How To Transition Your Wardrobe From Winter To Spring

Keep or Give? Seek clarity of mind in decluttering your clothes.

It’s needless to say that Covid-19 has impacted almost every aspect of our lives from attending work, socializing, and financial stability. Coupled with a sunny national holiday shut indoors, it is only natural that for millions of people under self-isolation, boredom and frustration has started to settle in. 

The majority of us will most likely stay at home during Golden Week with an infinitive number of times to fill up. We are in that period of the year between winter and spring, where it can be notoriously difficult to predict the weather. You feel hot, cold, and wet all at the same time, with freezing days in the morning becoming blazing over the afternoon. You can fill it in the air: it’s time for a deep wardrobe cleaning.

We all have heard from the famous KonMari method through the bestselling book and Netflix show: “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo”. She is pushing the agenda that clutter and mess lead to stress and that a tidier approach can lead to a more joyful life. Additionally—something that can be especially true in Tokyo—living in a small apartment forces you to reconsider what you own and how you stock it. 

Decluttering your wardrobe can feel overwhelming, especially if you are new to the concepts of simple living, minimalism, or capsule wardrobe. This Marie Kondo inspired organization method guide will make more digestible the method of weeding out the clothes you no longer need in your closet and life.

Ready? Tidy up! 

Step 1: Gather All Your Winter Clothes In One Place

Shall we begin?

The shocking vision of the heap of clothes you will find on your bed will help you realize the number of your possessions. Before you start digging into this pile of clothes, you should absolutely have an end goal in mind. Otherwise, this brand new resolution might just end as soon as it appeared. 

the shocking vision of the heap of clothes you will find on your bed will help you realize the number of your possessions

Instead of focussing on negative emotions while sorting out your stuff, envision the positive experience that you are trying to achieve—i.e. having a wardrobe filled with clothes you love, make you happy, and will bring you a lot of joy every time you put them on. 

Step 2: Start Respecting Your Wardrobe

Before storing away your heavy jackets, coats, pea coats, and sweaters for the next 8 months, you need to make space for seasonally appropriate options. The easy way? Consider if the garment has sparked joy for you during the last season. 

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Did you have fun creating different outfits with it? Are you emotionally attached to it? Most importantly, is it something you could see yourself wearing next season? Work yourself through the pile of clothes from one category to another and seek clarity from each item. 

If you can’t find it, stash it in the recycle or sell pile right away! 

Step 3: Layer Winter With Spring

Don’t be too hasty in putting all of your winter clothes aside until the end of the year. Keep in mind the chilly spring days where you want to pair your lighter winter items with cute shirt dresses, tank tops, or shorts. One way to transition your winter wardrobe to spring is by merging both seasons.

 

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Why not pair a skirt with a chunky knit or a maxi dress with a cropped sweater? You want your outfit to be able to look good even when removing a layer. Overlapping your spring clothes over your winter ones is a great way to transition your closet and get the maximum use out of your closet. So while you are decluttering and tidying, don’t forget to keep those versatile pieces around!

 

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Step 4: Identify The Holes In Your Style

We all have those easy-to-grab items in our closet, the reliable pieces that will never let us down. These items sit mostly on the top shelve of our wardrobe, we have them in various colors, styles, and varieties, and we will find the silliest excuse to wear them again and again.

Yet, we should ask ourselves, do we really need five pairs of black jeans, shirts, or leather jackets? Probably not! Consumerism isn’t pretty. Identify the keyholes in your wardrobe, justify each piece of clothing, and answer why it’s worthy of holding space in your precious—and maybe tiny—closet. It’s time to rethink your wardrobe.

Blue jeans are a wardrobe staple that tends to pile easily, go through them regularly to make sure you don’t own too much. It’s also really easy to recycle them into cleaning cloths.

Step 5: Fall In Love (Again) With Your Wardrobe

Here you are: you have cleared away the clutter, sorted through your unwanted winter items, and kept your transitional pieces for spring. It’s finally time to see your empty closet under a new light! Fill your wardrobe only with pieces you truly find joy in.

Get creative with your closet! Experiment with what’s in your wardrobe—mixing and matching items that you already own can renew their appeal and give a new feel to them. Treating your clothes with respect sometimes also means to let go.

Depiction of you when you are finished with our 5 easy steps guide