You guys! I’ve been doing some intense spring cleaning, purging my closet like crazy, and doing some major wardrobe revamping. When I was pregnant I couldn’t wait until the day I wasn’t pregnant and could purge my closet. It’s been cleansing and eye opening, so if you haven’t done it yet this year, you should totally do some spring cleaning! I’ve actually been purging for the last few months, and now I’m finally at a point where I’m assessing my closet and creating a list to fill the holes. That means: shopping!
So today I’m excited to team up with Zappos to talk about doing some spring cleaning and the kinds of pieces I’ve been adding for spring!
This has been my process so far:
Pin stuff and study the pattern.
In Part 1 of Wardrobe From Scratch I talked about both the unhelpful and helpful ways to use Pinterest. What’s unhelpful for me is when I see ONE outfit and buy items trying to replicate that ONE outfit without thinking if the items fit my overall style or actually go with anything else in my closet. What’s helpful is when I study the patterns on my style board as a whole. Overall, do I pin lots of pastels or bold colors? Soft or saturated neutrals? Stripes, florals, polka dots, or all of the above? Look for patterns so that you’re not just buying one-off pieces and instead know what kind of wardrobe you’re trying to build.
Examine each of your pieces.
Whether you pull everything out of your closet or you go down your hangers and have an honest heart-to-heart with each piece, I think it’s important to examine each piece. I ask myself when the last time I wore it was, and if it’s been a while, why have I not worn it? Do I not like the material? Does it hit me at a weird place? Did I straight up just make a mistake while buying it? Can the problem be fixed with a cost worthy alteration? Or did I just forget about it and need to create some outfits with it?
Sort into categories:
a) Keep
b) Get altered
c) Get rid of
For me, there’s actually something between b and c, which is like a purgatory. I can’t let go of things that quickly because I always wonder if I’ll need it “in case” of something. I ease the transition by taking it out of my closet and putting it into another closet. If I look in that closet a few weeks or months down the road and don’t really miss it (usually the case!) then it’s toast.
Create a list of pieces to buy.
My list has two categories:
a) Clothes to replace. I’m actually a little slimmer than I was pre-pregnancy and while most of my clothes still fit okay, some that were a *tad* too big before are now noticeably big. I’m looking for replacements. If some of your beloved staples are worn out or don’t fit, put them on a list of items to replace. On this list for me are white jeans and boyfriend jeans, among a few other items.
b) Clothes to fill holes. Figure out what’s missing from your closet based on what you observed from your pin boards. For spring, I’m loving pastels (something I never thought I’d say!), laser cut details, gold, and pinks/corals.
Shop!
This has actually been difficult for me as a new parent. It feels like a lot of work to get myself to a mall, yet, because I purged so much I have a ton of holes in my closet. Aggghhh! Online shopping has been my saving grace as I’m gearing up for spring!
I mentioned last week that I’d been venturing out to new stores, and Zappos has been a great resource for me. It’s incredibly convenient because of FREE 2-DAY SHIPPING. I mean, does it get any better?!
And then Zappos’ selection–it’s enormous! That made it easy to find several great pieces that were on my spring shopping list.
I was able to get gorgeous soft pink laser cut pumps (see the peep toe version HERE). One of the colors I’m loving for spring! They act like a nude pump, but are a little more interesting. Plus the laser cut detail is totally springy.
I also found replacement boyfriend jeans. Boyfriend jeans are a favorite for me in the spring. I really like the pair I’m wearing above, buuuuuut, I’m considering trading them in for a pair that’s a little longer like these. I’m torn! Anyway, if you’re looking for a shorter pair, these are sturdy but not stiff. I normally wear 6 or 8 in fitted jeans and 6 fit perfectly.
Lastly, I’m really into this gold heart charm bracelet. It’s a tiny addition that I think goes a long way! Like, seriously. I’ve even considered doing a side by side of an outfit with and without the charm to show the difference, but you’ll just have to trust me. 😉
These pieces alone are already making my wardrobe feel new again!
If you haven’t yet, I would highly recommend cleaning out your closet this spring. I would also highly recommend checking out Zappos’ huge selection and taking advantage of the free 2-day shipping to freshen up your wardrobe!
This post was created in partnership with Zappos. For more on PMT’s sponsorship policies, see disclosure.