The Case for the Seasonal Swap
Last weekend as my husband was reading the weekly weather forecast, I knew it was time for one of my favorite Fall traditions: the seasonal clothing swap, a tradition I’ve upheld religiously for the past 30 years.
Each Fall I spend an afternoon swapping out my tank tops for sweaters & my bathing suits for gloves and hats. (Though here in Wilmington, you need to keep a few of these items out for those rare & wonderful 80 degree days in the middle of December!) Why spend time doing this each year? Here are my top three reasons:
Maximize
I store my off-season clothes in storage bins on the top shelf in my closet, but in previous houses I have stored them in attics or in another closet.
Maximize Your Closet Space
If you have a modest or small closet, packing away off-season clothing and accessories frees up precious real estate for the items you will actually need and wear. Keep out a few of your favorite items from the previous season for those fickle fall and spring weeks where the weather changes from one extreme to the next and pack the others away.
Simplify
Organizing by material type makes choosing what to wear for the day a cinch! (Note: I keep my beach gear close at hand for those warm fall days & winter getaways that include a pool or warm beach.)
2. Simplify Your Morning Routine
Deciding what to wear in the morning (or even the night before) is made so much simpler by having fewer items to choose from. By packing up your shorts, tanks and flip flops, you’ll be less distracted when picking out your outfit. To simplify even further, check out the Project 333 Challenge. In a nutshell, the challenge is to choose 33 items or less (including accessories) to wear over a three month period. I have been toying with this idea, but haven’t committed yet. I’ll be sure to share my experience right here if I do!
Assess
Here’s my discard pile for this season. Most of these were items I bought on sale and wore once or never wore at all. A lesson for me to tuck away for those, “But it’s such a good deal!” temptations.
3. Assess What You Love
This might be the best reason to partake in the seasonal clothes swap: twice a year you go through each and every item of clothing you own and make a purposeful decision about it. Going through your clothes gives you a chance to assess whether or not you wore the item this season, whether or not it still fits you, and even to notice if something has been worn and loved so much that it may be time to retire it. I don’t ever worry about my closet situation getting out of control because I know I’ll have a chance each season to reevaluate what I own. For me this process often involves trying things on again and trying to figure out why I didn’t wear something so that I can make better decisions in the future about what I buy.
Create
Instead of buying a new container to display my winter scarves, I used one of my favorite winter shoe boxes.
Get Creative
Instead of going out and buying new storage bins, assess what you already own. Shoe boxes and gift boxes are highly functional and can also add a little personality to your closet. With fewer items packed in the space, you can play with how you display your accessories so that they are easily seen (and thus more likely to be used). I like to pretend that my half of the closet is my own little boutique shop.
Display
Adding little touches to your closet like matching hangers or a jewelry display makes getting ready feel special.
Spark Joy
If it’s been awhile since you last went through your closet (or closets!), I encourage you to try the seasonal swap and see how it goes. And if you find that you are getting hung up during the decision-making process or need some fresh ideas for creating a closet you love, please reach out. Now that I have trained with Marie Kondo herself (I still can’t even believe it!), I am ready to help you start your own journey toward creating a home that Sparks Joy.
Until next time,
