By Roxy Rowton
New Year’s resolutions come in many forms. While embracing new beginnings, consider transforming the closet from a random assortment of garments into a well-curated collection of beauty and practicality. Revisit the wardrobe to reflect individuality and real life routines. Ruthlessly tackle the disorder and purge the fashion mistakes that clutter the closet.
Invest In Self Care
Self-care is interwoven into the fibers of the curated closet. Celebrating individuality through the clothes hanging in the closet is a skill. But like any skill, personal style must be nurtured. An investment in self helps to develop an individual’s sense of style and to curate a wardrobe that functions for real-life routines and activities. It assists to purge the mistakes and misconceptions in the wardrobe and to recognize the garments that add value, versatility, comfort and capability. By investing in self, one learns how to interpret a price tag and which garments are worth the investment. The curated closet is not about having lots of garments, but about being resourceful with the ones in the closet.
Choose Quality, Buy Less
Everyone should have a closet that contains garments that are an expression of style and dress for real-life routine. Having an over-stuffed closet discourages ingenuity and stimulates a craving for more garments and another “shopping fix.” Forward or strategic planning identifies any missing or replacement garments and gaps in the seasonal wardrobe before shopping for new additions. Strategic planning prioritizes which garments the wardrobe budget should go towards, whether investment pieces or pared-down basics.
Becoming an economic shopper includes a shift in clothing consumption from “more garments are better” to “quality items are preferable.” The economic shopper’s objective is having fewer but better garments for life’s varied settings, rather than garments to soothe every whim or fancy. Quality represents an investment, but it also represents a savings both to the wearer and the environment. The enduring merits of beautiful cloth, thoughtful details, and excellent craftsmanship stand out from those garments with lesser versions. Quality clothing appears more and more refined with the passage of time. Discover how the actual cost of a garment decreases with the price per wear season after season.
Rewear, Repair, and Recycle
Getting the most use possible from the garments in the wardrobe is a fundamental component of the curated closet. Rewearing clothing focuses on maximizing wear and extending garment longevity. The restyling of garments in the curated closet keeps these on rotation for seasons and years to come. In the curated closet, clothes worth spending hard-earned income should not be disposable.
Alter the carbon footprint of the wardrobe with clothing alterations. From simple repairs to refashioning old garments, a curated closet makes the best use of professional alterations. Garment repairs and alterations are a positive course of action to extend the life of old favorites.
While the curated closet focuses on enjoying the garments in the wardrobe and looking forward to getting dressed, there will come a time when a former favorite garment is no longer an integral piece of the closet. The challenge is what to do with former favorites and old garments, as the quantity of clothing ending in landfills is alarmingly becoming an acute problem. To keep unwanted garments in the clothing loop and out of trash bins, consider selling garments through consignment or pre-owned websites, donating garments to a charity, passing on garments through swap/swish parties or giving garments to recycling banks.
Style Sustainably
Lessening the harmful impact of textile and apparel production on the environment is a style resolution that transcends fashion trends. With the elimination of inessential clothing purchases and the investment of quality garments that last season after season, the curated closet helps to reduce negative impacts on the environment. To style sustainably requires redefining the way we get dressed and which garments make it into the curated closet. The curated closet includes sustainable alternatives. Natural fibers and cloths reduce the carbon footprint of garments and deserve a place in the curated closet. Natural fiber fabrics have inherent properties that contribute to the comfort, capability and comeliness so cherished in favorite garments.
Transforming a closet from a random selection of garments to a well-curated wardrobe does not happen overnight. Instead, view a New Year’s resolution to transform the closet as a long-term project. A long term project will require thoughtful study and planning to identify the fundamental concepts that make the curated wardrobe a blend of beauty and practicality. Break down the fundamental concepts into workable methods and steps to reconstruct a wardrobe that functions for real life routines, as well as expresses individuality.
Be patient: the journey to build a curated closet has learning curves and adjustments. But the benefits of a curated closet are worthwhile. Regaining mastery of garment choices and intentional purchases contributes to the transformation of the clothing closet, making the curated closet a force of good. Don’t lose sight of the reality that there is a favorable result in your hard work. Even the smallest of changes to select, organize and maintain a well-curated closet of beauty and practicality are worth it.
Roxy L. Rowton has spent three decades assisting women transform their wardrobe from a random assortment of garments into a curated collection of functionality and individuality. She shares her expertise on the Fashion Files at Prince William Living and “build a better wardrobe” blog at everydayrefinement.com.
