If you’ve been following me on Instagram you may have seen that I’ve moved.

Yup, across the globe. I’ve changed apartment, city, country, continent, culture and time zone and now officially call Hong Kong home!

As a family, this is our third move in under 5 years, and with each move I find myself detoxing my wardrobe! There is obviously a lot of other stuff that goes with moving half way across the world, but this seems like the most relevant for me today, as I sit in the same pair of denims I’ve been wearing for the last 3 weeks already (they have been in the laundry in between of course!) I am really surviving on a super-edited “Capsule Wardrobe”.

At the end of every season I do find myself purging my closet. It’s an opportunity to reinvent your fashion-self, get out of a style-rut and reassess the clothes you own so that you show off your best parts – plus it’s extremely therapeutic and strangely cathartic. (and I ALSO have IKEA catalogue images stuck in my mind of what my cupboard should look like that motivates me!)

And so, in light of my more recent required detox, I’ve decided to blog especially for the style-hoarders out there who like to hold onto the ‘it’s too tight LBD in your cupboard that’s too tight, that sheer blouse from 1996 that might come back into fashion and the scuffed heels that you’ve worn to death but are keeping for sentimental reasons … toss, chuck and ditch them!

You’ll soon find that there’s nothing better than liberating your wardrobe from the clothing shackles that leave us groaning, “I have nothing to wear”.

Here are a few tips to help you make-over your closet…

You haven’t touched it for 2 seasons: You wore it, lurve it and can’t bare the thought of throwing it out, but every time you try it on it doesn’t feel, look or fit right – Get. Rid. Of. It. As new fashion fills our cupboards and the old items become out of date you’re less likely to every wear it again, ever.

They don’t fit anymore: Really? You’re holding onto those denims that you wore when you were 18, thinking that when you get back to the gym you’ll definitely wear them again, er, as you’ve heard (over and over and over) in those lyrics … “Let It Go” and go buy yourself a fiercly sexy new pair that you’ll actually wear.

They’re sentimental: While there’s nothing wrong with holding on to that sequined tutu you wore to that fabulous party or the fishnet tights and tiara ensemble you sported at your hen’s party – you’re less likely to wear them everyday, so they should be relegated to a special box or draw and kept for the next dress-up party.

Now organize: Once you’ve chucked out everything you’re no longer using, the best thing you can do is to rearrange your wardrobe. How you decide to do this will depend largely on your lifestyle – perhaps try putting all trousers together, shirts, dresses and so on, or divide your items into colours or separate all work attire from weekend getup. When you group things together you’ll soon realize what you have too many of – maybe you’re obsessed with the perfect pair of blue denims or white shirt. I like to use slimmer hangars so I can hang more items rather than folding them – this way I’m able to see more things right in front of me than digging in a draw.

Compartmentalise and group accessories, belts and even underwear. Take photos of your shoes, stick them on the front of the boxes so you can find them quicker, or I like to group shoes together – park sneakers, every day flats and heels (coz I ain’t wearing sequined heels to the park!) Now, it’ll seem as if you have a whole new selection of stuff to wear (and be closer to that IKEA dream-robe) and you’ll be able to identify any gaps in your collection. Now it’s time to…

Go shopping: Right, so you’ve ditched and tossed, you’ll need some new buys to feed your famished wardrobe! Through de-cluttering you’ll probably notice what you really love – the pieces you can’t live without. Mine tend to be denims and tops, let’s call these your Essentials, the cornerstones of your wardrobe. They’re the items you’ll always keep buying. Now that you know this, you can build a more versatile and effective wardrobe and from here add some statement pieces.

Let’s talk statement pieces: Quality vs quantity, I’m not saying you can’t be buying those 3 for 1 tees, but when we’re adding statement items then it’s probably best to find items that get you a little tingly, even if the price tag makes you rash a little. The high quality items will stand the test of time and you’ll also think about whether you really want it, which will give you more satisfaction when wearing it.

And remember, as Project Runway’s Tim Gunn’s says “If something comes in, something has to come out!” Good luck and let me know your thoughts or questions below.