While the UK is getting started its summer, wind, rain and all, retail outlets fill their shelves with winter clothing and big coats, boots, and jumpers adorning the shelves, ready for the season change.
While this may seem a bit premature to most people, after all, who doesn’t want to enjoy the warmer temperatures and drier days that are sorely missed from most of the year in the UK, it is actually the perfect time to have a clear out of your wardrobe and get it ready for autumn and winter before you find yourself scrambling for those boots and scarves come to the dreary school run days of the new September term.
Declutter
Before you do anything else, including shopping for back to school autumn finds, take stock of what you already own. Chances are, you have a great many items that are simply filling up space that you don’t wear anymore, don’t like, or even you have forgotten you actually own.
So block off some time to really get stuck in and create some organisation in what you already own. Be ruthless in deciding what to keep and what to donate or sell. If you haven’t worn it within a set amount of time, such as 6 months, don’t hold onto it. Or hang everything on hangers the same way and when you wear something, change the hanger or move it to a different space. Then after a few months, assess what you still don’t wear and move it to a sales or donation pile.
Need some decluttering tips? Head to Netflix to catch some of their wildly popular home organisation shows such as Marie Kondo or The Home Edit, who are obsessed with rainbow organisation and giving everything a home.
Vacuum Storage
If you don’t already, use vacuum storage packs to store away items you don’t currently wear. So for summer, store your winter clothes in vacuum storage bags. They are easy to compact excess clothing and store away until you need them.
Shop Sales
Once you know exactly what winter items you have and what you need, you can start shopping for the preseason sales as retailers bring out their new autumn and winter lines. THE ICONIC has a great range of winter boots for you to add to your collection.
Storage
Is your wardrobe overflowing or too small for you to efficiently store what you own? If so, it might be an idea to address your storage options and create a suitable space to hold all of your clothing and shoes and accessories.
Shop space-saving storage ideas for wardrobes to help you maximise the space you have. Identify spaces in your home that can be utilised for storage for different things to allow you to free up space for your incoming winter attire.
Create Outfits
This is especially important when back to school time. Use this opportunity to create flexible and easy outfits to reduce the time it takes you to get ready for a morning. Create a system that works for you to make it more accessible on busy mornings before work or school so you can grab and go.
Labels
Label everything and give everything a home. If you are used to just throwing everything in one place, organise it and give each space a label, so you know where to put items when they aren’t needed. This makes it easier for storage and organisation and keeps everything neat and tidy, especially for smaller items such as jewellery and accessories.
Wash Everything
If your warmer clothing has been in storage, get it out and have it cleaned before the time comes for you to need to wear it. This way, everything will be clean and fresh before reading it to your wardrobe. Get your winter shoes out and give them a clean and sanitise them from dusty scents and lingering odours from not being worn for a while.
Keep freshly washed clothes in a space where they can be aired out and avoid becoming musty while not being worn again.
When it comes to preparing your winter wardrobe, you can take some time to really organise what you have and what you will need for the upcoming colder months. But doing it ahead of time can give you the chance to really assess what you have and what you need. Use this time to take stock of what you own, declutter everything and free up space from items that are just not wanted anymore or even use them to make money to fund any purchases you might need.