Organising My Spring/Summer Wardrobe

As a consequence of Saturday being a beautifully sunny day and being inspired by my trip to the West End on Friday, where it was mostly spring summer clothes/shoes in the shops now, I decided to finally properly bring out my spring/summer wardrobe this weekend and put away all those winter clothes that to be perfectly honest, I'm completely fed up of wearing.  A little foolhardy?   Perhaps.  This is what my wardrobe looked like before I started.  A bit cluttered up top and down below.  I needed to remove a few bags I'd thrown in the bottom which contained gifts for birthdays and Christmas next year that I usually keep elsewhere.

I started by stripping my clothes back as much as I could, taking everything out that I didn't want to wear this spring/summer. A few things did stay in there, mainly things I haven't worn too much this autumn/winter and others that I'm not bored of wearing.  My wardrobe seems a bit more roomy now, as the thicker heavier fabrics have been banished for the time being.  I carried out a cull of quite a few things that have not seen the light of day at all or hardly ever this winter, and they were put in the charity shop bag along with a few things I can't see myself wearing again.  I then got out all the old favourite and new favourite spring/summer clothes and hung them in amongst the items left.  Finally, I had a last look through the shoes and handbags and removed any that I was unlikely to wear or use this spring/summer, particularly knee length boots and heavier type shoes.  I sent a few handbags to the charity shop too, as I have never and doubt if I ever will, use them.  They were mostly picked up from jumble sales or car boots so cost very little.  Hopefully someone else might make use of them if I pass them on.

On a daily basis, my wardrobe is generally pretty organised.  I tend to organise it by type of clothing.   I have all dresses at one end where there is room for them to hang freely, followed by jackets, then tops/blouses, skirts and finally shorts/trousers.  Occasionally I have a reorganisation and change the order to spice things up a bit but the system works pretty well.

Following on from sorting through the wardrobe, I turned my attention to the drawers stacked full of jumpers, tops and scarves.  Thick woolly jumpers, scarves, etc. were put away for another year, although I kept several cardigans handy for cool nights and days.  I put some vintage mohair scarves to one side in my sewing room to make a cushion with, as they are just far too itchy to wear next to your skin.  Again, a cull was made of things hardly ever worn or not liked too much.  At least drawers will open and close a little easier now.  I found a pile of summer vests and sleeveless tops from last summer tucked away in a bottom draw and put them in a more prominent place where I will be more likely to pick them out and wear them.

It felt really good to get this job done as it has reinvigorated my wardrobe and given me a boost.   I am now looking forward to wearing new combinations and finding it easier to get clothes out and put them away again.   I did the same with my daughters wardrobe too, so she got a nice surprise when she went into her room.  Do you put summer clothes in storage during the winter and get them out again in the spring?  If so, when do you do it?  Or do you get rid of last summer's clothes in the autumn and start again?

Anyway, here's what my wardrobe looked like by the time I had finished reorganising it.  Not too different, but I think it is a definite improvement and I'm now set for spring/summer.