I am a seasonal wardrobe curator and purger. I came to this conclusion during the last 12 months. A few weeks ago was one full year since we moved countries, which in wardrobe-language meant all sorts of adjustments for me, with the most painful one to begin with being - smaller wardrobe space.

Having found myself in the new circumstances, some form of discipline had to be be adopted. I can no longer have all the clothes out on the hangers, but boxed and stored away if they are out of season. So, swapping the clothes in the temporary storage makes me look twice at what is taking up the valuable space. And so the stuff just leaves the house.

Which is how I realised that purging clothes is a season-related exercise for me. Here is why:

1. I need to be in the mindset relevant for the season. I.e. there is no way I can asses my winter clothes in the summer or vice versa. Contemplating scarves, gloves and hats in July or linen shirts in January just makes no sense to me. I need the outside temperature, *even* the natural lighting, to be relevant, to see the clothes in their full glory or not, and to make a decision. This partially explains why I cannot shop early in season, when merchandise does not reflect the weather outside. (Case in point: I missed out on a fab red trench, perfect for Spring, back in January, but I could not see its value while I was still wrapped up in layers of wool, silk and feathers to keep me warm).

2. Actually wearing something, or just having it in rotation, in its relevant season is the most efficient way to asses whether it suits my needs any longer and also how. Looking at 3 woollen sweaters in August may look like extravagant use of precious space, but come February I know I'll be happy I have all 3 to keep me warm. Deciding "in season" also means I will not regret purging something that could turned out to be desirable in some way a few months later.

3. Style evolves, as do the needs. The mistake of getting rid of something is irreparable, the mistake of keeping something is easily sorted - I can just pass it on when the circumstances are relevant to asses the item's actual place in my wardrobe and in season when I would realistically need to wear it. Case in point: I have tried on my 3 jackets and 3 shirts today which were unboxed and which, now that I have my "summer thinking hat" on, are having their last chance to prove themselves useful in the coming months. I predict that at least one of those will be out before the end of this month even.

I know the question of when to purge comes up from time to time on the forum, which is probably why I started paying attention to the whole process and how it works in my case. Now that I understand how it works, it's even easier to make the decisions about what stays and what goes.