Keeping Your Wardrobe In Shape

Last night I had a terrible dream that a skirt of mine had holes in it. (Actually not last night, because I'm writing this post a week ahead of time as I'm on vacation, but whatever.)

Why was this such a terrible dream? Because I don't buy clothes very often. I went a year without buying clothes, and since then, I've kept the shopping fairly limited.

That's why it's absolutely necessary for me to make sure that my clothes last a long time.

So how do keep your wardrobe in good shape so you aren't replacing it every year or so? Here are some of my tips.

Hang up your clothes. This will keep them wrinkle free. Also if you hang them, you can generally wear them a few times before washing as the hanging them up will air them out a little.

Which leads me to ... don't wash your clothes after one wear! Unless you were really sweaty, most things can and should be worn a few times. Most people can get away with wearing jeans about 5 times, and sweaters 4 or 5 times.

Hand wash your delicates. I take my bras in the shower with me and just wash them while I'm in there. It's convenient for me, and it gets the job done.

The dryer is not your friend. The more you can air dry, the better off your clothes will be. Now for some of us, air drying is pretty darn difficult, but for those of you who have space (and you don't need much) air drying will save your clothes and save energy!

Tailor and mend. One of the most important things you can do to ensure your wardrobe looks good is to tailor your clothes to fit your body. Once you've put together a nice wardrobe, you don't want to just chuck stuff out. And you don't have to. Mend slight tears and replace a lost button. If you won't ever get around to that stuff (and I know I never do) take it in to a seamstress and get it done! Sure, you'll have to spend some money, but it will probably be cheaper than buying a whole new item.

Those are my tips to keep your wardrobe lasting longer. What are yours?