Building A Minimal (Capsule) Wardrobe

I’ve spoke about clearing out and reducing my wardrobe for a while now. It’s been a long gradual process particularly when you’re a clothes hoarder like me but my wardrobe keeps becoming smaller and less cluttered of unworn clothes. Instead of having a wardrobe full of clothes with jeans in every shade possible, I now have and am aiming for a smaller collection of items that I need and wear regularly that fits my style. Not only is de-cluttering a satisfying thing to do, it also teaches you more about buying clothes and how to buy more sensibly.

STEP 1: CLEAR OUT

The first step to making your wardrobe more minimal is to obviously cut it down. Open your wardrobe, drawers etc and look at each item individually and decide on it’s final destination (that sounds much more intense than I am intending!). Anything that you truly love and know that will get its wear, place it back into your wardrobe. If you have anything that is damaged or simply not wearable then chuck it in the bin. You’ve also got your ‘maybe’ items which we all have, items that we may be struggling to get rid of and are holding on to! Keep things simple and keep them in your wardrobe for the time being. Then you have the other items that you know you can get rid of. If you have anything that holds value, e.g. trainers, on-trend pieces then it is a good idea to think about selling items. I use eBay regularly and you also have Depop. It is such a good way to de clutter as you can make money that can be reinvested in your wardrobe! Anything else, can then also be given to charity!

STEP 2: ANALYSE 

After the initial clear out, you can definitely cut your wardrobe quite dramatically. Although I do think particularly if you are like me it can be difficult to be strict and cut out everything that could be erased. After a set amount of time, this could be weeks, a month, longer analyse your wardrobe again being more strict about what stays and what goes. One trick I have heard is to ensure all your hangers are facing one direction then once you wear an item face it the other way and after a length of time you can truly see what has been worn and what’s not. There is simply no point holding on to items that are not getting worn so this proves as a good indicator for de-cluttering. The process of continuously eliminating can be long particularly if you own a lot and have hoarder problems (guilty!), I am still regularly making my wardrobe smaller and smaller but each time I do it, it feels incredibly rewarding!

STEP 3: ORGANISE

Apologies to the naturally messy and untidy people who’s wardrobes mainly stay on the floor, sadly for you I am going to encourage you to do the opposite! The best way to get use out of your wardrobe is to ensure it is in a organised fashion in which you can see everything neatly in front of you. So in terms of hanging items up, I like to arrange them in a certain order like dresses then tops then trousers etc. You can make up your own order but having them in an organised way makes it much easier. In terms of storing in drawers etc, I like to have a drawer dedicated to certain things so one drawer for t-shirts, one for skirts etc. Another handy tip for organisation is to organise your clothes using the Marie Kondo method rather than stacking things as you see items much easier rather than simply wearing what is on the top of the pile!

STEP 4: INVEST 

After cutting down your wardrobe, you will have a clear idea of what is missing as well as understanding what you really wear. It is now time to fill in the gaps and make up a wearable wardrobe that reflects your style. One of the lessons I’ve learnt from looking back to my old shopping habits and my wardrobe is that I used to regularly buy poorer quality clothes and many trend-led pieces that go out of fashion far too quickly. Obviously adopting that method means my wardrobe grows quicker and also becomes unwearable. My attitude towards shopping and different clothing brands has changed a lot over the last year, I try to avoid on-trend pieces and cheap poorly made items and instead I like to invest carefully in pieces that are good quality and will we wearable for years to come. Whilst spending a lot of money on one item can be off-putting it is actually much better value than continuously spending on numerous items and having to replace them after a short period of time!

How do you de-clutter?

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Monthly Round-up: June

So you may be wondering what on earth is going on here so basically I thought I would introduce a new monthly feature to Styled by Lauren. I thought I would add something a little more personal to the blog and let you all know what I got up to during the month. So the month of June was quite a lazy and slow month if I am honest. It was my first full month off from uni and to be honest I did what a student does best and spent my time doing nothing! So my month did mostly consist of online shopping and blogging (about my shopping!).

Probably the most noteworthy event that I attended during the month was of course going to see 5 Seconds of Summer which I mentioned in my May Playlist post. I had already seen them before although as a support act so I got to see them for the first time being the headline act and they were incredible. I had such a good time and would snap up tickets again in a heartbeat!

Also, I received my uni exam results the other day too! I only sat one exam but I was super happy to see that I had passed it which was such a blessing since I had a really bad feeling about it. My first year is now over and I have passed all my classes ready for second year, how scary!

As I already said I did a bit of shopping. I could probably lose the word ‘bit’ in that sentence. I am going away on holiday next month so I picked up a lot of clothes to wear in the sunshine. Sneak peak above! I did pick up a lot of black and white pieces due to the fact that I would be able to wear them a lot more when I am not on holiday too and also I just like black and white clothes haha! I also picked up a few new beauty bits too which should make their way around the blog some time so look out for that.

I realise that I am rambling on a bit here so just to close I just have to rave about how good the lemon curd flapjacks are from Graze! I may have to find a recipe, future blog post… who knows!?

Catch up with June posts: New favourite cleanser, Holy grail foundation and concealer, 5 great beauty buys under £5

What did you get up to this month? Did you like the new monthly feature?

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Give Your Wardrobe A Spring Clean

Forget daises and pastels, Spring is also the time for cleaning. Sounds tedious, I know but it doesn’t have to be. Now I’m not talking sprucing up the kitchen counters but your wardrobe. If you are like me with far too many clothes scattered in several storage spaces then it does sound rather off-putting but there is nothing better than having a good clean and tidy wardrobe full of clothes you know you will wear. Being an avid fan of clothes shopping I’ve gathered up quite the collection but as I get older and my tastes have changed I have a slight regret over choosing quantity over quality. I am now looking into giving my wardrobe a bit of a revamp and hopefully if you are in the same boat these tips might help!

1// Its time for a look into your wardrobe Checking what you own is important so that you can identify what is lacking in your collection and what you just have too much of. At this point it’s time to decide what you want to keep a hold of and know you will wear and also what pieces are ready to go. As the ultimate hoarder, this is a step I struggle with, I always tend to think even though I haven’t worn something in years it will later come in handy but its important to be harsh and do what you know is right.

2// Saying goodbye to those in the unwanted pile There is nothing more satisfying than building up wardrobe space by getting rid of those unwanted unworn clothes. If the clothes aren’t in good condition then its probably best to bin them however if they are still in a decent condition you could make some money out of them. Ebay is the obvious one but its basically your best friend when cleaning out your wardrobe. It is free to list up to 20 items per month and if sold you only have to pay a small percentage in fees. Depop is another popular method for selling, despite never trying it out, it seems to be quite popular amongst bloggers and pretty straightforward. By selling off unwanted clothes you can also generate some money to go towards some new clothing, bonus!

3//Investing in key pieces Now this step might not apply to everyone but if you are lacking in pieces its time to make the investment. Having good basics is important such as a good pair of jeans, a good jacket and some good t-shirts that you know you will wear. If you are like me and basically want to get rid of most of your wardrobe its the best idea to invest in good quality pieces that will last long rather than cheap poorer quality items that you will have to continuously repurchase. It doesn’t have to be expensive in buying new items, retailers such as ASOS hold a number of quality pieces at great prices.

4//Getting organised The last step is to give that finalised wardrobe a good tidy up. I am a sucker for organisation and I enjoy having things in order especially in my wardrobe. Having an organised wardrobe makes it a lot easier to find clothing and makes getting dressed that little bit quicker than rummaging through endless hangers of clothes. Everyone is different in how they organize so its important to chose the organisation method that suits you. Whether its through the type of clothing i.e dresses, jeans, skirts, tops or colour coordination or even through the season i.e Spring or Autumn, whatever works for you is key.

Hopefully some of these tips were helpful when the time arises to clear out that ever-growing pile of clothes. Once the cleaning is done, the challenge of keeping it clean is the next step! Now looks like I’m off to clear up the vast amount of coloured jeans in my collection… wish me luck!

Will you be giving your wardrobe a spring clean?

 

Tag: This or That

I had seen this beauty tag a few times and I decided to give it a try 🙂 I hope you try it too!

Makeup:

Blush or Bronzer
Blush, its easier to work with and can instantly change your appearance. I particularly love Rimmel Stay Blushed tint in Sunkissed Cherry.
Lipgloss or Lipstick
Lipstick definitely, I go light on lip gloss as it sticks to my hair too much.
Eyeliner or Mascara
Mascara – the one item I could not live without!
Foundation or Concealer
Foundation as you don’t always need concealer.
Neutral or Color Eyeshadow
Neutral, I love browns and bronze shades. Color is a bit too much for me.
Pressed or Loose eye shadows
Pressed as they are easier to blend and work with and loose eye shadows are too messy.
Brushes or Sponges
Brushes! I hate sponges.

Nails:

O.P.I or China Glaze
O.P.I only because I have never tried China Glaze.
Long or Short
Long, I just think they look better and neater.
Acrylic or Natural
Natural. I would never have Acrylics because my nails are long enough already and they damage your nails too much.
Brights or Darks
Darks. Fall is my favorite season and I love all my dark shades of burgundy and browns.
Flower or No Flower
No Flower, I prefer simplicity.

Body:

Perfume or Body Splash
Perfume as its a longer lasting scent.
Lotion or Body Butter
Difficult choice.. probably Body Butter.
Body wash or Soap
Body Wash.
LUSH or Other Bath Company
LUSH! It smells amazing! I love their bubblegum lip scrub and their Snow Fairy body wash.

Fashion:

Jeans or Sweat pants
Jeans, I cannot live without them! I love Topshop Joni Jeans and New Look Supersoft Superskinny jeans.
Long sleeve or Short
Short sleeve just because I like wearing layers and I can never really find stylish long sleeve tops.
Dresses or Skirts
Dresses. I love a dress, super pretty and simple to wear.
Stripes or Plaid
Plaids, I love my plaid flannel shirts.
Flip flops or Sandals
Sandals, you can get super pretty ones while flip flops are a little more boring.
Scarves or Hats
Scarves, they can instantly improve your outfit and keep you warm, Bonus!
Studs or Dangly Earrings
Studs, they go with a lot more and are casual to be worn daily.
Necklaces or Bracelets
Necklaces, I love a big statement necklace which can completely change your outfit.
Heels or Flats
Heels. I am quite small so I do like a bit of height 🙂
Cowboy Boots or Riding Boots
Cowboy Boots, I wanna be a cowboy.
Jacket or Hoodie
Hoodie, they are very comfy.
Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe
Forever 21, they have good basics at good prices.
Abercombie or Hollister
Hollister.
Saks 5th or Nordstrom
No idea, never shopped at either.

Hair:

Curly or Straight
Curly, but just loose curls.
Bun or Ponytail
Bun.
Bobby pins or Butterfly clips
Bobby Pins. I probably wore Butterfly clips when I was 5.
Hair spray or Gel
Hair Spray. I have never used gel.
Long or Short
Long, you can do more things with it.
Light or Dark
Dark. I think everyone suits dark hair but not everyone suits light hair.
Side sweep bangs or Full bangs
Full bangs.
Up or Down
Down always.

Randoms:

Rain or Shine
Rain if I’m inside, it makes me feel cosy. Shine for outside, I don’t want my hair wet haha.
Summer or Winter
Winter weirdly, I don’t really like the weather but I love my winter wardrobe.
Fall or Spring
Fall my favorite season, I love my fall wardrobe of coats and boots. Its so pretty.
Chocolate or Vanilla
Vanilla, always. I am probably the only person to say that.
East coast or West coast
West coast.

 

Lauren x