and don’t wear it, that’s good information. Figure out WHY and take action from there.
- If something technically works but makes you feel flat, that’s good info too. Figure out whether it’s worth styling in an alternative way, or pass it on.
Editing is observational before it’s actionable. The observations create clarity and the way forward to a style that is fab-for-you.
Unworn Items
The reasons for items to go unworn or be infrequently worn have very consistent themes:
- Fit is off
- Colour is off
- Fabric is off
- Vibe is off
- Uncomfortable
- Fussy
- Hard to launder
- Needs pressing
- Unsuited to my lifestyle, environment, or climate
- Hard to style
- Emotionally outgrown the look
None of these mean you’ve failed. Your current wardrobe is giving you feedback. Use it to create a future wardrobe that is more aligned with your style goals.
Earning Their Spot
A wardrobe edit isn’t about asking, “Is this good? It’s about asking, “Is this good for me?”
Items that are worth keeping tend to:
- Get worn regularly
- Get worn less regularly yet are fabulous when you do wear them
- Feel comfortable
- Feel authentic to your style
- Make you feel AMAZING
- Launder easily
- Are versatile and easy to incorporate into outfits
- Suit your climate and daily life
- Make getting dressed easier, not harder
- Align with your style goals
Sentimentality and nostalgia alone are not enough, but neither is ruthless logic and a need to be minimalist. Editing works best when your head and heart cooperate.
If you like a wardrobe item that fits, looks fabulous, and is in good condition, keep if you can store it. It doesn’t matter if it’s infrequently worn on this leg of your style journey. Chances are high it will come back into favour at some point when you style it in a refreshed way, or are simply in the mood to wear it again.
Regular Edits
Edits are not once-off events. Your style evolves. Your body changes. Your life shifts. Your preferences pivot. Your wardrobe and style needs to adapt to these changes, and are therefore a work in progress.
A successful edit doesn’t leave you with a finished closet. It leaves you with:
- A better awareness of what you wear
- Gaps to fill intentionally
- Fewer impulse purchases
- Increased outfit satisfaction
Editing once a year is helpful. Lighter, more regular edits are even better.
Sharpening Your Tools
When you remove what doesn’t serve you, the items that remain become more visible. Patterns emerge. Preferences clarify. Over-duplication is prevented. You see outfit possibilities more clearly. Shopping becomes easier and more deliberate.
Wardrobe editing isn’t about restrictions and rules. It improves self-knowledge. Your closet doesn’t need to impress anyone. It needs to support you, and make you feel good in the outfits that you draw from it daily. The goal isn’t to have a smaller wardrobe. The goal is a wardrobe that works.
