Something old, something new: time to reassess your wardrobe

February 25, 2022

This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.

February is a great time to reassess your wardrobe. It will involve getting rid of several old items, investing in a few new key pieces and looking at different ways to wear what you already have.

Sarah Simonds, founder of Artichoke Collection

Sarah Simonds, owner of Artichoke Collection, has kindly given us the following tips on reassessing our wardrobes. So, let’s get started…

Find your mistakes, the impulse buys that should have been left in the shop or bought online during the sales. Give them to a friend or donate them to a women’s refuge. The same goes for with items that are too small (ie those patiently waiting for us to lose that half a stone we are always aiming for!) and, possibly, those that are too large (unless you think you may put weight on again).

Find outfits you want to re-create. Pinterest is great for this. We use it all the time and are constantly inspired by great outfit ideas. Just chose a garment that you love, for example ‘navy roll neck jumper’ pop it in the search bar and you will find lots of ideas for you to recreate.

Create your uniforms. Look at each colour palette or garment in your wardrobe and try to put together at least three new outfits within that colour palette or using that garment. Take for example a knitted dress and add a wide belt, a narrow belt, add a collar insert and wear with denim jacket or a scarf and a leather jacket. Another suggestion is to pop on a monochrome outfit and try it with three jackets, three handbags and a scarf, insert collar or a statement necklace. You can even hang each outfit on one (sturdy hanger), so it’s literally “ready to wear”!

Mix and match – try wearing your existing clothes in unusual colour combinations. It will give them a new lease of life and you will feel like you are wearing a completely new outfit.

Finally having put your ‘uniforms’ together, make a list of the gaps.

Now you can start shopping for the items that need replacing – best to stick to fairly classic styles which will give you better CPW (cost per wear) and perhaps a couple of new accessories to help ring the changes and keep you on trend.

Thanks to Sarah, founder of Artichoke Collection, for these tips. Her boutique is in Swaffham in Norfolk, so if you live nearby do pop in and see her as she is extremely helpful. You can also check out her website or give her a call on 01760 724948 if you need help with a particular style issue ie finding the right pair of jeans.

More thoughts on editing your wardrobe here and style tips and fashion finds can be found here

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