Wardrobe Detox

At least once a year I like to have a clear out to reorganise my wardrobe and get rid of things that I no longer wear. This January I had the biggest wardrobe detox ever and listed almost 200 items for re-sale. Initially I was motivated by raising extra funds to care for my poorly pug, Dorothy, who was diagnosed with a serious condition in October last year (protein losing enteropathy). Her vet bills escalated to £7,000 in 3 months. But the more I listed, the more I realised I wanted to let go of a lot of things in order to have a more streamlined wardrobe. So far I have raised £3,000 which will help fund Dorothy’s ongoing veterinary care. There are still lots of items left for sale, pictured and detailed below. Close-up photos of each piece are on my Instagram page @theladysmaid_preloved. Email: info@theladysmaid.com for more info or to purchase.

1. **SOLD** Kitri Studio – pink gingham dress

2. Laurence Coste – pink quartz earrings. £125.

3. Baukjen – blush pink cotton V neck jumper. £30.

4. Kezmay London. Pink tweed Alice band. £30.

5. **SOLD** Monsoon – Pink tie neck dress.

6. Mango – pink and green cotton midi dress. Size: Medium. £30.

7. Mint Velvet – pink colour block top. Size: Small. £25.

8. 2 Birds Dubai – pink Chinese blossom wrap dress. Size: S/M. £35.

9. Really Wild Clothing – sweet pea pink dress coat. Size: UK 10. £250.

10. Stuart Weitzman – Leigh 95 desert rose heels. Size: UK 6. £175.

11. **SOLD** Oasis – pink broderie cotton summer dress.

12. HM – pink blossom print blouson sleeve midi dress. Size: Small. £25.

13. HM – pink cat eye sunglasses. £15.

14. HM – pink/purple check tie neck mini dress. Size: Medium. £30.

15. **SOLD** Jewelled pink Alice band

16. **SOLD** Zara – Pink v neck dress.

17. Vintage silk dress. Size: UK 10/12. £60.

1. **SOLD** Rixo – burgundy Elsie Dress.

2. Hobbs – red leather loafers. Size: UK 6. £45.

3. Zara – burgundy pleated midi dress. Size: medium. £30.

4. Vintage Ciner earrings. £75.

5. Vivien Sheriff – Burgundy wool felt baker boy hat. £100.

6. HT hats Burgundy wool felt trilby style hat. £85.

7. Ethereal London – dark floral silk midi dress. Size: UK 10. £175

8. Zara – Burgundy leather high block heel boots. Size: UK 6. £40.

9. Warehouse – Burgundy silk swallow print dress. Size: UK 10.

10. Camilla King Millinery – Burgundy velvet headband. £40.

11. Greylin – burgundy velvet jumpsuit. Size: Medium. £85.

12. Top Shop – Burgundy short sleeve top. Size: small. £20.

13. Burgundy jewelled headband. £15.

14. Vaai London – Burgundy silk palazzo pants. Waist measures approx 40cm when flat – has drawstring to adjust smaller. £175.

15. New Look – Burgundy faux leather clutch. £10.

16. Oasis – red polka dot dress. Size: UK 10. £30.

17. Top Shop – small red basket bag. £20.

18. Libelula – red jessie dress. Size: UK 12. £100.

1 . **SOLD** Suzannah London – emerald silk tea dress .

2. HM – green floral cotton summer dress with puff sleeves. Size: Small. £20.

3. Vintage earrings. £45.

4. Glossy Paris – mint green mohair mix tank top. £25.

5. **SOLD** Monsoon green gingham cotton dress.

6. Boden – emerald satin midi skirt. Size: UK 12. £75.

7. Jewelled headband. £15.

8. **SOLD** Jigsaw poppy print maxi dress.

9 Top Shop tartan maxi dress with puff sleeves. Size: UK 10. £45.

1. **SOLD** The Pretty Dress Company – navy coat.

2. **SOLD** Zara – turquoise blue floral wrap dress.

3. Tropical animal patterned scarf. £40.

4. Zara – royal blue zip neck top. Size: small. £20.

5. **SOLD** William Morris & Co. x HM – blue floral printed shirt dress. Size UK 10. £35.

6. ** SOLD** Luella – Baby blue cashmere/merino mix tank top.

7. **SOLD** GP & J Baker x HM. Floral midi dress.

8. Guinea London – navy merino wool cardigan with velvet trim. Size: small. £50.

9. Dune – large navy mock croc envelope clutch. £20.

10. Mango floral mini dress – Size UK 10. £20.

11. Zara – Navy Peter Pan collar dress. Size: Small. £25.

12. Karen Millen – Navy/white striped mini skirt. Size: UK 10. £30.

13. Mango – royal blue dress with flared sleeves and notch V neck. Size: small. £20.

1. **SOLD** Top Shop – I saw a unicorn T-shirt

2. Warehouse – Little black dress with lace back panel, Size: UK 10. £25.

3. **SOLD** Zara – tweed midi skirt.

4. Nine West – black leather flats. Size: UK 6. £15.

5. Vintage 1920s sequin shrug. £50.

6. Black & white bandeau dress. Size: UK 10. £60.

7. Warehouse – Little black dress with lace panels. Size: UK 10. £25.

8. Karen Milen – short grey coat with black leatherette panel. Size: UK 8. £35.

9. M&S – Black & white knitted midi dress. Size: UK 10. £30.

10. Zara – Black and ivory patterned midi dress. Size: small. £20.

11. Yosuru – black suede low heel shoes with detachable camellia leather shoe clips. Size: UK 6. £75.

12. Zara – black blazer. Size: small. £25.

13. Mango – black and white V neck mini dress. Size: small. £20.

14. Top Shop – black / ditsy floral shirred bodice Bardot mini dress. Size: small. £25.

15. Mango – polka dot dress. Size: UK 10. £20.

16. Pure Collection – houndstooth blazer. Size UK 12. £65.

17. Top Shop – vintage style black velvet top handle bag. £25.

1. Miagiacca – ivory tweed jacket. Size UK 10. £250.

2. HM – V neck tank top. Size: Medium. £20.

3. Zara – faux patent leather shoes with large pearls. Size: UK 6. £15.

4. Zara – faux leather slingback flats with pearls. Size: UK 6. £20.

5. **SOLD** Zara – polka dot shirt dress.

6. Faber Novella – rose gold heels. Size: UK 6. £65.

7. Ethereal London – merino long line loungewear cardigan. Size: S/M. £60.

8. **SOLD** Dune – camel leather flats.

9. Top Shop – ruffle high neck blouse. Size: UK 12. £20.

10. **SOLD** Zara – pearl bucket bag.

11. Hobbs – ivory cotton jumper. Size: small. £20.

12. L.K. Bennett – gold glitter heels. Size: UK 6. £65.

13. Zara – peach/white short sleeve top. Size: small. £15.

14. Yosuru – gold leather flats with detachable Swarovski crystal buckles. Size: UK 6. £80.

15. Karen Millen – nude patent leather heels. Size: UK 6. £35.

16. Carvela comfort. White leather sandals with gold studs. Size: UK 6.

17. Jigsaw – gold V neck jumper with sequins. Size: small. £40.

18. Mango – nude leather slingbacks with block perspex heel. Size UK 6. £35.

19. Top Shop – Silver diamanté Alice band. £20.

20. Whistles – tiered silver sequin dress. Labelled size UK 12 but has been altered slightly smaller so would fit a 10/12. £100.

1. Vintage 1960s wool coat. Size: UK 10/12. £85.

2. **SOLD** Zara pearl slides.

3. Zara – polka dot wide leg trousers. Size medium. £35.

4. Jigsaw – A line mini skirt. Size UK: 12.

5. **SOLD** Zara – sleeveless jumper.

6. Pure Collection – coral v neck dress. Size: UK 12.

7. Zara – brown leather handbag. £50.

8. Accessorize – pink frame sunglasses with brown tinted lenses. £15.

9. Noa Noa – Brown mohair blend tank top. Size: small. £40.

10. **SOLD** HM – floral maxi skirt.

11. HM – sparkle knit jumper. Size: small. £20.

12. M&S – floral midi dress. Size: UK 10. £30.

13. J. Crew – pink leather belt. Size: small. £20.

New Year Wardrobe Detox

January 19, 2019January 1, 2024 ~ Alicia ~ Leave a comment

Many readers of my book Wardrobe Wisdom have commented on how the second section – Wardrobe Organisation – has really motivated them to have a proper wardrobe detox and declutter their clothing collection. This is a process that seems daunting initially but once completed is really transformative – to your wardrobe and to your mind. I’m not a neat freak and am not keen on rooms that are overly minimal – but I know which image below makes me feel calm and which gives me anxiety!

Photo: iStock images

Photo: Ikea

If your wardrobe is chaotic then it will make the process of dressing much more difficult each day – sometimes the feeling of not having anything to wear is because you can’t easily locate what you have. Clearing out clothing clutter will also help you to identify what gaps you may have in your wardrobe – garments that you may need to purchase to get the full potential out of the clothes you currently have, enabling you to create outfits with ease and take the stress out of dressing.

A survey in 2017 by Weight Watchers estimated that the figure of wasted expenditure on clothing was £10 billion, with only 55% of the clothes women own actually being worn. Whilst some people may be hanging on to things for posterity, or “just in case” they may need it/fit in to it one day, there is undoubtedly a hoarding of unworn or unnecessary clothing going on. And if you don’t have the luxury of wall-to-wall walk-in wardrobes to store mountains of clothing, then a periodic clothing cull is a necessity for most people.

So, if you have had a post-Christmas sales splurge and need to free up space for your new winter additions, why not ditch the New Year diet and detox your wardrobe instead!

Cleanse your Closet

When you go through your wardrobe, be realistic about the clothes that you wear day to day; hanging on to garments that you no longer wear takes up space unnecessarily, so try to adopt a ruthless sorting process. Divide into the following groups:

Keep, wear regularly
Keep, but need to supplement with new purchases in order to wear
eBay/re-sell
Charity
Storage (out of season)
Discard/recycle

If garments no longer fit or you haven’t worn them in a while, try selling them on eBay first or donate to a charity shop. Popular designer and high-street labels and occasion outfits/dresses tend to sell better than casual clothes on eBay, so consider sending casual clothes straight to the charity shop, if they are in good condition, or to a clothing recycling bank. I had a clothing clear-out just before Christmas and donated to The British Heart Foundation – they will collect the bags of clothing from your door (see the BHF website for details). You could also support charities like Smart Works, who accept quality second-hand workwear donations, which they then offer to women seeking employment.

Image: British Heart Foundation

High-end designer labels will also sell well on designer second-hand clothing websites, such as Vestiare Collective. Head over to my Recycle blog post where I have listed some other places where you can recycle your clothing.

Keeping Organised

To keep your clothing collection at a manageable level with a wardrobe that is accessible and wearable, try to resist purchasing any unnecessary items; focus instead on filling the gaps in your wardrobe that were revealed after the clear-out. Group 2 (things that you are keeping but need to supplement with new purchases in order to wear) is likely to be full of separates which only work if they have something to work with. Make a list of things you think your existing wardrobe would benefit from and focus on acquiring these items the next time you go clothes shopping. Your goal is for a versatile and manageable wardrobe to fit in with your space and lifestyle. Resist the temptation to purchase new one-off garments unless you think they will complement what you already own.

Once the detox is complete, your remaining wardrobe needs to be efficiently organised so that you can easily locate specific garments. It will be much easier to avoid clutter creeping back in if everything is suitable stored. Check out my other blog posts and Wardrobe Wisdom for more tips on effective wardrobe organisation.

New Year, New Wardrobe

January 19, 2018January 19, 2018 ~ Alicia ~ Leave a comment

Hang on to your Christmas spirit a little longer and cleanse your closet instead.

If you are anything like The Lady’s Maid, the last thing you want to do in the midst of January is adopt the customary New Year post-Christmas detox, diet or that strange phenomenon of recent years: “dry January” (why make the bleakest month of the year any worse by depriving yourself of a warming tipple). As the first month of the year, it is natural that the arrival of January prompts people to assess their lifestyles and want to improve, in an effort to “start as you mean to go on”. Still, The Lady’s Maid prefers to bask in the glory of Christmas until at least Candlemas. So, instead of depriving yourself of food and drink’s winter-warming sustenance, The Lady’s Maid suggests you turn your attention to a “wardrobe detox” instead.

If you have had a January Sales splurge and need to free up space for your new winter additions, then January is a perfect time to de-clutter your closet and release your inner “Marie Kondo”. Most ladies, at one time or another, have uttered the panic-stricken words “I have nothing to wear”. It is never usually true and often a result of clothing clutter – it is hard to create an outfit if you can’t easily locate one. Clearing out clothing clutter will also help you to identify what gaps you may have in your wardrobe – garments that you may need to purchase to get the full potential out of the clothes you currently have, enabling you to create outfits with ease and take the stress out of dressing.

A YouGov survey in 2012 revealed that there are around 2.4 billion pieces of clothing lying unworn per year in the UK, cluttering up wardrobes across the land; this equates to approx 46% of the national wardrobe. A similar survey in 2017 by Weight Watchers estimated the figure of wasted expenditure on clothing to be £10 billion, or £200 per adult, with only 55% of the clothes women own actually being worn. Clothing clutter is clearly an ongoing problem. Whilst some people may be hanging on to things for posterity, or “just in case” they may need it/fit in to it one day, there is undoubtedly a hoarding of unworn or unnecessary clothing going on.

With this in mind, when you go through your wardrobe, be realistic about the clothes that you wear day to day; hanging on to garments that you no longer wear takes up space unnecessarily, so try to adopt a ruthless sorting process. Divide into the following groups:

Keep, wear regularly
Keep, but need to supplement with new purchases in order to wear
eBay/re-sell
Charity
Storage (out of season)
Discard/recycle

If garments no longer fit or you haven’t worn them in a while, try selling them on eBay first or donate to a charity shop. Popular designer and high-street labels and occasion outfits/dresses tend to sell better than casual clothes on eBay, so consider sending casual clothes straight to the charity shop, if they are in good condition, or to a clothing recycling bank. High-end designer labels will also sell well on designer second-hand clothing websites, such www.hardlyeverwornit.com or http://www.cudoni.com.

Keeping organised

Here are The Lady’s Maid’s Top Tips for Organising your Wardrobe:

The best way to organise your clothing in your wardrobe is to divide it into sections, such as: work wear, casual wear, evening wear, sportswear. Within these sections organise garments by type (skirts/trousers/tops), and then by colour, darks to lights.
If you want your wardrobe to look neat and streamlined, discard shop hangers that came with your garments as these will vary in size and add bulk to the wardrobe space. If you adopt slim velour-covered plastic hangers, or slim rubber hangers throughout the rail you will keep the clothes hanging at an even level and achieve a streamlined visual effect as well as saving space.

Keep woollen knitwear folded to protect the natural fibres which will stretch if hung on a clothes hanger. Box-folding and arranging by colour is the best way of organising knitwear – keep different types together i.e. high-necks, V-necks, crew-necks etc for ease of location and then organise each type by colour, darks to lights. You can use a shirt-folding template to help achieve a uniform shape, or a plastic chopping board works just as well!

Hanging shoe organisers are a great space saver for flat footwear. These can be hung over a hanging rail to allow you to store multiple pairs of shoes. You can also store other small accessories here, such as scarfs, belts and gloves.

Out-of-season clothing can be stored on top of the wardrobe or under the bed, to free up space for clothing in wear during the current season. Be sure that any storage boxes and bags that you use are appropriate for clothing – they should be made of breathable cotton or canvas material, not plastic. And if woollen knitwear is present, add a lavender sachet to ward off the pesky moth. Delicate garments should be folded with acid-free tissue paper to protect them from creasing.

Drawer organisers are useful for keeping different types of underwear separate, and preventing you from having a top drawer full of jumbled smalls. If you don’t have drawers, then you could arrange underwear in open shoeboxes on shelves, or in similar shaped boxes.

Acrylic drawers and stackable trays are a good way of storing costume jewellery and sunglasses to protect them from dust; the transparent plastic makes it easy to view the contents.

This article also features on The Lady magazine website: www.lady.co.uk

Detox your Wardrobe

October 27, 2014January 8, 2018 ~ Alicia ~ 1 Comment

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

– William Morris.

Clutter is something The Lady’s Maid tries to avoid, especially within the wardrobe. Some of the wardrobes she has worked with are so large she gets lost in them and would quite like to stumble upon a Narnia-like world to escape them. Ladies that employ a Lady’s Maid are evidently in need of someone full-time to impart some order on to the chaos that can become a woman’s wardrobe. But whatever the size of your clothing collection it is still important to adopt a little organisation and appropriate decision-making to get the best out of it. A YouGov survey in 2012, commissioned by M&S revealed that there are around 2.4 billion pieces of clothing lying unworn per year in the UK, cluttering up wardrobes across the land; this equates to approx 46% of the national wardrobe. A similar survey by Weight Watchers, reported in January 2018, estimated the figure of wasted expenditure on clothing to be £10 billion, or £200 per adult, with only 55% of the clothes women own actually being worn. Clothing clutter is clearly an ongoing problem. Whilst some people may be hanging on to things for posterity, or “just in case” they need it, there is undoubtedly an accumulation and hoarding of unwanted or unnecessary clothing going on.

The often heard sartorial refrain: “I have nothing to wear” is often due to clothing clutter – it is hard to create an outfit if you can’t easily locate one. The Lady’s Maid advises performing a wardrobe detox at least twice a year to prevent overcrowding the closet. So, before you begin organising your winter wardrobe, try and have a clearout to eliminate old clothing that is no longer worn. This process is so important, especially if you regularly buy new clothing, as it will free up space for the remaining clothes and new ones, enabling you to organise them better and find specific items easily. It will also help you to identify what gaps you may have in your wardrobe – garments that you may need to purchase to get the full potential out of what you currently have. Having a thorough wardrobe audit is also very liberating – it will make you feel much more organised and in control of your clothes and your style. The ends of seasons are the best times to have a clearout, so you can do it at the same time as rotating your wardrobe and putting out-of-season-clothes into storage (see post on seasonal storage for tips on storing clothes).

Keep, wear regularly
Keep, but need to supplement with new purchases in order to wear
eBay
Charity
Storage (out of season)
Discard/recycle

If there are any garments that are dirty or damaged or need altering deal with them before returning to the wardrobe or selling/donating to charity. If they need repairing/altering you aren’t going to wear them until they’re fixed – nothing should be in the wardrobe that isn’t ready to wear.

If garments no longer fit or you haven’t worn them in a while, try selling on eBay first or donate to a charity shop. Popular designer and high-street labels and occasion outfits/dresses tend to sell better on eBay than casual clothes, so consider sending casual clothes straight to the charity shop if they are in good condition, or to a clothing recycling bank. High end designer labels will also sell well on designer second hand clothing websites such as www.hardlyeverwornit.com

Keeping organised

To keep your clothing collection at a manageable level, try to resist purchasing any unnecessary items and focus instead on filling the gaps in your wardrobe that were revealed after the clear-out – Group 2 is likely to be full of separates which only work if they have something to work with. Make a list of things you think your existing wardrobe would benefit from and focus on acquiring these items the next time you go clothes shopping. Your goal is for a complete, versatile and manageable wardrobe to fit in with your space and lifestyle. Resist the temptation to purchase new one-off garments unless you think they will complement what you already own.

Another way of keeping control of your new tidy wardrobe is to always get rid of something old every time you buy something new. Unless you have unlimited space this is the only way that you will keep the size of your wardrobe at a constant level and prevent overcrowding. By selling old items on eBay this will also make you feel more justified in making a new purchase as you have given yourself a discount tag!

Once the detox is complete your remaining wardrobe needs to be efficiently organised so that you can easily locate specific garments. Avoiding clutter creeping back in will be much easier if you have appropriate wardrobe space and storage solutions, so in the next post The Lady’s Maid will look at wardrobe organisation.

Seasonal Storage

October 19, 2014December 9, 2017 ~ Alicia ~ 2 Comments

As the days start to draw in and the temperature drops autumn/winter brings not only the very welcome start of a new series of Downton Abbey (about which the Lady’s Maid is naturally very excited) but the need for a seasonal wardrobe change. Now is a perfect time to pack away your summer clothing and bring out the winter woollens. With that in mind the Lady’s Maid thought it fitting to use her inaugural post to offer tips and guidance on how best to store clothing when it is out of season.

‘ “This must be a simply enormous wardrobe!” thought Lucy, going still further in and pushing the soft folds of the coats aside to make room for her. Then she noticed that there was something crunching under her feet. “I wonder is that more mothballs?” she thought, stooping down to feel it with her hand. But instead of feeling the hard, smooth wood of the floor of the wardrobe, she felt something soft and powdery and extremely cold. “This is very queer,” she said, and went on a step or two further.’

– C. S. Lewis, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe

If you don’t have an enormous wardrobe extending onto a further magical world like Narnia you will need to pack away clothing after summer has passed to maximise the space available for winter wear, which is likely to be much bulkier (especially if like lucky Lucy your wardrobe is full of furs).

Clothes are at the greatest risk of damage when in storage if they are not protected properly, so ensure that you take the correct steps to protect your garments. If you have a spare room, put a rail or wardrobe in there for clothes you want to keep on hangers, otherwise most clothes can be folded and put in clothing storage bags or boxes and placed on top of wardrobes or under beds.

1. Firstly, ensure that everything going into storage is washed, clean and thoroughly dry. Surface dirt and dust will become more ingrained over time and cause damage to the clothing fibres. Dirty clothes will also attract bugs and pests – any natural protein fibre clothing with old food stains or perspiration will attract moths and carpet beetles which cause damage to the clothing fibres. Some stains are colourless, so even if the clothes aren’t visibly dirty it is best to wash/dry-clean them first before storing. Moths attack only natural protein fibres (silk, cashmere, wool) so your winter wear is more susceptible than summer wear but other bugs could still be attracted to any dirty or dusty clothing.
2. If there are any clothes that need mending make sure they are fixed before storing.
3. Never store clothing in polythene bags or plastic garment bags, especially if the garments are made of natural fibres which need to breathe. In plastic bags condensation will form and could cause mould or yellowing of fabrics, leading to permanent staining.
4. Garment bags should be made of a breathable material, like calico, and large enough to hold each garment. Do not pack too many garments in one bag as the fabric needs space to breathe and to hang naturally to prevent creasing.

clothing storage box: The Holding Company

garment_bag — garment bag: The Holding Company

423687 — clothing storage bag: Cath Kidston

5. If storing garments in boxes, fold and wrap clothing with acid-free tissue paper to provide further protection and prevent creasing. Use breathable boxes or bags specifically for storing clothing. Acid-free tissue paper is available from specialist stationers or some dry cleaners e.g. Jeeves of Belgravia. Garment bags and boxes can be bought from department stores and specialist storage companies such as The Holding Company or http://www.aplaceforeverything.co.uk. For added protection you could seperate precious knitwear from other clothing and place in special cashmere storage bags such as these ones from The White Company.
6. Place an anti-moth lavender sachet or cedar wood block at the top of each storage box or hanging on the garment bag to protect from moths and other pests.
7. Place the storage containers in a cool damp-free area away from direct sunlight and heat. Above wardrobes or under beds are the most obvious places, or in spare rooms. Attics are not the best place for storing clothes as they are likely to become quite hot in summer and possibly damp in winter. They are also likely to be very dusty places as, unless you are the most devoted of housekeepers, it is unlikely that you regularly dust your attic. These conditions combine to make them the ideal home for bugs, and conversely the worst home for your clothing. Clothing stored in attics is also susceptible to damage from rodents looking for bedding material to make nests.
8. Try and inspect clothing that is in storage every now and then – moths are crafty creatures and even if you have taken all of the above precautionary measures, the odd one could slip through. In the event that this occurs you will want to be able to deal with any damage caused as soon as possible.
9. If you are likely to go on holiday to sunnier climates during the winter, it would be a good idea to keep holiday clothes together in one storage box so that they will be easy to locate when it comes to packing for your holiday.
10. When bringing clothes out of storage brush them down with a clothing brush and give them a steam or press to freshen them up. Wash if necessary or refresh with a scented linen spray.
11. If your wardrobe overwhelms you and you are prepared to pay to store clothing off-site companies such as The Wardrobe Curator will catalogue your wardrobe and store out of season clothing until you need it again.

In the next entry The Lady’s Maid will look at what you should do if your knits have suffered that most calamitous of clothing crises – the moth attack.

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