What’s the value in your wardrobe?

Decluttering and wardrobe edits have become increasingly a ‘thing’, of late. Do you remember those long days of lockdown, when programmes we might previously never have noticed became an obsession? One of mine was The Home Edit, where two rather over-excited women visited homes across America to declutter and generally organise people’s bedrooms, garages, kitchen, and their lives. I, of course, particularly loved the wardrobe edits. Volumes of old and unworn pieces would be merrily packed into sacks, while what remained was beautifully displayed by colour, item type and occasion, all on brand new velvet hangers. Bliss.

In those American homes there was a lot of value in those closets – and that’s exactly the situation here too, and I must admit it was both a pleasure and a frustration; oh how I would have liked to get my hands on some of those wardrobes!

When was the last time you had a wardrobe declutter? When did you last assess your shoe and handbag collection to assess what you simply no longer love and so never leaves the house?

Ladies! Take action!

There are hundreds of women out there who would LOVE a rifle through the beautiful items you no longer love, and here’s how to monetise that.

Either do it yourself, or bring in a professional wardrobe decluttering expert. The latter is quicker, and certainly helps you to be more firm with yourself.
Create three distinct piles of clothes, bags and shoes and label these: KEEP, SELL, DONATE.
Replace everything you want to keep in your wardrobe and drawers.
Reassess your SELL pile. As a professional reseller of beautiful clothes, I can tell you I regularly reject up to 70% of the items people bring to me for re-sale. Much of this comes from experience, of course – I know what will draw attention and will sell, both instore and online.
As a starting point, clothing items need to be either classic styles, or current. Clothes must be in excellent condition, and freshly laundered. We resell designer brands, boutique brands, high-end fashions from brands nobody else has heard of and beautiful items from high street heroes such as Zara, Ted Baker and All Saints, so as long as the item is truly lovely, and ticks the quality boxes, we will take a look at it.
Shoes must be clean, no scuffing (except on the sole) and no staining inside. If you still have the original bags and boxes, that’s excellent,
Bags can look loved, but zips must work, the interior must be clean, all straps must be present and blemishes at a minimum. Again – the original bags and boxes are important. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself – if you saw this for sale, would you buy it? Is it ‘pre-loved’, or does it feel second-hand. There’s a subtle difference, but it’s key.
Jewellery must have no missing stones or broken parts, if you’ve got the original box, even better.
Register on the Dress Cheshire website as a seller. It’s very quick, and you can detail everything you want to bring in on the form then bring that with you when you come in.
Come and see us! Once you’re registered, simply pop into the shop, and we can assess your collection.
We pay between 50% and 70% commission on every item we sell on your behalf, which we pay to you by bank transfer. Any items we choose not to take you can either take home or leave with us to be donated to our favourite local charity.

Enjoy the income! Whether it’s a lot or a little, not only have you made some money, but you will have made another woman very happy, and prevented clothes from heading to landfill. It’s an all-round win!

So – what might the no-longer-loved pieces in your wardrobe be worth? Is has to be worth finding out, surely?

Christine x