Tips To Sort & Organise Your Wardrobe Once And For All

We’ve teamed up with Instagram’s fave celeb wardrobe organiser hailed by Davina McCall as ‘the Marie Kondo of Britain’. With a client list boasting MIC alum Millie Macintosh and radio legend Scott Mills, Lucy Mansey (aka @organisedbylucy) has all the answers for how to sort your clothes to solve your organisational woes.

Lucy says: “I strongly believe that your home should be a place where you should feel a sense of calm, serenity and happiness. Organising is not just about aesthetics, it is a form of self care.”

The organisational hack that will be everywhere in 2024:

Nowadays, you can’t open a social media feed without seeing tips, tricks and hacks. So, what wardrobe hacks can we expect to see everywhere in 2024?

Lucy reveals: “For me, the key to an organised space is clearing out the clutter. By that I mean don’t have items in your wardrobe that you no longer love, serve a purpose or feel amazing in. In that vein, I believe the best organisational hack for 2024 will be to buy smarter. Well that, and slimline velvet hangers – these are a game changer when it comes to optimising space!”

What fabrics should be hung and which should be folded:

The last thing you want is to ruin a well-loved garment by storing it incorrectly, or waste your time constantly ironing items because it simply doesn’t fare well when folded. But how do we know what fabrics we can put in our drawers and which we can hang?

Our resident head stylist, Megan Watkins, suggests: “Stretchy, durable items like your gym wear or loungewear sets are perfect for folding, and you should never hang your knitwear as they may stretch and lose their shape. Anything made of flowy, lightweight fabrics like satin, silk and linen must be hung as they are incredibly prone to creasing.

Items you should fold:

• Activewear
• Loungewear
• Knitted items
• Underwear
• Jersey items
• Lycra

Items you should hang:

• Shirts
• Satin items
• Silk items
• Linens
• Cotton
• Velvet items

To colour-code or not to colour-code:

There is nothing more Pinterest-worthy than a colour-coded space. Whether it be a bookshelf, fridge or make-up station, we get serious organisation envy. But is meticulous colour-coding worth the faff?

Lucy says: “I colour code all of my clothes, and my clients’ too. But before that, I would categorise them. So, in essence, they would be colour coded, but in their categories (e.g all smart tops/blouses together, then dresses, then skirts). It helps with being able to visualise what you have, and also a huge benefit when outfit building.”

Organising your wardrobe according to season:

So, now that we’ve colour-coded our wardrobe, is it worth organising for the season?

Megan reveals: “Although it may be tempting to separate your wardrobe into ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ sections, there are plenty of pieces that are transitional and timeless. For example, a classic white shirt – perhaps used as a beach cover-up during summer – can be used as a layer under knitwear for a sleek office look. Your favourite summer maxi-dress can also be worn with boots and a long woollen coat, which is a great outfit for a Sunday pub lunch.”

How to store your knitwear during warmer months:

Yes, there is nothing better than throwing on our favourite chunky sweater and getting settled into the winter season, but when the weather starts to change, how do we make sure the garment can stand the test of time so we can wear it again and again?

Lucy says: “I like to store knitwear in mothproof, clear boxes or vacuum bags. You could even pop a few moth repellent products in there to be safe! As knitwear is so chunky, it takes up valuable space, so it would be good to remove it from your current/capsule wardrobe.”

How To Start Sorting Your Wardrobe:

Organising your wardrobe can seem like a mammoth task, and you can feel like you’ll never have the time to get it all done. However, the key is to not feel like you have to do it all in one go…

Lucy recommends: “I would not recommend you do it all at once (unless you have a spare 8 hours!). Small and steady wins the race, so tackle an area at a time. Start by getting everything out, and really asking yourself ‘what do I love?’, ‘what do I feel good in?’ And ‘what serves a positive purpose?’.”

“Try not to hold onto items you haven’t worn in the last seasonal year. Then, create piles to keep, store and donate. Once you have done this, look at the space you have available to you and decide what fits best where.”