I really do love the start of a fresh year, I find it is the time for me to refocus on goals and plan ahead for my business after recharging and winding down over Christmas. 

I have been feeling motivated and super busy getting everything ready behind the scenes over the last week to enable me to launch my brand new Colour Analysis service for 2023.

For now, I wanted to kick off the year by sharing some of the things that I always find myself doing with my own wardrobe this time of year and I think that some of you may find a few of these tips useful. 

Declutter, Declutter, Declutter

It is so easy to feel demotivated and hibernate in January/February and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but our wardrobes and self confidence can often suffer as a result (remember the impact that lockdown loungewear had on some of us?!).

So to avoid you getting stuck in a rut, see you through the final cold months and prepare for spring, here are a few of my top wardrobe tips for waving the winter goodbye in style…

I’m not talking a full wardrobe detox in one go here, it’s about taking one slow January paced step at a time. Use those quiet weekends or evenings to tackle one or two categories to minimise the chance of becoming overwhelmed. 

Start with your active wear draw, put away any seriously festive pieces that you know you won’t wear until next Christmas, then the next day or so work through pyjamas, then shoes & bags one evening, jeans & jumpers the next until you have worked through the whole of your wardrobe & draws.

All you need to do to begin with is ask yourself these questions:

a) Do I love it? If you saw it in a shop now would you buy it?

b) When did I last wear it? If we are talking over two years then I would say the probability of you wearing it again is pretty slim.

c) Do I have at least two to three ways of styling it differently with my existing wardrobe?

d) Does it fit you well, flatter your complexion and generally make you feel fabulous? If not, then chances are you are settling for something that’s just ok. If you bought someone a present and they thought it was ‘ok’ you’d be disappointed that they didn’t totally love it wouldn’t you? The same goes for your own wardrobe choices.

e) Turn all of your hangers around the other way. When you wear an item put the hanger back the correct way, then as the months go on you are able to see which items you are not wearing as the hanger will still be facing the wrong way. When spring arrives it will become clearer which pieces from your winter wardrobe are no longer serving you.

The pieces that are no longer needed can be sold, passed on or taken to charity. Having less really can mean more as you will be able to see the wood for the trees and start wearing more of what you have.

Inject & Experiment with Colour

I always check out the Pantone colours for the coming season. Doing so enables me to get ahead now and dive in to my own wardrobe to see what I have already and how I can restyle it, making it feel fresh and ready for spring.

Working with colour trends rather than fashion trends I find is a much more subtle way of updating your look each season as colours that suit you last forever, trends come and go.

Persimmon peach is a new take on neutrals and would look super stylish teamed with denim, brown, cream or pastel blue. 

Cherry tomato red, toucan green & blazing yellow are up there as my favourites and I’ll certainly be having a good old rummage through my wardrobe to see which looks I can create with these colours.

Before you shop, make a plan and stick to it.

A bright new knit can be just the ticket to cheer up the cold early months of the year. Before you shop make sure you are only buying what your wardrobe is really lacking, what you really love and make sure it is multifunctional.

Charity shops and pre loved sites are kind on the bank balance and environment so are an ideal way to update your looks for the season ahead this time of year. 

Having an understanding of which colours to look out for and what is missing from your wardrobe before is the key to a successful shop.

Here is my edit of multifunctional staples that will add a pop of colour to your wardrobe and see you through until summer.

Thanks for reading,

Love Laura xx