Cleanin' out my closet - Marie Kondo style

Clearing out your wardrobe is much more than simply getting rid of those items no longer on trend, don't fit or are, frankly, a bit gross. Your wardrobe is a collection of items you have chosen to buy presumably because you believe them to be a true representation of how you wish to be perceived by the world. It should be a treasure trove, full of personal memories and pieces of clothing that you properly love. And that's where Marie Kondo comes in.

Source

"Keep only those things that speak to your heart." - Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo is basically a de-cluttering genius and has heaps of advice when it comes to tidying and organising and, basically, getting your shit together. Although she doesn't primarily focus on the wardrobe, this is how I decided to apply it - on my wardrobe, where a much needed tidy up was well overdue. Below is a step-by-step guide I've formulated (with a little bit of help from Maries' tips) and followed and more importantly, stuck to.

1. Completely empty out your wardrobe. This includes any draws or anything containing items of clothing. The idea is to start with a fresh head and to fill up your wardrobe only with items you want to keep.

2. Touch each individual item of clothing. This may sound hippy-dippy and a bit weird, but ask yourself this: Does touching the item 'spark joy'? If the item doesn't generate any sort of happiness, for whatever reason, it shouldn't be kept. Unless, of course, it's essential (for example work uniform.) If you don't love it, why are you keeping it?

3. Choose what you want to keep, not what you want to get rid of. Choose items you love, and be selective - anything you don't choose can be binned, sold, or given to charity.

4. Look at what you have left. Is it a lot? Or, like me, are you left with a streamlined mini version of the wardrobe you had before, only this time full of clothes you actually want to wear? You can either leave it this way or (like me, woops) intend to partially fill it back up, with items you've carefully selected and will 'spark joy' with every wear.

The idea behind this is to be left only with the necessary items - those you need to wear and those you love to wear. That way, you'll be able to think more clearly and will ultimately become happier and more appreciative of what you do have.

Many of us struggle with what to wear on a daily basis and I honestly can say this method has helped me so much. It's allowed me to really see what sort of style I want to portray, what clothes I typically love wearing and has made outfit building a hell of a lot easier. Cheers Kondo.