Everyone in the world seems to be watching the Netflix sensation Marie Kondo, the organizational guru, who apparently is single handedly responsible for International storage solution sales skyrocketing. She’s also the reason that several of my friends have been text bombing me with pictures of their folded jumper / t-shirt / lingerie drawers. The whole world it seems is going absolutely nuts for the refreshed version of the age-old adage, ‘tidy house, tidy mind.’

 

Of course it also fits perfectly for the mood of a new year. Heralding in 2019, it’s hard not to feel as though you want to sweep out a few cobwebs, both metaphorical or in my case, physical.  And where better to start than your wardrobe. For those – like me – who up till now have resisted the lure of Kondo, then I’ll give you a surmised version of her methods, as I understand them. It’s about only keeping the clothes that ‘spark joy’ when you put them on. Those pieces that you do keep should have their own space ‘to breathe’ in your wardrobe (rather than my system of just ramming it all in I presume). And there’s a lot – and I mean a lot, of folding involved….and I haven’t even got to the hanging yet.

 

Now it’s not so much that I’m skeptical as resistant. I can certainly see the merit in everything having its own bit of wiggle room, I just don’t know that I can bear to part with the vast amount of things that would need to be parted with.  I also wonder how sustainable being an avid folder of socks really is – I mean, we roll them because when there are twenty pairs in front of us it’s fast and it works. Nevertheless I don’t want to be a naysayer – If you haven’t watched it yet, then it’s by all accounts life changing, and I’m totally committed to at least tuning in to see what I’m missing.

 

In the meantime, rather than culling what’s already in the wardrobe, I’m thinking that it may be worth working to a few guidelines for imminent purchases.

 

The realities of laundering are definitely worth considering, so why not look out for some pieces that are hand or machine washable rather than dry –clean only. This will make life a lot easier – no one enjoys the time and cost of constant trips to the dry cleaner.

 

 

Being guided by sustainable, ethical shopping habits is the mantra at the moment, and this, in part, translates to ‘buy better, buy less’.  Rather than toying with disposable fashion, we should be thinking more carefully about how we buy and investing in less pieces, but of a better quality.

 

 

Items don’t need to be absolutely off the catwalk trendy – a winning formula is to pick those pieces that are current but not so of the moment that you won’t still love them in six months. Look at what will work for you, because if it looks good, then it will last the distance.

 

 

 

Please note links to all the products featured in this article are in the text below the images. The prices displayed are accurate for the date this blog was posted and may be changed after this date.

 

Written By Nicky Adams