I'm always clearing out my room because it's so tiny and I hate junk taking up the little space I have, it's nice to have a wardrobe full of things to wear and I feel much fresher afterwards! The perfect time to clean just about anything is Spring, I know it's only March but it'll be raining blossom before you know it. Besides clothes appear to breed when you don't organise your wardrobe, no really go look now and you'll see they're already at it!
Step 1.
Decide how much clearing out you're going to do, it's best to do in sections otherwise you'll get confused and frustrated. Plus it's much easier to feel good afterwards even though you've only done half a bag ;)
Step 2.
Create three bags called Charity (to donate to charity obviously), Sell (items you wish to sell on) and Bin (items beyond donating or selling). Make sure these are clearly labelled because it's a real bugger when you accidently put an item in the wrong bag and have to empty it, it stresses me out just thinking about it. If you can then use different coloured bags and put them in different corners of the room.
Step 3.
Choose your rail/box/wardrobe and start small.
Step 4.
Try on everything and mix with other outfits to see the potential. You can chuck anything you hate into one of the piles, in fact why didn't you do it sooner? Even try on things you like and be honest with yourself, do you actually wear it and does it suit the rest of your wardrobe? How long has it being since you wore it? Is it damaged? And if so would you repair it? If you're unsure whether you would want to wear it again then let it go, you'll probably find something similar in future.
Step 5.
If you want to sell or donate something then check the condition, there's standards and to be honest it could have being ages since you last looked at it. Turn it inside out and hold it up to the light, you're looking for flaws such as fading; stains; bobbling and consider what condition you would want an item to be in when you buy it.
Step 6.
Fold away any items into the bags, it allows more room. Also pop a scented soap bar in to prevent moths and give your clothes a pleasant scent.
Step 7.
Now you need to organise what's left, pull out everything and sort into clothing type. Start with one type and colour code it if you can (although mines more shades of black and grey) then move onto the next type, if you can then tie a ribbon inbetween the sections or use different coloured hangers. If you have a big enough wardrobe you can sort it into casual or smart and the season, lucky you! Although if it's Summer I recommend storing your Winter coats where moths can't nom them.
Step 8.
Consider how to organise your accessories, there's plenty of ways to store and display them. I have a antique coat stands purely for hats and use a jewellery tree to hang my necklaces off. Think outside the box! I use a cute pillow to display my brooches and use old jewellery boxes to create sections in my drawers, it's annoying when I have to hunt through it to find a tiny ring.
Step 9.
Hanging organisers are perfect for storing your shoes without taking up much room or you could nail a ribbon to your wall and tie your shoes up, I only do this for my shoes with heels (otherwise there's nothing to tie onto!) and make sure they're clean.
Step 10.
Now it's all clean and organised you can now consider decorating but that's for another day, now you can give yourself a big pat on the back/hot chocolate/new pair of boots for hard work.
Majority of my wardrobe is online purchases and surely window shopping online is considered a hobby by now? If you live in certain areas it can be specially difficult to find anything remotely suitable and more websites tailored to the Goth fashion are popping up, it's no longer as expensive and even vintage can be found cheaply online. But despite the brilliant lack of queues and grumpy sales people there are some hidden dangers, your are at risk of card fraud every single time you shop online. I had a serious scare last year despite being incredibly safe with my card and ever since I've being very suspicious, I'm offering you these tips and hope you think about them every single time you shop online. No matter how many times.
Find and read at least ten reviews.
It's even more important to check for reviews if you've never used the website before but sometimes regular customers can be victims, Google the website name or use these sites; Review Centre, Free Index, Site Jabber, Squidoo, Dooyoo. I understand that when a website stocks your dream dress it can seem worth the risk, but please take any negative reviews seriously.
Check the location.
Just because it's got co.uk in the address doesn't mean it's based in the UK, if it's not you could be risking custom fees and high price shipping. And to be honest if anything goes wrong you need to know the exact address, you can't just say Buuhhh planet Earth? Find the address and phone number, if you're unsure then email them and ask for further details. Never buy from anyone with just a telephone number.
Does it offer encryption facility?
This is a secure form of paying and usually features a padlock, a Paypal account offers extra safety and always sign up to other security your bank can offer you. Also, does the "http" have a S in it? This is a very quick and easy thing to check so no excuses.
Use credit over debit if possible.
Credit cards offer more security online rather than a debit card, it's not the end of the world if you don't own one though. If your order was over £100 and it goes wrong then your credit card company will reimburse it.
Check the total.
One of my orders once went five pounds over what I considered to be the total, I thought I had four pounds left in my bank account and it's a good job that I checked otherwise there would have being an embarrassment at Tesco. Look out for tax, delivery and packaging charges.
Save everything!
Save all emails received or print screen as evidence, if possible you should print out.
Delivery and shipping.
Make sure they use a shipping service with a good reputation and if your package is coming from a distance then consider asking for a tracking number. Unless you agreed to another time period then it should be delivered within 30 days.
Try on every single item and do a little walk around.
I recommend this for a number of reasons, one of which is because you can usually a full refund if you return your item within a week. I always say if you can't be bothered to return then sell on, but it's worth trying on your items to discover any flaws. Even taking a little walk to the post office could show your item in new light, I did this myself and discovered that my new dress kept riding up. In fact I actually had to hold it down as I walked and what's the point in a pretty dress if I have to walk like Quasimodo.
Check the returns policy.
If it's a sale item in particular you need to check the returns limit and what they'll do if the items arrive in bad condition or faulty. Always make sure your item is in good condition when you return and make a list of any flaws when emailing them so they don't blame you, they can refuse you a refund is it's damaged. Also, you're entitled to a refund of your shipping and always ask who will be cover the cost of returning. Whoever covers it usually picks it up directly from your house (I've personally found that to be the most common) so make sure your item is repackaged correctly. Remember that they can't charge you restocking or administration fees for returned items. If returning goods you are entitled to a refund of the original delivery cost but check the terms and conditions to see who will cover the cost of returning them.
Stay alert.
Check your bank statement every month to look out for anything unusual, the website should tell you what your payment will look like. Eg the Egg Store may appears as EGGSTOR, always read your statement properly instead of skimming because there isn't going to be a big title saying BIGSCAMHEREYOUFOOL.
Just as I was thinking about how close Spring it started to rain and lasted all day. I always think Spring is much closer than it actually is, daring to poke one stocking covered toe outside before giving in and wearing my knitted socks. I miss the fresh air that doesn't blast my skin off and I miss the freedom of wearing less than five layers. But there's one sight I look forward to every year and that's a tree with blossom blooming, when I was a child I was convinced I would marry under the "pink fluff".
When you look in my wardrobe you'll actually see more Summer type clothing that I layer up during the colder months, it's nice to have a much broader wardrobe when it's warm. One of my friends actually packs away her Summer clothing until it's warm again, I honestly don't know how she does this but I guess it would easier to accept it being cold if I didn't have to stare at the pretty summer clothes. Weaarrr me Amy, gooo on. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO FREEZE FOR US!
No clothes I refuse, in fact last time I wore my red beret it got blown down the street and into someone's coffee. Anyway if I can't even wear a hat without the wind blowing it off I don't think my cotton dresses have much chance. The other day I cheated and used double sided tape to stick my skirt to the petticoat but it still flew up. A good tip is to gather as much fabric as you can then pull it to one side of your skirt, it keeps it tight and prevents the wind revealing your stocking tops.
At least when summer comes I can appreciate the clothes more but until then I am going to ignore the evil whispers coming from them, I quite like my nipples and would prefer not to lose them to the cold. Has anyone got any suggestions to give my wardrobe new life?
