How to Prep Your Wardrobe for a New Season

Just as new season temperatures start to show on the horizon is a great time to start prepping your closet for the new season. You’ll feel so much better and be so much more productive when the change in weather occurs if you are ready to dress for the season and can refrain from spending extra time figuring out what to wear.

Here are a few suggestions for getting your closet new seaon-ready:

Pull out/try on/purge clothing

Whether you switch your clothing out by season, or move everything to the back and out of your line of sight, it’s time to pull those most seasonal pieces to the forefront. Try on things that you haven’t worn in a while. Decide what you still love, and what you can live without. Then get rid of things that no longer fit your body by donating them to a charity organization; or sell or consign things that are in great condition but no longer fit your personal taste. I know it can be hard to part with items that used to be your favorites, but freeing yourself from things that no longer serve you is a good rule for clothing and life, as it makes way for things that are even better!

Get rid of junk jewelry

I adore costume jewelry, but sometimes it doesn’t last as long as I’d like. I’m sure you have your favorite pieces too—but if they are old, tarnished or broken it might be time to trash them in order to make way for fresh pieces.

Transition

Decide which last season items can be used as transitional pieces for the season you’re heading into. Blazers, thin sweaters and button down tops in fall are great for layering over lighter pieces from spring and summer; they help create depth or add color. Booties can continue to be worn (with bare legs) even when it’s warmer out—and sandals or flats can continue into daylight hours even in cooler weather.

Dry clean in advance

I can’t tell you how many pieces I miss out on wearing in a season because I fail to ever take them to the dry cleaners. I literally have two large bags full of clothing that needs to be cleaned—it’s not pretty. But by getting everything cleaned and in your closet as soon as possible, you get a really accurate picture of what you have available to wear before you go out to buy new pieces (this same concept applies to shoes: make a visit to your cobbler to see which ones can be repaired and which ones you should get rid of). This leads me to my next point…

Fill in the gaps

Now that you’ve gotten rid of a few things, here comes the fun part—shopping for things to replace them! This is where you get to figure out where the gaps are in your staple wardrobe and start to fill them. Do you need new cardigan sweaters? A spring jacket? Decide which trends you’ll want to incorporate (if any) and how many of those pieces you want to add to complement what’s in your existing wardrobe. You can even use this opportunity to punch up the color in your closet to help you get excited for the new season.

What are some of your favorite ways to prep your wardrobe for a new season?