When you open your wardrobe what do you see?

Is it tidy, organised? Can you see and reach everything easily? Do you feel inspired? Can you easily put an outfit together that makes you look and feel comfortable and your very best?

Or is it messy, disorganised, crammed so full that you’ve forgotten what’s really in there? Do you despair every time you open it? Do you find yourself wearing the same old few outfits over and over again and feel that although you have a wardrobe brimming with clothes, you don’t really have anything to wear?

Do you dread sorting it out? No idea where or how to start?

That’s where I come in.

Very few of us have the perfect wardrobe. We work with what we have. Mine is certainly not perfect. It’s changing all the time, from season to season, if nothing else. The important thing is that your wardrobe suits you and your lifestyle now. Your clothes must reflect your personality, suit your colouring and body shape and fit you as you are now. Not how you were 10, 20, 30 years ago and not how you’d like to be in 6 months’ time. So don’t wait until you’ve lost weight, create a wardrobe you can use now.

I always think that two heads are better than one when auditing your wardrobe as it’s so easy to get bogged down in “well, I’ll just keep it until I’ve lost 4 pounds”, or “I really can’t afford to be getting rid of all these clothes”, etc, etc. What you need is a fresh pair of eyes on it and someone slightly removed from the more emotional side of the task.

So, what should you expect? Well, we will begin by emptying your wardrobe completely and giving it a good clean out, (you’ll need a duster and vacuum to hand).

We will look at every item in turn, assessing it in terms of:

• Whether or not you still like it, would you buy it again?
• Does it fit?
• Does it flatter your body shape?
• Does it suit your colouring?
• Does it suit your lifestyle and personal sense of style?
• Is it still current or a bit outdated?

These are all important factors to take into consideration. We may find you have some items that don’t quite suit your body shape or colouring, or may be a little outdated but that you still love. Don’t worry, I’m not in the business of forcing women to get rid of clothes they love, or changing their sense of style just because it may not be my particular sense of style. We will consider ways you might alter the garment in terms of fit or colour, or ways in which it might be brought more up to date through alterations or using different accessories.

And even if there are some items which really can’t be salvaged, I still won’t make you get rid of them if they have some sentimental value to you. But I will help you to streamline your wardrobe and move on from things that are holding you back and taking up space (think the skinny jeans you’ve never got back into since having children, or the expensive pair of shoes you’ve worn only once because they’re agony). There’s no point in holding onto these things when they’re just gathering dust and could be of use to someone else, and may even earn you a few bob in the process.

It might be hard to let go some of these, but keeping them will only remind you of past mistakes (and who wants that?) Getting rid of such items will have the positive effect of streamlining and refreshing your wardrobe, and you’ll feel a weight lifted off your shoulders.

You’ll then be able to live in the present and make the most of your current wardrobe which will be so much better because there’ll be no regrets, it will be organised, tidy and you’ll be able to see everything in it. Most importantly, you will wear everything in it.

It’s no quick job, it’ll take somewhere between 2 and 4 hours (on average) but everyone is different. Bear in mind that you’ll probably also have drawers you’ll want to go through as well as a wardrobe. It can be quite tiring, so be prepared, but it is also so very rewarding.

We’ll try to mix and match items so you can get maximum wear out of them and create new outfits from what you already have. It’s a good idea to take photos of these outfits to keep in a folder on your phone or print and stick inside your wardrobe so you don’t forget. You don’t want to start getting bored wearing the same few outfits again and again just because we didn’t make a note of what we did on the day. It’s amazing what you can create simply from what you already have!

Once, we’ve been through every item, we’ll put back into your wardrobe what you’ll be keeping. We’ll order items by category and then colour so you can see exactly what you have. Any gaps we identify, we’ll add to your shopping list.

Lastly, I understand that going through your wardrobe is very personal. Please be assured that I’m not there to judge you or discuss with anyone else, the state of your wardrobe, your clothing budget or even the state of your house. It’s nobody else’s business. I’m interested in only one thing and that is helping you to create your best and most versatile wardrobe.