Renew Your Fashion Sense

Spur inspiration by cleaning out your personal closet . . .

I have always been known to be a very neat person in every aspect of my life, from my note-taking skills to the way I organize my refrigerator. It’s just the way I am. I like the idea of starting fresh and new. The repetitive motions of cleaning and lightening an area of its unnecessary weight give me a therapeutic feeling. Now that we are in the middle of spring, the season of rebirth and growth, it just makes sense to throw the old out and make room for the new.

I find spring cleaning to be the best way to unwind after a long and hard week, and I find myself doing it every season (not to mention every weekend) because I believe that we always need the extra room to breathe and relax in. Some people like to run to wind down. I agree with the effects of breaking a sweat with energetic exercise, but sometimes slowing down and recreating your personal space can have just as great an effect on the body and soul. And there is no better place to start than with your closet.

Being a full-blown fashion enthusiast, I love to shop and never fail to bring back a little something new every time I hit the stores. I’ve become a much smarter shopper in the past year, a result of giving a lot more thought to my sense of style and taste. I love the fact that you can express your personality through your wardrobe. Thinking about fashion in a less materialistic way opens up a door into yourself and you may come to realize how fashion can change your mood, reflect your personality, and even increase your confidence. My new way of analyzing fashion has made me realize what I really need and don’t need in my closet. It has made me want to be more “me” every time I get dressed. I gradually decreased the mindless trips to the mall where I would swipe my credit card just because something looked nice on the rack or had a cheap price tag. Now, there is nothing I hate more than a regretful fashion purchase and seeing it lay around unworn for months; sometimes, even years. What a waste of money and time!

As a fashion blogger, I am always looking to find new ways to express my creative self through what I wear. It’s no joke that doing so can put a huge dent in my wallet. But I have quickly come to find that it’s so much more fun to shop within your own closet and wear pieces that haven’t seen the light of day in a while. Stumped about that floral dress from last season that you used to love but that now seems boring? Pair it with a frayed denim vest to update its classic pattern with a grungy touch. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they dress, so it is important to know who you are as an individual and understand ways to portray yourself through your clothes. Keep what stays true to your personality, and let go of what does not.

This season is all about renewing and recycling. Everything has a second life with a good eye and a creative strategy. So rid your closet of things that you are sure you will never wear again or that no longer catch your eye. Keep the essentials that you find yourself reaching for on a daily basis, as well as standout pieces that can be reshaped and transformed with a few added accessories or a switch of a jacket. Think practicality and minimalism. Take everything else that’s just taking up empty space and donate it to charity. Somebody else can benefit from the remnants of your clutter. In return, you will benefit from not having to spend hours finding something to wear because you have a million options to choose from. When your closet is bared down to just what you truly want to wear and old favorites from the past, your wardrobe seems instantly fresh and new, and you will save a tremendous amount of time and money.

The next time you hit the mall, think hard about whether your closet really needs a certain piece, or whether you can come up with an even better version with what you already have. An edited closet encourages creativity and smart spending, two things that life should have a lot more of. So make it your goal this season to dress for yourself, not for someone else. Let your fashion speak loud and clear about who you are. You will make an impressionable statement to everyone around you if you embrace yourself like this both inside and out, head to toe.

Published May 18, 2010 on LVCMag.com