Closet Cleanse: Final Step

Getting Back To The Basics ...

Guest Blogger: The Farmer's Trophy Wife

For the final step of the closet cleanse, its' all about restocking the wardrobe.

You've already written out a list of what you have that fits and you love ... so now it's time to fill in the blanks.  This post includes all that will build a BASIC wardrobe.  Once you have this, you can mix and match easily and adding the frills is the fun part after!!

Taking a good look at your wardrobe every season is a great way to keep on top of what is and isn’t working for you. Everyone has those items in their closet that take up space and never seems to be appropriate or look “right”. And who hasn’t had a day of “I have NOTHING to wear!?!” while standing knee-deep in clothes!

Well ladies, here is a list of the basics that EVERY closet needs to be usable and incredibly fantastic. Just take the basics, add YOUR flare (style personality) to them and poof….you have a closet to envy!

• Fitted White Shirt (buy 2 if you find one that looks fab!)
• Trench Coat (in neutral or leopard…whatever floats your boat!)
• Turtleneck, Fitted Tees & Tanks (each in a couple neutral colors)
• Jeans (straight leg, trouser, dark & a fun “weekend” pair)
• Sweaters (v-neck, cardigan and a fun chunky knit)
• Pencil Skirt
• A classic black blazer (hat can be thrown over virtually anything - slacks for a suit look, a sleeveless dress for a business function or a tanktop for a cool evening date)
• A pair of neutral colored fitted Trousers
• Little Black Dress (of course!!)
• A GORGEOUS wool knee-length coat (I have one in turquoise…doesn’t have to be the basic black!)
• Knee high boots
• Bras that fit right -  Tshirt, strapless and sexy versions are all important (nude colour is a life saver!)
• Undies suitable for everyday, dress and more transparent fabrics
• Pumps (black)
• A pair of cute flats/those GREAT cowboy boots you can’t live without!

Photo from Mink&Manure.ca

Now these are just the basics…mix and match to your taste and only buy what works for you!! (You've worked so hard on your closet cleanse, so don't fill it back up with whim purchases or items that you don't feel 100% like you in.) 

To the basics you add YOUR style…a hot Hair-on-Hide purse, that smokin’ large turquoise stone necklace or that HUGE pair of sunglasses…that’s the fun part and what will make your closet yours. And by having the basics and layering your accessories on top, it will take your wardrobe from impractical and frustrating to one a Farmer’s Trophy Wife would be proud of!!

Good Luck!

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Thank you so much to the lovely Cathryn at the Farmer's Trophy Wife for all of the great information and posts on our closet cleanse adventure. This is by no means a 100 per cent complete list so we would love to hear some of your "staples" and we'll add them to the list. Thank you to everyone for their comments and encouragement.

Closet Cleanse: Step 4

Time to Pretty Things Up

Guest Blogger: Cathryn @ The Farmer's Trophy Wife

We are on our way to the best part!!!

Later this week, I will be posting a wardrobe “basics” list so we get to go….SHOPPING!
But first we need to pretty up our closets…

1- Those wire hangers HAVE TO GO!!! Nothing hurts my fashionista heart more than seeing gorgeous clothing hanging on those darn wire hangers. Please, please, please gather them up and take them to the nearest drycleaners - they recyle them and your closet will thank you.

2- Replace those ugly hangers with something pretty and functional. Wood or fabric covered hangers are suggested as best. I love my IKEA wood hangers - super cheap and look fabulous. What more could a Farmer’s Trophy Wife ask for?!

*image from IKEA*

3- Make your closet pretty.
This is one step that I might have to put off for a while, being that I have a bathroom project to finish first. But if you have the time and energy right now, go for it! The closet is one area that I think most husbands would be willing to hand over to our girlie ways and let us run wild with. I personally want something like this to paper the inside with…

*image from Anthropologie*

And then use something like this for the shelves….maybe spraypainted gold?!

*image from IKEA*

Add a few of these and I will be a happy girl!

*image from IKEA*

Just about every fashion/style book I read suggest/insist that sweaters are to be folded, not hung. This helps them keep their shape longer and make all that “laying flat to dry” work worth while!

Shoes and boots should also be kept either in the boxes they came in or something gorgeous like above.  You can take pictures of what is inside and post on the outside.

I could go on and on about how to organize your closet, but you just need to find what works for you. Color coded, summer vs. winter items together, putting outfits together and hang together…and so on. I’m all about grouping similar items…all my tees together, jackets together…etc. Works for me!

Love…
Cathryn

The Closet Cleanse Continues: Step 3

The Closet Cleanse Continues: Step 3

Guest Blogger: Cathryn @ The Farmer's Trophy Wife

*image from here*

Well…how are things?! Hope your step 2 went well and you cleared out some stuff! I found a pair of gym shorts that I have owned since grade 10… That’s 15 years ago folks.

A 15-year-old pair of shorts….I feel old.

Now is a perfect time to tackle step 3!!

Step 3…

1- Either drag all your clothes out into a huge pile again or work your way through the drawers…either way is fine by me!! We are going to start at the bottom and work our way up…

2- Socks…holey or ancient….have got to go!

3- Jeans, pants, skirts….try all of them on.
Take a GOOD long look in the mirror…and ask for advice. Daughters and husbands are usually brutally honest so give them permission to tell you the truth. And then don’t hold it against them.
Can you do them up?! And if you can’t do them up/get them past your knees…let them go. We have all changed our shape over the years…having babies or drinking way too much cream in our coffees…but that’s life. And if we hold onto things that just make us depressed or annoyed every time we have to move them out-of-the-way in the dresser or closet to actually get to things that fit, what’s the point? And I know we will be losing the weight eventually, but then that’s the fun part…we get to go shopping for our new figure instead of having to wear clothes that are SO LAST YEAR…

4- Bras…
This is generally a problem no matter who you are. What do they say? …3/4 women are wearing the wrong sized bra?! Please, throw out/donate the old nursing bras, sports bras or others that are over two years old. And then waltz out and buy new ones!!! Our “girls” are doing the best they can and so we need to help them out as much as we can. Get to your favorite bra store, get fitted and go crazy! I’ll go over what would be the best items to have for your basic wardrobe later…

5- Shirts, dresses and sweaters…same as the pants. Try on and ask for advice.  Any bunching, gaping or just plain uncomfortable…get rid of it. No need to keep clothes that we can’t stand to wear!

6- Anything else left over?! I have a TON of home clothes that I keep holding on to.  On the farm I pretty much live in stained/holey tees and jeans, because I never know when I have to scale a fence or help wrestle a calf to the barn - nice clothes are pretty much ridiculous to wear day-to-day. That said…I keep WAY to many tees and jeans that fill my drawers and take up space. So this is my area to work on…I’m going to keep four tees and three jeans…this will cut down on A LOT of laundry!!!

7- When tossing, don’t play favorites….yes that coat may have cost a lot. But you’ve worn it once in five years. It’s okay to donate. Or in my case…the 15-year-old gym shorts. I have fabulous memories of high school basketball, but I need to move on. And those shorts HAVE TO GO!!!

Or gorgeous items that just don’t look good on you….give them to a friend that you know will love and wear it often…or do you think it’s tailorable? If there is a shirt that is almost cute if it had short sleeves, give it to your favorite, most talented person you know that owns a sewing machine and go for it. If it doesn’t work, then you haven’t lost anything…just add it to the donation bin!

Now, congratulate yourselves. You're done! Well…for now.
Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!!
Love…Cathryn!

My Closet Cleanse

So just to prove to everyone that, I too, am cleansing my closet, some pictures:

Yes, my bedroom is now 1/2 painted ,as well as in recovery mode from the closet cleanse.  My personal challenge with closet cleanses is that I never seem to get everything looking neat and put away before I have to go and do something else.  Trust though that things, at the current moment, do look better than the pictures above.  I successfully roped my husband (and 3-year-old) into participating with their own closets. We aren't even officially finished and we have three garbage bags filled up and ready for Goodwill and/or charity.  Watch out for a post later today - installment three of our closet cleanse - by guest blogger Cathryn from the Farmer's Trophy Wife.

So how did your cleanses go?

Closet Cleanse Check-In

If you haven't checked out our step-by-step closet cleanse just yet, click here and here.

For everyone else, just checking in to see how we are doing?  I will have to be honest, I am planning to gut this weekend. To try and do anything before then is unrealistic. I expect lots of stories after this weekend of interesting things you unearthed, sentimentals you decided to keep, but hopefully, most of all, that you were ambitious, determined and can see the back wall in some parts of your closet.

A lot of you responded to this post about finding out what your personal style type is and you shared that you thought you were a cross between many of the six types described.  I know that the descriptions given were vague, but let me explain in a little more detail.

I, as an example, am a natural/sporty type.  This does not mean that I gravitate to sweat suits nor does it mean that I can not wear anything trendy, dramatic or classic. It just means that the look I feel most comfortable in and most like myself in is probably a comfortable fabric, clean lines, not overly detailed, simple in design and dressed up easily with accessories.  It does not mean that I can't own all of the latest must-have items, it just means that if I was to wear a pair of sassy, patterned four-inch heels, instead of pairing it with a matching sassy, patterned dress or a nicely tailored suit or a seventies-inspired jump suit, I may just go low key and balance it out (in my way) with jeans, white shirt and funky necklace. 

Another example. As you know, I just bought this dress for a wedding I attended. Really liked it. Fit me great and I pulled it off fine. Just because I am natural/sporty doesn't mean I don't like it, it just means that if I was able to find a solid colour, uber soft jersey dress with a funky attitude that fit just so ahead of the lace dress, I probably would have slipped it on, called it heaven and bought a fun pair of shoes to go with and called it a done deal and worn it ten times more often than the lace one I bought. I hope this helps.

Some of you have also been asking about what to do with the clothing that you decide not to keep after the closet cleanse.  Would love to hear from all of you out there and the places you know about. Katrix mentioned a consignment store in the Ottawa area - can you provide details for us i.e. address or website?

For those of you in the Toronto area, a friend of mine's Mom operates a wonderful not-for-profit place called New Circles that helps men, women and children.  It is a really special place that operates like a boutique and items are free for referred clients that are in need. They are always looking for lightly used clothing and right now are particularly looking for dresses suitable for upcoming prom events. Click here to find out more about donating clothes to them.

There is always a clothing exchange with friends as an option, maternity clothes to expecting relatives/friends, Goodwill, Once Upon A Child, etc.  Please let us know what you will be doing with your clothes.

Closet Cleanse: Helpful Hints for this Weekend

When you are cleaning out your closet this weekend, or ever, some helpful hints/suggestions ... ORDERS!

• Keep only what fits now (unless you are pregnant). When you lose the weight, you're going to want new stuff. Make room. And talk about depressing - the feeling you get when you attempt to put on an item of clothing that is too small.
• Do you even like it? Don't keep it if you don't like it because guess what?  You won't wear it if you don't like it.
• Pitch anything with bad memories.  Sweet memories - sure, bad/sad/depressing/induces anger or sobbing memories - get rid of it!
• Get rid of duplicates, unless it is a basic that you wear more than once a week.
• Finally say good bye to ANY undergarment that is uncomfortable, requires wedgie picking on a regular basis or thong adjusting or leaves bright red marks/lacerations on your skin when you take it off.
• One Year Rule - if you haven't worn it in one year (especially clothes that are meant to be worn on a regular basis), give it away. Only exception here is formal wear or items that are once-in-a-blue-moon apparel.
• It must be comfortable - if you regret wearing it or constantly have to adjust yourself while in it, trade it in for something you love and that feels nice on.
• Don't keep something just because it was expensive. Doesn't matter how much it cost, if you don't wear it and you're never going to, it's taking up precious real estate.

..and for those items that you are really humming and hawing over, here's a tip from my sister-in-law:

Flip all the hangers backwards in your closet. Every time you wear something, turn the hanger back to its regular position. After 3,6,9 months, do a check - anything that is still backwards gets the boot!

Closet Cleanse Step 2: Brought to you by The Farmer's Trophy Wife

Closet Cleanse Step 2:  Doing The Dirty Work

Brought To You By The Farmer's Trophy Wife

*image from here*

Are ya ready?!

First…let’s pick a time when we can actually focus on what we are doing. Nap time or after kids are in bed is great. Depending on your closet I’ll give it about an hour to accomplish step 1…we are going to do this in baby steps…or if you are an all-in-one type of gal, you can wait till LadySmith is done all the posts, line them up and tackle this project all at once.

Since my me time is short and sweet, I’m going to have to do this slowly, ok?!?!

1- Take everything out of your half of the closet and empty your dresser drawers. Dump it all in one huge pile somewhere (except the pressed stuff…feel free to place this neatly beside the gigantic pile!)

2- Gawk at the gigantic mass of stuff you didn’t even know you owned

3- Attack the pile by going through everything and making two piles:

• like it
• don’t like it

Don’t bother to try anything on at this point. We are at the basics…either you like it, or you don’t.

Feel free to be ruthless, cold and cut-throat. You won’t hurt the feelings of that sweater that you loved the color of, but hate the sleeve length. It will get on with its life and so should you.

Cathryn from The Farmer's Trophy Wife

4- That’s it. Bag up the stuff you don’t like and as soon as possible take it to the nearest salvation army/donation bin/woman’s shelter….don’t give ANYTHING in there a 2nd thought. (Stay tuned to Cashmere & Carrotsticks for more ideas of where you can drop your clothes off).

5- Put everything back in your closet…your darling other will appreciate that and you will be shocked at how much more space you have to put your new stuff in once we go shopping!!!!

Hope you have fun and can’t wait to hear what you unearthed!!

Love…

Cathryn

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Thanks Cathryn!

 

I think this is the biggest and most important step.  Keep your personal style in mind ladies (and Dad!).  This is your chance. Why keep something that is just collecting dust that every time you are going out and turn to it you think, "ugh!" - pitch it!  Bonus points (and prizes?!) for pictures se nt via email to cashmereandcarrots@gmail.com and would love to hear some comments. Come across anything funny or that you need advice on? Ask the readers!

I am going to give everyone at least a few days to get this step done as I know it is going to take me at least that long. In the mean time I will continue my regular posts and be back with more closet news soon.

Closet Cleanse: Guest Blogger Alert

So I have to admit, the whole closet cleanse thing was not my idea. I was surfing around one day and came across a really fun blog - The Farmer's Trophy Wife. Click here if you haven't visited it yet.  Cathryn - the Trophy Wife herself - has agreed to guest blog on my site and share with us all of her steps to a clean closet.  So without further ado, here's Cathryn:

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New Year = New Closet!

by The Farmer's Trophy Wife

Don’t be shy now…I know there are items floating out there in your closets that you haven’t worn in at least three years…or things still from high school (?!?) or the dreaded items that still have the tags on!!! Let go of the guilt (so what if you didn’t wear it…your bank account has moved on…so should you!) and the dreams…yes, I too would like to be able to fit into my high school jeans. But it’s not going to happen. I’m 31…and I need to let go of that dream…. (sob)

But maybe…if we all join together and fight our closets and it’s demons together….it won’t be so scary…and kinda fun!



*image from here*

 I want this to be a participation thingy…so leave a comment or send an email to LadySmith and let us know how things are going.

Love Cathryn
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Stay tuned for the next post: Closet Cleanse Step 2: Doing The Dirty Work