Time for a Spring Clean?

If you’re looking for productive things to do to ride out the lockdown, how about a Spring wardrobe clear out? We spoke to Andrew Nagel, founder of Neatsmith, British walk-in wardrobe manufacturer, for some tips on how to get your clothes organised and why it will make a positive difference to your everyday.

Tell us about Neatsmith – why are you so passionate about wardrobes?

“I founded Neatsmith because I wanted to make getting dressed in the morning and ready for the bed in the evening more pleasurable and organised. Our bespoke clothing storage offers a calm, well ordered and luxurious environment for our customers and their clothing. I know that slipping on a well-made suit makes your feel great and I wanted to create the same feeling when you open the doors of your wardrobe.”

Here's some wardrobe sorting tips...

Get rid of anything that isn’t comfortable

Embrace the retail shutdown and look at your existing wardrobe with fresh eyes instead of adding newness to it. Chances are there are garments in your wardrobe that have not seen the light of day for at least a year or two. Take the chance to clear away the clutter, Rediscover some old favourites and anything you’ve not worn for at least a year put aside. In our experience the most likely reason is that it’s uncomfortable – too tight, too small or too scratchy. Leave it aside for a week and see if you actively miss anything in that pile, if not it’s time to pass it on. Removing the clutter and keeping only things you really like to wear will remove some low-level stress from your life by making the process of getting dressed in the morning a lot easier.

Make sure you can see what you’ve got

Embrace the much-parodied Marie Kondo “Magic of Tidying Up” folding technique as a way to see more clearly what you have in your drawers. Instead of laying things flat in the drawer, you stand everything up on end like book spines on a shelf so that you are presented with a panoptical view of the contents rather than having to rummage to get beyond the top layer. This works for everything from boxer shorts to t-shirts. Ensure a finger space between hanging garments so you can actually see what you’ve got and browse easily. To free up space store seasonal items in empty suitcases or air-tight boxes under your bed.

Categorise your clothing

Even if you don’t wear a formal suit to work it can be helpful to categorise your wardrobe in to ‘on-duty/off-duty’ for more and less formal clothing. We are obviously big advocates of investing in specific loungewear; a set of garments that are comfort-focused for evenings or weekends that can help to signify the end of your working day. Keep these in a specific section of your wardrobe that is easy to access everyday whereas more formal suits and tailoring can be elsewhere.

Plan your outfit, including your underwear

Even for everyday, it’s worth laying your clothes out on a chair or valet stand before putting them on. It’s an easy way to outfit plan and don’t forget to include your underwear and socks in this process. You should choose the appropriate underwear for the trousers you are wearing and the day’s activities – e.g stretch boxer briefs for a more active day and great under jeans, boxer shorts under a looser fit trouser.