As part of a new section on WIT, I'm starting a series of posts called "My fabulous friends...". Each post will take a sneak peak into the life and wardrobe of a fabulous friend as well as take advantage of their fashion expertise. To celebrate the very first MFF, I asked four gorgeous friends to share photos of their wardrobes and five invaluable tips to keep it as such. Every problem has been tackled: from small flats in NYC to how to keep away moths and even where to buy the perfect shoe storage. I hope you find it as helpful and inspirational as I did, especially as it's swap-over season, guess what I'm doing this week end??
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Lucy Laucht
Digital Development and Social Media Manager at J.Crew
Wardrobe location: NYC
Wardrobe motto: Edit!
1) Living in a tiny, postage stamp of a New York apartment means my closet space is very limited. I've become pretty ruthless at editing and if I haven't worn something in six months then it goes to charity or consignment.
2) I like everything organized by colour and as you can see, I'm pretty OCD about it. I started my career as a fashion assistant for two stylists who ruthlessly organized their closets into outfits with each look meticulously photographed. That's organisation to the extreme.
3) Keep everything visible. If I store things in drawers I inevitably forget about them. My jewelry is displayed on an old antique mirror and rings in little Anthropologie bowls.
4) Invest in good hangers! Wire hangers drive me nuts.
5) Display your favorite items. My most loved shoes and treasured embellished items are like art to me. Just looking at them makes me happy!
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Lisa Field
PR Manager at Boden
Wardrobe location: London - Blackheath
Follow her: on Instagram @mrslisafield
Wardrobe motto: Regular clear out is a key!
1) I try and organize items by style and colour as much as possible – it makes it so much easier to find things and to put outfits together.
2) I’ve also recently started storing away out of season items in zip lock bags which has freed up so much valuable space in my wardrobe (Why didn’t I do this years ago!)
3) I always plan my outfits the night before – right down to the accessories and jewellery I’ll wear with it – that way I can get ready in 10minutes flat and don’t waste time staring blankly at the wardrobe when I’m running late.
4) I try and take care of special items, have them dry cleaned and hung on nice hangers, get shoes re heeled & re soled – it makes sense to spend a little on maintaining items as it will pay off in the long run.
5) I try and keep my handbags on show as it’s easy to forget which ones I have if they are stored away and easy to get into a rut of using the same one everyday!
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Polly Chamier
Art Director at Boden
Wardrobe location: London - Brook Green
Wardrobe motto: Wash, press, hang. Happy.
1) Prevention is better than cure! London is terrible for cloths moths and I have a serious fear of them having been the victim of these destructive creatures once before! Therefore I am meticulous about washing and storing clothes as well as protecting clothes hanging in my wardrobe.Use lavender bags and refreshen up with lavender oil every few months. I stocked up in Hvar last summer. Moths hate lavender! Cedar balls and natural moth balls are great as they scent your wardrobe at same time as preventing moth attacks!
A great website and service for all your moth needs:
2) Always iron your clothes before storing. I believe this is key to creating a happy wardrobe, your clothes look so much better than a crumpled mess shoved in the wardrobe and makes you much more likely to wear as its hassle free on a rushed morning to pulled a lovely crisp shirt. Nothing enters my wardrobe until its been ironed so I keep a stylish basket in my room with anything that needs ironing until its ready to be put away.
3) Reheel shoes and clean out handbags before storing I keep my handbags stored neatly in these Muji boxes, never put anything away that needs a clean up after use or shoes that need re heeling. If you keep on top of these things your purchases will last for much longer esp high street buys. I put layers of scented paper in-between handbags and always stuff any special handbags (my Chanel!) with tissue paper to keep its shape when its not being used.
4) Choose one style of hanger and stick to it. Keep your hangers matching and consistent in size and shape - it helps create order in a wardrobe. These are my personal favourite
www.ikea.com
5) Lack of Space? I don't have an enormous amount of room for my shoes (oops) in my wardrobe so I keep my favourite ones out on display, I like to think of them as an ever changing work of art!
These ikea hanging storage bags though are great for pumps and sandals in the wardrobe, however I think would need an entire wardrobe of these alone to house my shoes…
www.tesco.com
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Claire Brayford
fashion writer
Wardrobe location: London - Wimbledon
Follow me: on Twitter @cococan on Instagram @clairebrayford
Wardrobe organisation motto: Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
1) Maintenance: I always have a clothes kit ready containing a mini-steamer, knitwear shaver, lint roller and leather cream for any last minute maintenance issues. I hate to discard something I want to wear because it is bobbly/fluffy/scratched.
2) Compartmentalise: If everything is grouped in one section I can really assess which pair of jeans/white shirt/black stilettos work best. It means I buy less because I always know what I have and what is missing.
3) Organise: I try to keep on top of my wardrobe by ironing clothes before I put them back and I am always on the look out for new boxes to arrange everything from belts to sunglasses. Muji's acrylic boxes are a godsend for jewellery, you can see everything at a glance.
4) Rotate: I try to put my heavy knits and winter coats away in hanging or zip-up bags in the summer so I feel I have something new to wear when autumn rolls round (and vice versa) although this year has been tricky to work out when.
5) Love: I really take care of my most precious pieces - I have boot trees for my favourite boots, Lavender bags in my lingerie, I cover silk dresses in hanging bags to stave off the dreaded moths and I stuff my bags and store them with a felt cloth cover. A little love and attention goes a long way.
My next four fabulous friends wardrobes coming soon.
