Creating Joy In The Closet

Imagine that every item in your closet has been specially curated just for you. Each item fits and flatters you. Every fabric feels amazing on you. Each color harmonizes perfectly with you and with the other colors in your closet. Each garment fully supports your current lifestyle. Each outfit perfectly relays the message you want to send about yourself. Imagine the joy you would feel if this was the reality of your closet.

This isn’t just a “dream” it is possible that this could become your reality and it doesn’t mean you have to spend thousands of dollars. It’s about the careful curation of the clothing & accessories that work best for you.

"Buy less, choose well, and do it for yourself." Vivienne Westwood

Ritual #1. Make A Wardrobe Resolution:

Many of us have a ritual of making a list of resolutions for ourselves at the start of a new year. These help us to align our daily actions to our annual goals and when a little discipline and determination is applied we can find that resolution setting rituals help us to achieve our personal desires.

By extending this same ritual to your wardrobe every year, you have the opportunity to re-assess what you’ll need in your closet to support you in the coming year. Will you be working from home for another year? Starting a new job? Taking up a new hobby? Moving to a new climate? Will you be camping or skiing, swimming, birdwatching or studying?

For many of us, annual changes to our lifestyle are more and more common and often leave us staring mournfully at a closet full of clothes from the previous chapter. As you go forward, set some resolutions for your Wardrobe for 2021. What is the goal for your wardrobe? What are the actions steps you will take to make that goal a reality? What will be your budget and your time lines for each step? You might even want to create a Vision board for your new wardrobe cutting out clothing from catalogues or creating a 2021 Wardrobe Pinterest Board , so you can visualize your wardrobe goals.

Ritual #2. Say Good-bye To The Past.

Once you’ve set your wardrobe resolutions for the coming year, what follows is a ritual releasing of anything that no longer aligns with your goals. Clothes that don’t fit you now (whether it’s your current body size, your current lifestyle, or they don’t align with your current style message….) need to be released from your closet to make room for the clothing that will more fully support you.

If there are lovely dresses or suits that you might wear again, someday, they may be slipped into wardrobe bags and stored elsewhere. Clothes you love that are too small or too big (that you really believe will come in handy down the road) can be folded into dated bins, a best-by label so to speak, to give you a timeframe for a reality check.

And all those clothes & accessories that you no longer love, need, or regret buying in the first place, can be given a new home.

Marie Kondo says, “that item of clothing has served its purpose: it brought you joy at some point. Now you can remember that and put it into the donation pile without guilt.”

You might even create a cleansing ritual of removing all your clothing from the closet and then, scrubbing the walls, shelves, rods and floors, and add a fresh coat of paint or some fragrant sachets to symbolize a fresh start for the new year.

Ritual #3 - Mindfully Curate Your Clothing

Good curations – whether in museums, libraries or closets – are embodied by the 5 Rs. These are Research, Reality, Relevance, Reaction, and Ritual.

You’ll need to research the fabrics, colors, cuts and styles you want for your curated wardrobe. You’ll need to look into the brands and stores that carry the types of clothing & accessories you are looking for. And you may even want to research gently used clothing sites and stores to broaden your selection.

Clothing is a combination of function and fashion and you’ll find a bit of both in any garment that makes you look and feel fabulous. You’ll need to keep your searching grounded in reality. A beautiful model or a styled “pin” can make an article of clothing seem irresistible, but you’ll want to make sure that the cut of the garment will flatter your body shape & size and that the fabric is a match for your needs & the color one that harmonizes with you. You also want to be realistic about how much you are willing to spend on a piece. Think about cost-per-wear and how much it will be in relation to your total budget to determine if a price tag is worth it or not.

And we all need to remember that in order to look relevant we must pay attention (just a little) to what’s on trend. Even classic lines change gradually over time so just make sure that your new clothes don’t shout a previous decade that is not yet old enough to be defined as “vintage”.

You will also want to make sure that your new items will produce the reaction you are looking for — will they support your need to look professional on a zoom call or help you to blend in on the ski slope? Will they attract the type of man you are looking for or tell the world you’re an interesting read? Whether you want to stand out or remain in the background, you’ll need to make sure your clothing will truly achieve the reaction you’d like from others.

And, like any good ritual, curating your wardrobe needs to be done mindfully. Finding that perfect piece on sale is a bonus, but shopping the sales and buying something you don’t need or doesn’t fit your wardrobe goals is never a good deal no matter how little it costs.

Ritual #4: Treating Your Clothing With Care

Once you’ve acquired your clothing & accessories for the coming year, the final ritual is one of mindfully maintaining your collection. It’s about treating each piece with care & attention. Hand-washing those delicates, acting quickly to remove stains, polishing your shoes, cleaning out your purse, or hanging up your jackets on a regular basis are just some of the routine tasks associated with keeping your wardrobe looking good. Mending a loose button or replacing a failed zipper or having a ripped seam repaired before returning that item to the closet will avoid last minute dressing panic.

Because you will potentially be working from a smaller, curated wardrobe, every piece has a special role and you’ll want to do everything you can to make sure it lasts as long as you need it to.

What rituals do you follow to create joy in your closet?