What’s In Your Closet For Spring & Summer? Are You Recycling For This Season?

The spring/summer season is almost upon us, inspired by the fashion catwalk from recent fashion weeks ( SS 13 & AW 13), street style fashionistas and bubbly television adverts for spring summer, from nail polish colours to clothing lines. Shopping around the malls whether your favourite stores are Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Dillards,Topshop, All Saints, JCPenney, Khols, Macys, or Target, H & M, Chico’s,TJ Maxx/Marshalls, the list is endless and so is the choice. We are being bombarded with brands, styles, colour, patterns, collaborations, fashion magazines, the must have for this season, capsule collections. How far will your dollar/pound stretch?

I made a decision at the beginning of this year, to be more careful about my purchases in terms of fashion clothing, accessories and beauty buys.

Prompted by the fact we have a wedding invite for next month and a trip to Las Vegas (Arbonne GTC), I decided to look through my wardrobe, to see what exactly was hidden in there, this venture turned into another mini throw away/give away/go to the dry cleaners/declutter day.

The idea in my head was to really look at what I wear, how often, for what occcasion?What suits me? What is My Style? more importantly what pieces do I have in my wardrobe that I can wear again or recycle for this season?. Can I link seperates together that I wouldn’t have paired in the past?.

I had a least 4 lovely dresses hardly worn, a couple of pashmina shawls & the necessary accessories including shoes. What is missing? A new shoulder bag I think. That’s the wedding sorted and a couple of evenings in Vegas.

I put my thinking cap on so to speak and started planning a few outfits that I could wear in the day time.

Here are 2 daytime outfits I put together without spending a dime.

Wardrobe Recycling Outfit One:

All have been in my wardrobe a while apart from the shoes

Linen Jacket (old) BHS - UK. Animal print T shirt l (from last year) Dorothy Perkins online. Skirt (old) Francesca’s. Brown Leather belt and necklace – (old) Phase Eight UK. Leather Cross Body Bag  (old) – ASOS sale. Shoes (leather) new C Wonder sale $37.

That’s a great daytime outfit, even if I do say so myself.

 Wardrobe Recycling Outfit Two:

Cotton Dress last year from Banana Republic. Shoes as before C Wonder sale $37. Kukui beads from Oahu Hawaii, Handbag Michael Kors. Maybe one purchase I would like to make should be a smart lightweight blazer in Navy blue which would be perfect to dress casual smart with jeans, cut offs, skirts and of course this dress.

By identifying what you have in your closet that is still worth another seasons wear, you will not only save money, but then you could afford to shop for essential  accessories such as: bangles (single and chunky or layered), a brooch, necklaces, or scarves. Whatever your taste in colour and designs look for pastel shades and floral patterns, so perfect for the spring/summer season. Go on try new lip colour, or maybe a treat that verstaile handbag, or maybe a neon belt, even eye catching nail varnish. I have bought 2 Essie shades today, mint candy apple green and spagetti strap (gorgeous pastel pink.)

Once you have sorted through clothes that can be worn for this season it will help you to identify what is missing. For example; I have a great navy & white cotton striped cardigan, how can I plan an outfit around it? What have I in my closet already that I can pair together?- a plain tee shirt perhaps or a pair of linen trousers, these are staple pieces that will go with almost anything – including the navy blazer I mentioned already. Make a list of items that may will enhance your exisiting wardrobe items. Recycle and save. Buy key or capsule pieces that will serve you well.

Mix or match colour, styles, patterns. Go simple, go elegant, go eclectic. Create your own style or image.

My shopping list now consists of.

1 blazer, 2 T shirts (1 on order from Cécile - see previous post), I pair of linen/lightwieight trousers,1 shoulder bag.

So much less that it would have been normally.

Now I love to shop so this is a complete turn around for me. But as hubby and I have plans for our home and a vacation, its time to budget and recycle some wardrobe items.

More to come from Stylebyladyg and Recycling wardrobe items.

What’s In Your Closet For Spring & Summer? Are You Recycling For This Season?