Spring Cleaning: The Fashionista Way

Spring. Just hearing the word floods the mind with images of flowers, green grass, sunshine, and surprise rain showers. At least those are the images that emerge into the minds of the common person. For a fashionista, the images are similar, but slightly more stylish. She envisions floral prints, bright colors, and strappy sandals. Another thought that people most-often seem to have is cleaning. While the average are only thinking of cleaning baseboards and cabinets, a fashionista is picturing browsing through her wardrobe and selecting pieces from previous years that will carryover into the new season. This yearly ritual is something that is vital to every fashionista's style health, but it is also something that can and should be practiced by everyone. There are several benefits to be considered so let's explore.

When most people go through their wardrobes they only focus on things that they no longer wear. They bag these items up and send them to the local thrift store. What does not cross the mind of most people is to consider what they have and give it a serious evaluation. A benefit of this evaluation is that it shows what you already own. This allows you to steer clear of items that may appear similar to items already in your closet that may have been forgotten. It also refreshes the memory for accents to new items. For example, you may spot a cute new dress that needs a cardigan. If it has been a while since taking a good look into your wardrobe, you may have forgotten about the one that is already hanging in the closet and will match perfectly. This will save potentially hours of searching in stores looking for a new one.

As mentioned before, most people focus solely on the items that they no longer wear whenever they go through their closets. This is not necessarily a bad idea, it just need not be the only one. While doing away with clothes that are no longer worn clears room and makes way for new ones, it oftentimes leads people to make hasty decisions about staple items. The great thing about designer clothes is that they last a long time and most have a classic feel that will allow them to come back into style in the future. The best thing that someone can do with their designer items is to save them for later. This will give more use to something that is so expensive and allow for saving money in the long run. After all, aren't designer clothes supposed to be an investment?

Once you have evaluated your wardrobe, cleared the useless items, and saved the classics, it is now time to decide what items are missing. This is where you replace worn out staples and, the best part, decide which new pieces to add. Scanning through fashion magazines, browsing stores, going online, or even just people-watching are all excellent ways to discover the season's latest trends to try.

Now clothes are not the only items in a wardrobe that should be evaluated each spring. Designer handbags should most definitely be considered as well. After all, they are the accents that can either make or break an outfit. When evaluating designer handbags, there are a couple of specific areas to consider.

1 - Is it worn or wearing out? While leather is made to last for many years, over time it begins to crease or lose its luster. Unless it was made to appear aged, a worn designer handbag is never attractive.

2 - Is it a trendy bag or is it a classic? Some designer handbags are made only to last a season. For example, many of Prada's handbags for Spring/Summer 2012 have old cars on them. While this year we find it cute and endearing, in a couple of years those feelings will have subsided. Designer bags that are overtly trendy are okay to donate to the thrift store after only a short time. However, some designer handbags are designed to last for ages. The Gucci Boston is a timeless bag that will look great with many outfits for years to come without being pinpointed to a specific period in time.

After carefully considering these two criteria and seeing which designer handbags made it through the slimming process, it is time to decide which bags need to be added to your collection. This is of course everyone's favorite part! However, sometimes purchasing new designer handbags can be an expensive venture. Luckily, there are alte
atives to buying from pricey department stores. Many people have found that buying designer handbags online at a discount is a much easier process and saves them a considerable amount of money. So, fashionistas, now is the time to get started with your spring cleaning! Not the boring kind that requires elbow grease, but the fun kind that allows you to immerse yourself into the world of fashion.