Kanye West just threw out most of Kim Kardashian’s wardrobe, and brought in a stylist to change her look. Searching for a similar new start? RESCU’s got all the tips…
Kim Kardashian, the gossip rags faithfully report, has let her dude Kanye West completely revamp her wardrobe.
And that has included discarding hundreds of unworn clothes and shoes West determined too ‘ghetto’.
Given that we don’t all have a Kanye West in our lives to swoop in and redesign our wardrobes – nor do we really want one – here’s RESCU’s guide to doing a wardrobe clear-out, sustainably and without stress.
1. Be ruthless.
This is the hardest bit of the whole shebang – letting go. However, you really have to be honest with yourself about bad and misjudged purchases.
Never worn that beautiful and really expensive dress? Love the fabric of the skirt but just can’t handle how it hangs? Still carrying pieces from eight trend cycles ago, in the hope they’ll come back in?
News flash: your wardrobe has to move forward with the times, and non-classic pieces, no matter how divine, aren’t any use if you’re not wearing them and never will.
2. Challenge yourself to wear unused clothing.
If you love a piece but haven’t worn it in eight years, set yourself a challenge: find an event in the next week or month where you wear it.
If it makes you feel gorgeous and you don’t feel put-upon by the challenge, it’s a keeper. There are some pieces we don’t wear frequently, but that are gorgeous nonetheless.
If, however, you put it on and get a sinking feeling, out it goes.
3. Work with your current shape.
Nobody’s going to listen to this tip, but keeping items from twenty kilos ago isn’t very healthy.
They take up unnecessary space, and unless you’re in the midst of a sincere weight loss or gain attempt, it’s not worth the psychological unease.
‘I’ll get back into them next year’ is comforting, but they’ll still be sitting there unworn for 12 months.
4. Allow for memory items.
The sweater you hate but was given to you by a beloved relative? The first expensive piece you ever bought? The bag you had when the first big date happened?
Keep them – it’s OK to be psychologically attached to certain clothes.
However, consider storing them in a different place to everyday-wear items, perhaps in storage or on display. That way they won’t clutter when you’re panicking about what to wear, but you get the memories.
5. Have a one-in, one-out philosophy.
Sustainable shopping is a difficult prospect, but one easy method is to make sure that with every new piece, an old one goes. And not in the bin – to charity or to another person.
The longer clothes are used for, the better it is for the planet.
This will also make you warier of buying willy-nilly, since you’ll have to take out the cost on existing items, so generally it’s a good way to revamp.
6. Have an auction or donate to charity.
Got your to-go pile? Great! But don’t throw it in the trash.
Clothing, even if by now it’s covered in tears or won’t fasten, is always useful somehow, even as fabric.
Wash everything, then give the pieces which are unsalvageable as clothes to thrift stores or fabric bins. Then honestly try to fix any others – if you don’t wear it just because a button’s fallen off or a zip’s gone, that’s no excuse.
Everything wearable should have another owner, so either give bags to your local charity shop or hold an auction for pricier pieces – online is a good place.
And don’t let yourself save things at the last minute – be firm.
