Copy of Simplifying your summer wardrobe in 5 easy steps

I love the change in season from summer to autumn, the cool nights and mornings start to slowly filter in, the days are warm but not unbearable and the darkness sets in earlier than we've become accustomed to over the summer months.

So as we say goodbye to summer weather and hello to autumn weather, now is a great time to go through your summer wardrobe. Here are my top 5 tips for going through your summer clothes.

1. Look at your summer clothes all together. Put them all next to each other in the wardrobe if they are not already or lay them out on the bed where you can see them clearly. As a general rule, when you are decluttering your clothes, firstly look at them as a whole. What are the main colours that you see? Are they cooler colours like blues and greens or warmer colours like reds and oranges? If you look at the photos above, you can clearly see the colour palettes. Identify your preferred colour palette, they are often the colours that you are naturally drawn to and that suit you. And yes, some people can wear all the colours of the rainbow.

2. Put aside the clothes that you have worn a lot over this last summer, your go to's and your favourites. Is there anything looking a bit dodgy that may need replacing or repairing? Make a note of what needs replacing and organise to have repairs or alterations done. Put these favourite clothes away, preferably all together in the wardrobe or in a separate draw/drawers dedicated to storing your summer clothes over the cooler months.

3. Look at what is left. Which items of clothing do you never wear? Ever? These are the clothes that you need to donate to your local charity. Bag these items up now as I can guarantee you that someone out there will love them as much as you once did. Consider why you no longer like these items, and be mindful of that when making future purchases. Create some boundaries around what you will purchase in future. This might be a specific colour palette, style or cut. For example, I only like V neck tops, so I never buy round necks as I spend the whole time pulling it away from my neck.

Please, please, please don't put your clothes in the bin. Australians are the second highest consumers of textiles after the United States of America, purchasing 27 kgs of clothing per person annually. If that surprises you.... while we are buying 27 kgs of clothes per year, we are also discarding 23 kgs of clothing per year. Much of that goes into landfill.

4. Lets consider what we have left. Do the clothes that are left come with excuses or reasons as to why you don't wear them? For example:

I like it but

I'd wear it if

I used to wear it when

I loved it but

I'll wear it again when

Please go ahead and finish these sentences for yourself. Here are some examples that I hear when I help people declutter their clothes:

"I like it but it's a bit tight around the shoulders"

"I'd wear it if I had a black jacket to go over it"

"I used to wear it when I played tennis"

"I loved it but it brings back a bad memory"

"I'll wear it again when I have lost 10 kgs"

If it is too tight around the shoulders, are you ever going to be happy wearing it? Reaching over for your glass only to feel the pull against your shoulders. It will become that top in your wardrobe that you like but won't wear because....

You'd wear it if you had a black jacket to go over it....?? Then go and buy that black jacket!

How long since you've played tennis, a year, five years or more? Are you getting back into tennis? As in this week or next season? If not, give it to someone who will wear it.

If an item of clothing brings back a bad memory, why keep it? It's not doing

you any favours! Let someone else get some use out of it.

I will wear that again when I have lost 10 kgs. Are you actively working on losing that 10kgs or is it just a nice idea? Life is challenging enough without the constant reminder that we need to lose weight.

Be realistic, are you actually going to wear these items any time soon? Or are they just taking up valuable space? This includes physical space, emotional space and mental space. Be aware of the stories that you are telling yourself. These stories can simply be nothing more than a bad habit that we've had on repeat for years.

5. Last but not least, where do you have gaps in your wardrobe? Purchasing a few more items may just bring your wardrobe together. Write a list of what you need. You may even find these on the summer clearance racks or at your local op shop.

And remember to drop that bag off at your local charity store... or it will be in the boot of your car for the next 5 months.... go on.... take them now!

All photos from Canva