4 clever tricks to love and wear more of your wardrobe, according to Leigh Campbell.

Feel like you've got nothing to wear because your wardrobe is a mess, or your clothes are wrinkled and you never have time to iron them? 

SAME. Despite having arguably too many clothes, I always reached for a select few outfits because I was overwhelmed by my wardrobe. Things weren’t stored right, I could never find the time to iron or hand steam garments, and I forgot accessories because I was often in a rush.

Until I turned over a new leaf. Now I get so much wear out of all the things I own and in turn, feel so much better in my outfits and about my clothes and actually get excited about getting dressed each morning. 

Below are the four tips I suggest if you want to avoid the overwhelm of getting dressed.

Don't underestimate steam and sanitation.

I don't own an iron. I have an ironing board, but I don't know why. I have a cheap travel steamer that I take away with me, and use when I need to get wrinkles out of items on a case-by-case basis (aka if they really need it).

But all that changed recently. Let me introduce you to the Tefal Care For You Automatic Garment Steamer.

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They call it a steamer, but it’s so much more versatile than that. I think of it like a little dry cleaner in my house. It is a super clever solution for easy de-wrinkling, but is also a very convenient, all-natural sanitiser (it gets rids of 99.99 per cent of bacteria and odours), and also gently dries clothing.

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The joy is that you can pop your clothes in, then get ready or do other things while it does the hard work. It’s compatible with any fabric, and you can pop in a whole outfit at once — you don't have to do each garment individually (which takes a lot of time when you use a hand-held one). It works in as little as 10 minutes, or for up to 30 minutes for more ‘demanding’ fabrics. It comes with handy weights that gently clip to your garment to help get a smoother result — so clever. 

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The new grown-up me — who now cares for her clothes so she gets more longevity out of them — sets aside some time on a Sunday evening to steam the outfits I plan out for the week ahead. It’s a game-changer on busy, chaotic mornings because I don't have to think. I am so proud of myself for paying it forward. 

The sanitise option has been fantastic for jackets and coats that technically don't need to be laundered, but have been on the floor of the car or shoved into bags. Then it gently dries my clothes (no shrinking or burning, you can exhale!), which is definitely ideal for the more delicate items I have in my wardrobe.

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Care for your clothes like a newborn.

I have to admit that I haven't always been great when it comes to doing laundry. Up until recently I was the kind of person to chuck everything in the washing machine together and hope for the best. Sure, I separated darks and lights, but that was the extent of my effort. 

But recently, thanks to a very helpful guest on an episode of the fashion podcast I host, Nothing To Wear, I am now a lot more diligent with the washing and drying of my clothes.

My guest suggested Softly Delicate Laundry Wash, obviously to use when washing lingerie and special items, but I now use it for all my clothes. I use regular powder for my toddler’s clothes, sheets and bedding and my husband's stinky footy jersey, but Softly is now my go-to for my stuff. It’s not the cheapest laundry liquid, but I worked out that if you buy it in a five litre bottle which is $24, it works out a lot cheaper than the 1.25 litre at $7.95.

I also wash bags for more items than just lingerie — I use one for strappy dresses or anything with a drawstring so the thin straps or cord don't get tangled in other clothes. I also pop my socks in as sets so they don’t go missing or get stuck in the washer door.

You won't wear what you can't see.

This is a big one. I used to have all my handbags shoved up the top of my wardrobe where I couldn't see them. As a result I reached for the few I had around. 

Now I have my handbags stored on either handbag hooks (I use a combination of big ones and smaller ones), or in clear perspex boxes in the shelving in my closet. It brings me joy to look at them, and now that I can see them clearly I use them all far more often. It has also stopped me from buying any more because I can easily see I have more than enough for every occasion.

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Similarly, I used to have my jewellery and accessories in boxes. It kept them tidy and safe, but I never had time to open the various boxes and pick what I wanted to wear. As a result I barely wore my earrings, necklaces and sunglasses because it was 'too hard-basket’ before running out the door.

Now I have all my trinkets stored on jewellery trays in one of my top drawers. I open the drawer each morning and can see all my options in one spot — it kinda feels like shopping! I grab what I want quickly and easily, and now get so much more wear out of my accessories. I love a simple, classic outfit like jeans and a tee, and a nice pair of earrings or chunky necklace always pulls an easy outfit like that together. 

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It's all in the prep.

Aside from the steaming I mentioned earlier, there's a few other things I do to prepare my outfits ahead of time.

I plan, steam and then group together an entire outfit, including underwear and accessories. It means I avoid wanting to wear that one bra that's in the wash, because I can make sure it’s clean and ready to go ahead of time. 

I use a hook that was already in my wall for an artwork (my clothes are my version or art, it’s what I love to collect), but I have also used some fantastic hooks that can hold up to 6kgs — they are much better than supermarket the sticky ones that can't hold much weight. I use these on the back of my bedroom door and inside my wardrobe.

Another handy little invention is these coat hanger extenders. They hook over the neck of each hanger so you can effectively link all items together. You can use them within your wardrobe to create more space, or as a way to group together each item for a full outfit. I use them to group together each look for the week, including the bra, undies, necklace or earrings and everything is sorted, ready for me to throw on and go.

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Find the Tefal Care For You Automatic Garment Steamer online or at selected retailers.

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