Last Updated on 3 years by Maya Jayaram
The quarantine and lockdown induced by the pandemic has given us folks all the time in the world. With ‘no routines’ and enough and more time on hand, most of us are at a loss on how to effectively use this period to do or come up with something useful.
Of course, it goes without saying, now is a great time to learn or re-learn some new skills, revive or cultivate hobbies, binge watch movies, experiment with your culinary skills and so much more. But….we feel that there couldn’t be a better time to try out some fashion hacks- Quarantine Fashion hacks! Living in PJs and attending zoom meetings in sweatpants for the last few weeks, this will be a stress relieving and welcome change.
Start from scratch
The power of decluttering! With the luxury of time, you can start from the very depth and corner, from end to end of your closets and cupboards, just take it all out! Most of us have cupboards that are jam packed, that we have nearly forgotten about several pieces of clothing that we own.
Re-organise your wardrobe
Now that you have taken all items out of your closet, its time to re-organise. This will help you put together an outfit in a breeze and, more importantly, to figure out the things you really need (or don’t) and can be a great activity prior to planning your wardrobe shopping once the lockdown lifts.
A few important steps now –
- Create a visible wardrobe.
- Get rid of torn, stained, damaged or greying and scruffy clothes.
- Upcycle some of the ‘out of fashion’ clothes.
- Its always easy to declutter by category.
- Reorganise your lingerie, innerwear, outerwear (could even classify as western, ethnic), office wear, partywear, etc.
- In case, you have ‘vacation clothes & accessories’, move them to a top shelf, since they do not have to be mixed with your everyday essentials.
- Create a list of things you need to buy for your wardrobe, like a pair of black jeans etc.
- Create DIY stands to hold your scarves and stoles.
- Create labelled boxes for all knick-knacks.
Tip: If you haven’t used a piece of clothing in the past 3 months, it probably means it needs to go!
So much to do and so little time!!!
Put together ‘work from home’ outfits
Just because you are under lockdown and isn’t meeting your colleagues directly, you don’t necessarily need to laze around in your sweatpants and PJs all day long! To ensure you aren’t breaking away from your work schedule, you could try to put together a work week outfit, even if it is semi-formal. This will help you feel good and ensure you are more productive.
A stitch in time
This is a great time to hone your basic sewing/stitching skills. We all have clothes stuck deep inside our cupboards with one less button or one small hole or even a hem that needs alteration. Get them out while reorganising your closet and do the necessary damage control. And if you were just about to skip this point saying you have absolutely no basic sewing skills, then now is a good time to START!
Pamper your footwears and bags
Of course, reorganise your footwear, bags, jewellery, cosmetics and other accessories when decluttering your closet. But this is also a great opportunity for you to take some good care of them.
- Dig out those footwears that haven’t seen daylight since a while. Air out old bags as well (avoid keeping them under direct sunlight and for prolonged hours, 2-3 hours would be ideal);
- Leather polish your leather footwear and bags.
- Wipe clean your footwears, bags and jewellery.
- Throw out damaged footwear and bags.
- Check for the expiry dates and toss away unwanted cosmetics (time for a fresh batch).
- Donate footwears that don’t fit.
- Dust and clean your shoe racks.
Your feet will thank you later!
Hand laundry
Forgot that tiny red wine stain on your favourite white shirt? Don’t we all have at least a small pile of clothes waiting to be hand or delicate washed. With so much time in hand, we can get done with all that washing and scrubbing to save those favourite pieces. You could even try those stain removing home remedies that you watched on YouTube!
Deep clean closets and cupboards
Time to find the ghosts hiding in the closets! With the present scenario demanding high levels of hygiene and sanitization, lets start within our own homes, right from closets and cupboards. The decluttering time is a great opportunity to completely air out and sanitize your cupboards, that probably never had a break since meeting you! Wipe or dust them clean, use natural surface cleaning agents (depending on your wardrobe) that do not leave behind strong odours and use moth protection products, if required.
Donate the clothes that don’t fit
Want to make space in your closet for new clothes? Donate the ones that don’t fit you anymore. There might be some cherished pieces we all have in our closet, but there are others that we definitely have to say goodbye to forever. But make sure they aren’t overly worn out, stained or damaged.
Create a ‘capsule wardrobe’
Want to move away from the junkyard of a closet to a smart and capsule wardrobe? This could be the right time. Packed with only the most essential and staple pieces of clothing, footwear and accessories, a capsule wardrobe is an ideal way to make sure that you do not have too many items in your closet, thereby reducing the stress of ‘what to wear’ every single time! It can create a wardrobe of clothes that will make you look and feel your best.
A new ‘you’
Want to grow a beard or try out those ‘bangs’? Now is a great time, without embarrassing yourself, to try out some self-grooming! With the lockdown duration, you could always grow back whatever you have cut away or shaved off! This is also a great opportunity to finally take care of those eye bags, pigmented skin or even to start on a daily skin care or grooming routine.
So what’s next?
Trying something new and fresh is always a great way to stay inspired, active and positive, especially given our situation today. With spending most of our times indoors, it could be overwhelming. Hence, this lockdown period, make sure you utilize it to the maximum to take care of everything that you have been putting aside for weeks and probably months, starting with organising your closet, to creating a fitness regime to take care of yourself.
