Fashion/Style: Organise your wardrobe!

The clock ticks 8:00a.m sharp! The time, when I’m actually supposed to be at my office, but a complete hour is lost as I choose, and counter choose what I must put on for the day. Yes, I’m late, but I’ve not yet decided on what to wear! Incidentally, it’s not because I don’t have enough attire, but because my wardrobe is so disorganised, and is typical to today’s market place. It is actually out of order! Has it ever happened to you, almost failing to attend an important meeting, or a friend’s party, frantically running around half an hour before going out, trying to decide what to wear? This is because you are not revamping your wardrobe enough. And, with that, you will keep on whingeing that “I am-bored-of-everything”, feeling like you want to buy something new instead of reconfiguring what you already have. If you take your wardrobe to be a mumbo jumbo for dresses, shirts and jackets crushed together on wire hangers (ugh!), piles of unidentifiable knits and t-shirts, and shoes heaped under the wardrobe, then you are a victim of fashion depression! “My sister’s wardrobe is always organised, but it seems impossible for me…I always think and plan to organise it but never get the success,” Nadine Akamanzi, 24, says. Akamanzi also confesses that her wardrobe is so disorganised, and that it embarrasses and makes her dizzy whenever she is searching for what to wear. “I’m planning to fix time and organise it, so that I don’t have a billion things crammed in there,” she says the nth time. Of course, men too have not survived this phenomenon since they are characterised as “carefree”, especially when it comes to the issues of wardrobe consciousness. Yve Nsengimana, 35, says, “My wardrobe is a disaster zone. I am trying to radically improve it. I started last night. I still have a long way to go but so far it is going very well.” “Some mornings I waste five or ten minutes trying to figure out what to wear or hunting for matching clothes. Today I was rummaging through the shoe-rack, searching for a pair to match my suit,” whines Nsengeimana. Getting ahead to organise your wardrobe is the easiest and most enjoyable practice to do, if you like. The first step is to know which items give you the freedom to wear what suits you most. Start by eliminating all those old wire hangers and replace them with plastic ones, plus one or two wooden ones for coats (they’ll keep their shape better). Dresses, jackets, coats and shirts should all be hanged. T-shirts and tops should be folded on shelves. If you separate these further into everyday basics and occasional favourites you will find getting dressed a whole lot quicker. Anita Mutesi is one of those perfectionists, and organises her wardrobe every weekend, and she enjoys the exercise. “I get my wardrobe to the way I exactly want it to be. You should see my wardrobe. It’s so neat and organised. My coats are in one section, my business suits, skirts and trousers are in another, all my casual outfits are together and my tops are sorted by type – sleeveless to long-sleeved.” How can your overcome a messed up wardrobe? If you are anything like most women, your wardrobe will be a bit of a messy affair - sure everything will be hung up nicely, unlike the men, but the order will be random as you just shove everything in from time to time. Therefore you should try to spend some time organising the wardrobe, so you can easily find the outfit you need when you want it! One of the best ways is to sort the wardrobe in colour order. That’s because the main thing we tend to remember about our outfits is not the cut or material, but the colour. Sort from light colours at one end. This way you will be able to find what colours you have a lot of and what you need more of! Also, when you need to match outfits it will be easier to do as you will have the visual clues of everything sorted in colour order. It’s important to be conscious when shopping. Don’t buy items because you have the desire, but ask yourself why? Leave out anything that is unworn forever more, yet can’t be thrown away because that would be a waste. Huh? OK, it happens to all of us, and here is how to remedy the situation. That top you have never worn because it drains the colour from your face, buy a scarf to wear around your neck to match it, and the problem will be solved! An organised wardrobe would be a lifesaver! Contact: lindaonly2005@yahoo.com