Many women have no shortage of clothes, the problem is they’re not always the right ones. A radical wardrobe rethink can save you money and time.

By Gill Davies of Iris Personal Styling

Do you have a quality wardrobe or just a quantity of clothes? I use quality to describe not only the fabrics, tailoring and how long each item remains wearable but also the usefulness and personal enjoyment you get from wearing them. Many women I see get into the habit of accumulating clothes without an understanding of their own style and how to build a wardrobe. Building up a wardrobe that works for you doesn’t have to be complicated or costly – here are my tips to get you started:

Think about what you need
Having a lot (or just an amount) of clothes in your wardrobe that you donʼt wear or that donʼt make you feel great spells wasted time, money and stress.

• Less is more. A smaller number of carefully chosen items, each one fulfilling your requirements for style, appropriateness and quality of construction will give you untold pleasure in comparison. You'll also get a sense of satisfaction with yourself as well as long term savings.

SAVVY TIP: Depending on the state of your existing wardrobe, it may take some time – and investment - to get to this stage. However, it will save time, stress and money in the long run.

• Paying more can be worth it. Be prepared to pay more per item but have significantly less in your wardrobe.

First steps
Creating a successful wardrobe requires planning and thought up front, so hold yourself back and take the following steps before rushing out to the shops!

• Don't rush. Take some time to think about yourself and about the type of person you are - neat or relaxed, serious or frivolous - as it will reflect in your personal style.

• Write it down: Make a statement to help keep yourself focused when shopping.

SAVVY TIP: So many wardrobes are full of things that looked good on the peg or good on someone else but never made you feel like you and never made you feel good in them.

• Plan your purchases in advance. Start with organising your wardrobe. See full tips in my sample magazine.

• Plan a basic capsule wardrobe. Make a list with all the items you need on it and how many. Next, clear out your wardrobe leaving only those items that you love, fit and are in good condition. Mark off your capsule list what you have and what you need - this will form your shopping list.

How much to spend
This will come down to your own personal budget. Look at two factors, firstly how much you want to spend per season and without thought to this, how much you feel represents value for you when spending on specific items. Remember that the aim is quality not quantity.

SAVVY TIPBe prepared to take a few years to get there dependent on how much you can invest up front. Once there the amount you spend every season should diminish as your careful choices for style and quality last season after season.

Here's how to approach your purchases:

• Work with a budget: prioritising essential items and identifying those worth investing in

• Plan only one or two shopping days per season: where you work on building whole outfits.

• Try a new place to shop: department stores often offer the best choice in an easy space allowing you to put items aside or gather them together for one try on session.

SAVVY TIP: Make sure they have a wide range of designers, designer diffusion ranges and concessions good for basics.

• Donʼt assume you have to buy “designer” to get quality: and donʼt assume that designer is quality

SAVVY TIP: In the main, the mid price designers are good value and good quality and should last season after season, the top range designers are priced more because of the label than differentiation in quality.

• Take time to study the fabrics: Study the structure of the pieces you buy and pay attention to how they hang, whether the fabric will bobble, fade etc. Sadly with the demise of dressmaking a lot of this knowledge has been lost.

• Donʼt compromise on style, fit or quality: simply donʼt make a purchase until itʼs perfect. But if the style and quality is good consider having it altered, it can be an inexpensive and worthwhile investment.

• Never panic purchase: force yourself to wear an existing outfit if you donʼt have enough time to invest in getting the right thing.

Related articles

How to save money and keep the pounds with a money diet

How a spending diary can help you cut back

SAVVY TIPFor more tips on wardrobe organisation, fabrics and tailoring and where to shop, take a look at my blog and the magazine.