Wardrobe Clear Out? The Dos and Don'ts

Start with a cleanse, then you can assess the way forward

Exhausted from all that shopping? Time for a cleanse

Hello Fivers. It’s already February and here’s hoping you’ve managed to stick to your 5 New Things resolution. I haven’t bought anything yet, which means I can allow myself one purchase between now and mid March. The question is, what? What does my wardrobe actually need?

According to the Hot or Cool Institute, we should only have 74 items in our wardrobe. Being scientists, the Institute came up with their own version of a ‘fashion feature’, breaking down those 74 pieces into two seasons, comprising 20 outfits in total. Here’s what they came up with:

It’s not exactly Vogue editorial, but you get the picture. Pretty minimal. Essentially you need all your wardrobe items to work hard. So anything new needs to flex across several outfits, and even multiple seasons.

But you don’t know what you’ve got till you look, and a wardrobe clear out is a cathartic and cleansing experience. So how to do it? I called Cathy Kasterine, legendary stylist. And I also found this great Vogue guide to wardrobe clearouts, which is worth a look.

Quick piece of fashion history here: Cathy made her name shooting Kate Moss with the photographer Corinne Day in the early 90s. The look the team pioneered was part of the grunge moment:

Kate Moss shot by Corinne Day for Vogue UK, 1993. Styled by Cathy Kasterine

Cathy went on to develop a minimalist, clean aesthetic which she brings to the work of brands including Martha Stance, GAP and Louis Vuitton. When I interviewed her for a Financial Times piece on the new workwear wardrobe, she told me she used her time in the pandemic to chuck out the last 30 years of her fashion career, and get down to a basic, elegant, classic wardrobe. Which was: Legres footwear, Raey knitwear, Frankie Shop jackets and Wardrobe NYC tailoring. Basically my dream wardrobe.

Some tips here from stylist Cathy Kasterine on clearing out:

1. Firstly: it’s very hard. It is difficult to get rid of something you have paid good money for, it feels reckless. My mistake in the past has been taking pieces out of my wardrobe and moving them round the house, into the office or storage, but they just sit there sucking up all the energy. THEY MUST GO.

2. Sort your wardrobe into 2 parts: the first part is what you actually wear and use, the second part is your mess. This is your Work in Progress and what you have to deal with.

3. Rather than stick to random rules like “I haven’t worn it for 3 seasons so therefore it should go’, ask yourself these questions:

   What do I want to look like these days?

   How do I really feel about the item? Do I love it?

   Where have I got to go in it?

   We are constantly progressing as people - if it’s a ditzy floral dress that made great memories 5 years ago, ask yourself, are you still that person now?

4. Just because it’s Miu Miu… I’ve got a round collar, puffy shoulder white shirt hanging in my wardrobe, JUST because it’s got a Miu Miu label in it. But that doesn’t mean it should stay.

5. Eventually I asked my friend who was collecting for an Oxfam pop up to come and help. This felt like a generous donation and helped with the pain of goodbye.

6. Most high street and mid market stuff just clutters up your wardrobe. Often it’s not good quality and can suddenly look really tatty - so book a free collection from Traid. They will come round with a van and collect it all, which takes away some of the pain.

7. Don’t bother with ebay - it stays in your house waiting for someone to buy it. They rarely do.

8. Have a six monthly trying on session to put some looks together. It’s a good technique to know what works with what, so you don’t go into a panic.

9. Pack away your summer clothes in winter and vice versa. It means you reassess them all when you do the seasonal swap out. Am I really going to wear that flowery Ganni dress anymore? You may not be the same ‘Summer Girl’ as you were a few years ago.

Hopefully this will help you get to the bottom of what really works in your wardrobe, and what’s missing. Me, I discovered I need a good shirt and that’s where I think I’m going to spend my first clothes credit. But I didn’t realise this until I saw how limited my collection was - and also how I have managed to lose most of my favourites along the way too. (How does that happen?!)

Also, remember, don’t throw any clothes away. Recycle them, either in alterations and repair, or taking them to a charity shop. Dirty and damaged clothing can be down cycled into carpets and mattress fillings (apparently) so make sure that stuff goes in a textile recycling bin too.

I do hope this advice is helpful, please share any other tips you have discovered in the past. And good luck on your journey!