Happy Easter! A 4-day weekend is the perfect time to relax, recharge and reorder our lives, ready for whatever new and exciting developments life has in store for us.
As we get ready to embrace a new season, our beloved wardrobes will be making room for the new to keep up with the demands of our ever-evolving personalities and lifestyles.
We love our wardrobes, they are after all a living, growing member of our household. Our wardrobes are intimate representations of every image or feeling we wish to convey or cover up.
Daily we search our wardrobes, updating, refreshing, curating, for that one, or many, - depending on the whim of our mood - stylish, well curated, thoughtful fabric representation of the personality we are projecting out from the comfort of our homes, out into the big wide world.
Shop our beautiful Wool long line vest in a variety of colours, perfect for our Autumn wardrobes.
It's no secret, we invest a tonne of time and money into our wardrobes so it makes complete sense to protect and insure our beloved wardrobe choices.
1 First things first - REPAIR.
I can sew and pattern-make, and I know not everyone can, but you do not need seamstress skills to repair your well-worn favourites.
Simple sewing skills like refastening buttons (or perhaps upgrading buttons into a colour you prefer) and mending small holes are easy. Even shortening a hem or lengthening a hem by shortening the hem allowance or adding on a similar fabric, are easy and possible for any beginner.
Often times it is better environmentally and economically to take your favourite piece to a tailor, rather than to toss your once favourite into landfill.
Shop our beautiful Wool long line vest in a variety of colours, perfect for our Autumn wardrobes.
2. BUY LESS, BUY BETTER.
Initially there is cost up front to consider but in the big picture, a beautiful coat - such as the new season Channel Coat, pictured here, or gorgeous knit will last the distance with the right care.
3. WASHING
Yes, it's tempting to throw all your clothes into a cold wash cycle but there are some simple steps to remember to extend the life of your garments.
Don't over wash. Steam garments for extra life either by hanging in the shower - a great tip for when you're travelling. Turn all denim inside out when drying to prolong the colour. Wash your clothing in a cold cycle - better for the environment, better for your garments and better for your household bills.
Woolen jumpers can be hand-washed and need to dry flat to stop stretching out of shape.
I wash my silk shirts in my lingerie care bag. This way the silk fibres don't over twist in the wash and suffer breakage or shrinking.
4. INVEST IN CLEANING PRODUCTS - the right ones!
Your wardrobe tool box should include your basics: - a needle and thread (black, white, navy and red to start with) fabric or thread scissors AND a lint roller, a suede brush, leather protector spray, a clothes shaver and wash bags. A hand-held steamer is a great addition too.
Your favourite woolens can be brushed, shaved to face another season and your suede bags and shoes can lovingly be restored with a few tender brush swipes and care.
Napisan, or a similar Omo whitening product is perfect for soaking your whites before you throw on a white load of laundry - just make sure not to throw this on your neutral silks as I once did - my favourite silk shirts changed from one block colour into a myriad of pale hues - not ideal.
5. DUST BAGS have a purpose.
Yes, those wee pouches that come packaged in our jewellery, handbag and shoe purchases have a very real purpose. They are designed to protect these items from dust and from tarnishing.
Dust bags are not as aesthetically pleasing as having a wonderful display on our dressers or in our wardrobes, but they are designed to maintain and protect those precious items they were purchased with.
6. In fact STORAGE IS QUEEN.
Effective and efficient storage will not only maximise space issues but will also impact the lifespan of your garments and accessories.
How you fold and store your clothes will impact their lifespan and increase the joy factor - just ask Marie Kondo
Marie Kondo perfectly illustrates for us the transformational power of folding, rolling and tucking our clothing away into compact ordered bliss.
Give your clothing the space it needs for ventilation and for wearability - Don't overstuff your closet - you will never remember that favourite piece stored away in the dark recesses - bring it up to the front of your wardrobe so that you are reminded of its favour and wearability.
Shop this new favourite piece - the bold and stunning Blue Bolt Top - in stores now.
Heavy woollens like sweater dresses and jumpers can be folded as they will stretch out of shape in time, if they are hung for long periods.
Use hangars that are friendly to clothing - use anything almost other than wire hangars. Wire hangars snag and imprint on clothing, sometimes stretching shoulders irretrievably.
Be Bold! If your clothing pile extends beyond your wardrobe space, perhaps now is the time for a wardrobe edit and cull. We'll discuss how to do this in our next post.
7 RE SOLE YOUR SHOES
I have an extremely stylish fashionista friend in Sydney and she has an incredible jewellery and shoe collection. Her outfits always heightened by the addition of her fabulous accessories and shoes.
She taught me to re sole your shoes, new! Always. Before you wear them! Then again when they are starting to wear through.
How many times have you bought a favourite pair of shoes, returned to the store to replace them when they are beginning to wear, only to discover they are completely sold out and unavailable forever! Disaster!
Make friends with your shoe repairman. He can help with stretching leather, reattaching straps and resoling and extending the lifespan of your precious investments.
I hope these hints have come in time and are handy points to you, to help you extend the life of your wardrobes, this Easter 2019! Happy Easter everyone!
Do you have any great tips for caring for your wardrobes, we would love to hear!
Written by Simmon Wagner
A 52-year-old Professional Writer, Style blogger, fashion influencer and Movie reviewer, writing her first novel, a psychological thriller.