You may find the awkward time in-between seasons difficult to dress for every day, but it’s the best time to reorganize your wardrobe for the months ahead. Seasonal wardrobes are an important part of every fashionable person’s closet—new seasons mean new styles and accessories.
If swapping your clothes out for the oncoming season is something you’ve never tried, don’t stress! These tips for beginners who are switching between seasonal wardrobes for the first time are relevant during any seasonal transition.
When you have too many articles of clothing, you know how difficult it is to organize your closet and find things when you need them. Switching the clothing you wear each season isn’t just a miscellaneous chore; it’s helpful for keeping your house clean and tracking your personal inventory.
Before you dismiss the concept of a seasonal wardrobe for each part of the year, consider the following benefits.
The more often you tend to a closet or dresser full of clothing, the more organized it becomes. If you’re the type of person to cycle between grabbing clothes from the top of your dresser drawer and searching the dryer for those same clothes once they’re dry, your wardrobe is likely not as organized as it should be.
Looking through your wardrobe at the end of each season requires you to review your full collection—including the items you don’t wear anymore. It’s easier to upkeep your wardrobe when you know that you wear everything in it.
Keeping people guessing about what you’re going to wear is an essential part of becoming a more fashionable person. If you have clothing that you wear only during certain seasons, people are more likely to be surprised by your fashion sense than if you wear the same thing every day. Seasonal wardrobes also require different types of clothing, so swapping them around during the different seasons keeps what you need right at your fingertips rather than lost in the closet.
With the reasons why you’d need to start changing your wardrobe with the months out of the way, you can now focus on the pieces of advice you need to do it successfully. Don’t shy away from swapping out your seasonal clothes because you want to keep some clothes all year long—just dedicate a small section of the closet to clothing that works any time of the year.
If you’re ever in the mood for one of your comfort outfits, they’ll be right there for you to choose for the day. Some essentials, like a Patagonia lightweight Better Sweater, are necessary during any season due to their versatility.
One of the reasons you’re separating your wardrobe by season is to make your closet space more manageable. If you separate your clothing but keep every wardrobe in the same area, you’ll still have a lot of clothes to work with. Sort your seasonal wardrobes into sealed bins—not cardboard boxes—and keep them in a different room or storage space.
Avoid placing the bins in a basement or crawlspace, especially if it might flood during the year. You want the clothes to stay in an area of your house that’s out of the way, but you also want to have them close enough that you can access them whenever you want. A crawlspace or attic might be too difficult to access and can attract pests that you won’t notice until it’s too late.
As you reorganize your wardrobe, make sure you not only sort the clothes by season but also prune some of the older residents of your collection. Everything ages, including your clothes. When something is old, out of style, or doesn’t fit, it’s time to get rid of it and fill its spot with something new that you’ll love just as much.
Try to get into the habit of removing one outdated article of clothing when you purchase a new one, especially if you’re a clothing hoarder. If you’re careful about how much clothing you own at a time, this rule may not apply to you.
If you’re removing clothing from your closet, consider these options for their disposal.
Clothes that are still in decent shape but no longer fit are perfect candidates for donation, even after you’ve worn them for several seasons. You may not be able to love them anymore, but someone in need could really use that old pair of jeans or shirt that got too tight.
For clothing that is in pristine condition (perhaps you’ve never worn it and never will), you might be able to sell it to someone who will wear it. Try selling it online for a discounted price or—if it’s a novelty piece of clothing—see if there’s value behind it.
If there are no other options for the clothes except the trash bin, you can dump them. These clothes might be too dirty or worn out for anyone to enjoy—or they may be more personal effects, such as underwear. You might be able to reuse the material of the clothing for a craft project if it’s damaged but not dirty.
You don’t need to limit yourself to simply hanging up each article of clothing or folding them into your dresser—try mixing in different storage solutions to keep your seasonal wardrobe organized. Keep outfits together, set up cubbies for matching accessories, and try vacuum-sealed bags to make more space where you didn’t have any before.
As you think about what you’ll wear in the oncoming season, don’t forget to consider the holidays and events that will happen during the coming months and require you to dress accordingly. You may have a wedding coming up that requires you to keep a gown or suit out, or perhaps you have a yearly family visit to somewhere with warm weather that requires you to keep several summer outfits in the closet. Putting the outfits aside now can prevent you from needing to uncover them from your out-of-season storage.
With the right tips for beginners, switching between seasonal wardrobes is a breeze. Don’t keep putting off the switch to seasonal wardrobes! Once you finish sorting your items, you’ll have a well-organized closet, and your out-of-season clothes won’t hide your in-season outfits any longer!
Comments will be approved before showing up.
