5 Easy Hacks To Update Your Wardrobe for Summer

( 1. )

Clean & store your winter items.

First things first: There’s no reason you need unnecessary clutter hanging around. Before you store your winter items, gather all of the items with possible stains or odor, and bring them to your local cleaners to ensure they are removed. If you store them without cleaning, the stains or odors can be permanently embedded onto you clothing. Then, organize all your cold-weather items out of the way to create room for all of the beautiful clothes you plan to rock this season.

( 2. )

Arrange lightweight items so that they are easily accessible.

Lightweight fabrics, such as linen, cotton, jersey, and silk, are perfect for the rising temperatures. Leave heavy knits, corduroy, flannels, velvet, suede, and leather items that are not in storage towards the back of your closet, as they are less than ideal for a hot summer day.

( 3. )

Get on board with the KonMari system of cleaning out your closet (if you haven’t already).

Quotes on organizing and tidying by Marie Kondo, author of the book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.” Watercolor painting by Beverly Brown.

The Japanese KonMari closet clean-out method is buzzing all over the fashion world. It’s extremely simple, but it works because it is a solution to the main reasons why we hang on to clothes we don’t love. Basically, it suggests that you go through all of your clothes (you can also apply this method to anything in your home beyond clothes) and identify whether each item sparks joy, or if you are simply holding onto it for a different reason. Then, you take each item that does not make you happy, and thank it for the role it played in your life, and let it go.

( 4. )

Highlight your essential items.

In addition to arranging lightweight items so that they are easily accessible, also keep key items and basics in visible sight so that you can easily use them as a base when choosing an outfit. Pick your favorite items that pair well with everything (think that perfect pair of blue J Brand jeans, a nude-colored slip, and your favorite simple t-shirts you can easily use to create a chic outfit).

( 5. )

Style a few outfits for each type of weather (rainy, sunshine, cloudy, chilly), and various events (i.e. brunch, outdoor festival, happy hours, etc.), and keep them handy for an easy go-to outfit.

This helps to solve the perpetual issue of having nothing to wear (which is, of course, exacerbated by running late because of last-minute wardrobe malfunction panic). Plus, having a visual of pre-planned outfits allows you to think of jewelry and accessories that would go great with each outfit.