Be honest, how much of your wardrobe do you actually wear? In 2022, Forbes Magazine reported that “women wear 20% of their wardrobes 80% of the time”, which means most of our clothes are going unworn, relegated to the bottom of drawers and forgotten at the back of shelves. In today’s society of constant overconsumption and neverending micro-trends, it’s safe to say that many of us own too much ‘stuff’ and should be mindful of the new pieces we buy.
Super influencer Emma Chamberlain recently made a video titled ‘I got rid of (almost) everything’, telling followers she was overwhelmed by the amount of clothing she owned and felt she had to whittle her wardrobe down to a more manageable size. This sentiment was also echoed by YouTuber Mina Le who posted about ‘the death of personal style’, challenging herself to alternate between two simple outfits for 10 days in a row. They both concluded getting dressed is easier when you have fewer options to choose from.
The New Year always inspires fresh starts, so how can you make your wardrobe work for 2025? We’ve listed our favourite tips below to help you think about what you wear and how often you wear it – streamlining your wardrobe can make getting dressed an easier and more joyful experience for the year ahead!
Try On
Step 1: try everything on. We know it sounds tedious, but it’s the only way to understand how you feel about each item. You know that dress that just doesn’t sit quite right? Or those jeans that never look as good as you want them to? It’s time for them to go. Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit or that you’re not excited to wear and aim to keep pieces that make you feel good time and time again.
Keep/Sell/Donate
Once you’ve tried each item, pop it in one of three piles: keep, sell or donate. (You can also have a bonus fourth pile for items that need simple alterations like a hem taken up or a button replaced.) Keep the pieces you love and wear often, sell anything of value on your favourite resale app and donate the rest to the charity shop. Easy!
Be Ruthless
Public Service Announcement: if something has been in your wardrobe for over six months and still has the label attached – send it straight to the ‘sell’ pile! There’s a reason you haven’t worn it. The same goes for anything you know you haven’t worn in a year or more. Be cutthroat and get realistic about which pieces don’t (and won’t ever) suit your lifestyle.
The Hanger Trick
Once you’re clear about what to keep, organise everything neatly in your wardrobe. Hang as much as possible on coathangers and flip all the hanger hooks the ‘wrong’ way. Each time you wear an item, twist the hook the correct way and you’ll be able to see, at a glance, which things you’ve recently worn and which are just taking up space. When you revisit your wardrobe detox next year, it’ll be clear which items are next in line to go!
Use MyHocLookbook
To take your organising to the next level, try a wardrobe management app like MyHoCLookbook. This handy tool lets you build an online lookbook of pieces you own and helps you see the potential in the items you already have. Work with your House of Colour Stylist to unlock new outfit combinations based on your season, identify any gaps in your wardrobe and create recommendations for special occasions. It’s basically Cher Horowitz’s wardrobe in an app and is exclusive to House of Colour clients – ask your Stylist about access!
Don’t forget the extras
Ok, you’ve done your wardrobe, but don’t forget the extra bits! We’re talking gym gear, pyjamas, jewellery, that box of scarves you haven’t touched in 10 years, and, most importantly, your underwear drawer! Once you’ve organised every area, you should be left with pieces you can easily create outfits with and have fun wearing – making getting dressed a much more enjoyable and stress-free part of your day!
Need help with streamlining your style? Book a Style Analysis with one of our expert stylists today to understand your clothing personality and unlock your confidence!