It's that time of year when we're doing our official seasonal wardrobe changeover, where we swap out our summer dresses for our winter coats and knits, and vice versa. We find that by only having what’s seasonally relevant in our wardrobe space, we’re less overwhelmed when getting dressed, that and the fact that our wardrobe is prime real estate!
As part of our capsule wardrobe we have core pieces that we wear all year round such as denim, classic tees and tailored trousers, so our changeover focuses on the items that are more seasonally weighted, whilst also giving us a chance to review our core pieces and ensure they are in tip top condition.
Here are a few lessons we've learnt to ensure we’re taking the best care of the pieces we’ve invested in to extend their life for as long as possible.
Cleaning
We don’t tend to wash our knitwear too frequently throughout the season, instead opting to steam in between wears to freshen it up, or leave it out to air overnight after wearing. However, at the end of the season we make sure to give all our knitwear a thorough wash and air dry in the sun to ensure it’s clean before storing away for the warmer months.
The same goes for our coats, which we dry clean at the end of the season before storing them away. This is to make sure no residual dirt, damp or stains damage the garment or attract moths.
As our summer dresses are going away, we’re washing and dry cleaning these to make sure they’re ready to go as soon as the warm weather is back.
Repairs and Maintenance
The beginning of the season is a great time to review our key pieces to see if anything needs maintenance or repair.
Investing in a cashmere comb, depiller, or even afresh razor is a great way to freshen up knitwear and make it look brand new. If you’ve got pants that need taking up, or buttons that need replacing, the time to do it is now. We want to make sure there is nothing sitting in our wardrobe that needs work done to it, as it’s just going to sit there unworn for the season.
Storage
When we do our changeover we like to take everything out of our wardrobe space, give our shelves and drawers a good wipe down and clean away any dust.
For the pieces that are being stored away such as our lightweight summer dresses, we reuse calico bags from shoes or bags to neatly fold them away, letting the garments breathe while also keeping them protected.
For the pieces we are bringing out for the season we like to use shoe boxes to create compartments in our drawers and segment by item, making sure everything can be seen and is easily accessible.
It’s also key to invest in a moisture absorber such as DampRid, to extract moisture from the air and keep our items fresh and mould free.
Shoes and Boots
Where possible, we keep our shoes in their original dust bags and boxes. At the end of the season, we’ll give our boots a good clean to remove any excess dirt and apply a leather conditioner and polish. We also use old newspaper or tissue to stuff our shoes to ensure they keep their shape. The paper also acts as an absorbent for any dampness that comes over their off season.
