Jun 19, 2017

Well we are officially in Montana! And while I already am little impressed with our new state’s beauty, I’ve been missing my finished closet back in Laramie.  L finished this brick + copper beauty one weekend before we moved and I so wish I had more time with the new set up… but I also know our friends who bought our home will appreciate it even more.  So it’s a win-win.

I’ve been thinking about my well loved wardrobe a lot lately because with a trip to Mexico this Friday I have been  t h i s  close to buying an entire new wardrobe.  I mean in my defense I can hardly use any of my sweaters in Mexico, but I’m so proud my well loved wardrobe essentials will get me through an entire tropical vacation! Though I have yet to really mention much about what it takes to maintain such a wardrobe.  While it certainly does take the age old adage of “investing in quality” it’s minding the quality and keeping that quality freshly stocked that keeps your well loved wardrobe… well loved.

one. Visit dry cleaners

I made a big mistake this last winter in my penny pinching month and decided that a dry cleaner is the same as a a gentle wash in the dryer. It is in fact not.  And so one of my favorite wool sweaters was trashed and I learned a valuable lesson.   High quality items deserve high quality care.

I won’t lie spending money at a dry cleaner is not my favorite way to use up my hard earned cash, so I try to just be diligent about only two trips a year whenever I switch out my closet for the different seasons.

two. Fold sweaters 

After living in Laramie for seven-ish years I have quite the army of sweaters in my closet.  Which isn’t really my dream closet (I much prefer summer dresses), but over the years I’ve noticed a  h u g e  difference on the wear and tear of sweaters by simply folding them and tucking them away. Plus, this is typically one of the cheapest ways to take care of your closet.  Enjoy it!

three. Recycle 

It’s a bit funny that this is my current favorite way to weed out my wardrobe.  I used to be quite the t-shirt hoarder as, “What if I want to wear the burn out tee I loved freshman year of ’08” was a common statement for me.  Eek. But now I look at my closet as the ultimate recycle place.  If I’m not super happy with it in my closet I’m determined to find it a better home.  Whether that’s in my own friends closet or at a local resell store!

Recycling can be fun.

four. Organize 

Eek. This is something I  s t r u g g l e  with. Organization + balance is just so hard for me. I’m either a complete wreck in my home or buying organizers that I don’t need.  A bit of irony to the less is more notion, huh?

So for me I take my time with it.

I let my closet or home slowly fill with items and never really rush to organize them.  It drives L mad, but it’s worth it when my home is no longer filled with unneeded Ikea organizers.

five. Keep it seasonal

For so long I was so excited to have a closet that didn’t require me to pack away my winter clothes.  I should also say this was way before my year of less.  I saw a huge closet as the end-all-be-all goal, but really I ended up a big closet half used because it was so overwhelming.  Now with the beginning of each season I get excited to see what clothes I may have forgotten about.

And if I’m not excited about something? See number three. 🙂

Keeping up a well loved wardrobe is maybe not as fun as a haul from ShopRuche, but I swear it’s so much more refreshing.   What do you swear by for keeping your closet well loved?