When it comes to spring cleaning, your wardrobe needs just as much of a shake-up as your living spaces. Complete your wardrobe transition as spring arrives to enjoy a refreshed, clean wardrobe to help you feel lighter and to more easily plan outfits.
Your wardrobe should feel decluttered without bulky coats and jumpers taking up wardrobe space in the warmer weather.
Having an organised spring-summer wardrobe will help you better plan your outfits. Follow these tips to switch out your wardrobe for spring and to get excited about your upcoming looks and outfit combinations.
It can be overwhelming to regularly clear out your wardrobe and move items in and out of storage. I recommend a bi-annual clothes switch as the weather changes to freshen up your space for the spring-summer and autumn-winter clothing seasons.
Taking your spring clothes out of storage allows your clothes to air and be ready to wear. You’ll feel more in control with only your seasonal clothes on display. It can feel like a whole new wardrobe once you’ve switched out your wardrobe! This keeps your wardrobe looking fresh and clutter-free.
Set aside half a day to complete your seasonal switch. You’ll need to clean, review and compare each item. Grab a cup of coffee, put on some music and feel inspired to update your wardrobe!
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How to transition your wardrobe from winter to spring:
- Empty Your Wardrobe
- Store or Display?
- Donate to Charity
- Freshen Up
- Wardrobe Transition Display Options
- Organise Your Rails
- Choose an Outfit!
1. Empty Your Wardrobe
Remove Your Spring/Summer Clothes from Storage
Empty them from your storage containers so you have room to store your winter items. The spring-summer clothes usually take up less room so, before swapping clothes, put these in a pile in the corner for now.
Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring
In the empty storage boxes place all your mid-winter items from your wardrobe, such as coats and thick jumpers. These are the bulkiest items and are always satisfying to take out.
Rather than adding anything yet to your wardrobe, you’re just clearing out and making space. You’ll feel refreshed already after this stage and motivated to keep clearing out!
Categorise the Winter Clothes
For the remaining items, sort into piles one rail/draw at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Organise your winter wardrobe for storage, charity donation and display.
2. Store or Display?
Transitional Wardrobe Items
Identify the cross-season items that you’ll wear as you transition to spring:
- jeans, shirts, blazers, and loafers
- a few crew-neck jumpers for chillier evenings
- one pair of black leggings
- one pair of black ankle boots
- one light-weight coat
- keep those wardrobe essentials that I recommend in your all-year-round wardrobe!
Jessica from An Indigo Day has some tips for a slower wardrobe transition and layering winter pieces effectively.
Here in the UK, I would say April is when to start wearing spring clothes.
Items to Store in the Wardrobe Transition
Consider the neckline, fabric and sleeve length when deciding what to store during the wardrobe transition.
- turtlenecks
- boots
- gloves, hats and scarves
- cosy socks and tights
- leggings
- fabrics such as fur, velvet and wool
Tip – fold off-season clothing in zip-up storage bags or vacuum-packed bags to prevent moths from getting in. Add Lavender Bags to stop the clothes from smelling foisty! I bought all of mine from Amazon – super easy!
3. Donate to Charity
Keep your lifestyle in mind when you make the wardrobe transition: What do you do day to day? What are your hobbies? What type of events do you have upcoming? Do you like walking, going to bars, shopping?
- Throw away anything stained or torn.
- Anything obvious you don’t like or you think seems a bit cheap/outdated, donate immediately! Your style will change as you grow and holding onto pieces that no longer represent you is just cluttering your space.
- Anything you didn’t wear last year, ask yourself why? The covid pandemic is a good reason to have not worn some items, such as business clothes You might now only need a few smart outfits for the occasional trip to the office or client meeting.
Tip: If you’re now working from home as I am, and want to look smart on screen with minimal effort, a neutral crew neck t-shirt with your hair in a low-centred bun is all you need – and only comfort is required below the waist!
4. Freshen Up
Tracy from Declutter in Minutes has some useful wardrobe spring cleaning tips.
How to Clean your Wardrobe Quickly
- Dust away any cobwebs.
- Grab some surface spray and a damp cloth and wipe all the sides.
- Clean your mirror with a microfibre cloth and glass cleaner.
- Put a lavender bag in the corner, which will keep your wardrobe smelling fresh!
Organise Your Hangers
Take all the hangers off your clothes and group them together by style and colour and get rid of any that mismatch.
Tip: It’s useful to have different coloured hangers for each clothing category, or alternate a couple of colours to see each category clearly. This way you know where each section of clothing ends if you have one long rail! These hangers are the best as they are non-slip and come in black and rose gold.
Wash and Iron
Wash summer clothes that smell a bit foisty that have been in storage – to maintain your freshly cleaned wardrobe!
I’m all about the aesthetic and it’s visually appealing to have everything steamed and well presented – and it’s convenient the next time you want to wear the item. An ironed shirt or t-shirt will always elevate your look.
5. Wardrobe Transition Display Options
There are two main ways to display your clothes, folded or hung up. Here are my suggestions for your spring-summer items:
Items to Fold | Items to Hang |
---|---|
Light Jumpers Fold so they don’t lose their shape. | T-shirts and Shirts Once all items are nicely ironed, this is both aesthetically pleasing and convenient. |
Vest Tops and Bodysuits These can be easily folded and put in draw dividers. | Jackets and Blazers These items need to maintain their structured shape. |
‘Going Out’ Outfits I have a specific draw for these items so they’re all in one place, making it easier to decide what to wear e.g. leather trousers and glamorous tops. | Seasonal Dresses These items are less bulky so hanging storage is maximised and easier to filter through when on a hanger. |
Shorts and Skirts I personally fold these as I don’t like the clip hangers and these items hold their shape folded, but I’d recommend hanging jeans! | Wardrobe Organiser If you’re short on draw space or want to easily access bags and shoes, a hanging organiser allows you to see all your accessories at eye level. |
6. Organise Your Rails
First, group by item category (Tip: remember to use a different coloured hanger for each category to separate each section), then group these categories together by length. Next, organise each item by colour from light to dark for a pleasing look.
For those floral dresses in spring, this can be slightly trickier, which is why grouping by category and length will still provide structure to this section of your wardrobe.
Think about your shoes in your wardrobe transition. Start with the ones you think you’ll wear most at the front of your wardrobe so you can just grab them. I always opt for neutral sandals and white trainers with my more ‘floral’ and colourful spring-summer wardrobe.
Some other effective organisation methods include:
Cool vs Warm Tones – organise by cooler basics (greys, navys, whites) then warmer basics (browns, creams, nudes) to easily construct an outfit.
Fabric – for example, group by silks, cottons, linens. This is a useful system for quickly deciding weather-appropriate clothing.
Occasion – Moth Prevention have written an article providing some useful methods to organise clothes by occasions eg social or work-related events.
7. Choose an Outfit!
Choose the Categories
Following the steps above, you can now easily formulate an outfit for each specific event and the weather conditions, such as:
Windy shopping trip? Jeans, t-shirt, jacket
Driving to a sunny garden party? Trainers, dress and light cardigan
Beach day? Shorts, sandals, vest
Choose the Item
Once you’ve chosen the item category, you need to now choose the specific piece of clothing – which colour, style, or fabric would you prefer?
Skim through all the matching hangers in that category to easily pick out your look. My spring wardrobe is about 80% basics and 20% statement pieces so most looks I can mix and match.
Simple! Now your wardrobe transition is complete, love your clothes and feel in control moving into the spring-summer season.