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With spring also come the first days of heat and... The dreaded moment 'change of wardrobe', a random process that sneaks into our lives at least twice a year and that forces us to do more than an exercise in patience because for many it is a real ordeal. As an incentive, we must think that "it is the best opportunity to renew it and get rid of everything that, in the end, only hinders", explains a true master in these fights, 'Bego La Ordenatriz', known as the Spanish Marie Kondo.

To the governess of the order, as her name says, an expert when it comes to keeping everything in place, it seems an honor to be compared with the Asian – "I wish I would help as much as she did," she says – although she has a much more relaxed vision of order: "Everyone has their process and their moment. And you have to wear it without stress, in every way, because if a house gets messy it is because you live. Order is at our service and not the other way around, it has to make our lives easier, not make us slaves. Although for that we have to do, we need to have a little bit of routine and discipline."

She, who has copied Marie Kondo's vertical folding, assures that "we cannot be ashamed of the disorder" and that, in general, "we Spaniards are very orderly"; The problem comes because "the more things we have, the more difficult." Therefore, his first advice when facing the change of wardrobe in spring is to "put detachment into practice", one of the first tips of the Kondo method. "She has helped a lot and done a lot of good," says Begoña Pérez.

The detachment follows in the wake of the 'cleanfulness' philosophy, which affects the feeling of peace and harmony that we achieve with order and cleanliness in the home and proposes an ancestral Japanese method with which to overcome with note the change of wardrobe: the 'Oosouji', whose translation would be 'great cleaning'. It is a process of deep cleaning of the home, both physical and emotional, that they perform in Japan, every December 28, to receive the New Year well, an ideal time to do a comprehensive cleaning both inside and out, and get rid of negative charges and emotions. The idea, to let go of the past to look to the future.

Translated to our wardrobes, this change of garments has other benefits beyond the obvious. It is "when done calmly, it is a very powerful relaxation technique, since freeing spaces generates tranquility and a feeling of freedom. A clean environment increases our mental well-being, provides us with peace and happiness," say the interior designers of Maisons du Monde.

Antonio Heredia

Keys to make the change of wardrobe

For La Ordenatriz the change of wardrobe is part of their day to day; Teaching how to keep it in order is your job. That's why he gives us a master class with a few keys, simple, but very effective. The first is to start doing it "with encouragement." You have to look for what she calls a moment of order, take it with time and in a quiet time. "Better to go without haste and get down to work while listening to the music we like or have a drink," says Begoña.

  • The first step will be to empty the closet, as is. "We're going to take all the clothes out and put them on the bed," he explains. "Why? To be aware of what we have. That panic mode of 'I have nothing to wear' vanishes when we see all the repertoire extended on the bed, it makes us aware that we really have many garments. Another thing is that we know how to combine them well, that we use them or that we like them." At this point our change of season also helps. "The goal is to get the wardrobe to perform one hundred percent," says La Ordenatriz.
  • Once everything is out – except underwear, shoes and pajamas, which deserve a separate chapter – "we divide the garments by families, by uses. That is, tops, bottoms..., classifying jackets with jackets, pants with trousers, shirts with shirts..."
  • Now, we go back to making groups. Specifically, three. "In the first, the easiest, we put on the clothes that we usually wear, those 14, 20 or 25 garments that we clearly know we are going to wear for sure, because we like them and we are comfortable with them." In the second we will group those pieces that we have not worn for about two or three years, "for whatever reason, because they no longer take place, because they do not fit us, because we have changed jobs and they do not fit us in the new one or because it is simply no longer our style". These are the ones that we must clearly discard, without giving the option that they can be recovered next winter. Here comes into play the maxim that Begoña shares with Mari Kondo: put detachment into practice.
  • Finally, the third and most complicated group: that of the doubtful. What to include in it? "Everyone really knows it, because it goes beyond whether you need it or not," says La Ordenatriz. To help us decide, propose an exercise. "You have to think that we are in a store and ask ourselves 'Would I buy it again?, Would they give it to me again now?' If the answer is no, it should go to the discard group, "says Bego. The idea in short is to keep in mind that we should not accumulate just in case, "we must stay only with what we know we like or what I still have an important attachment to. The rest is best put up for sale or donated. It is very important to work on the change of wardrobe from that point of view".

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