Time for a change: Vault Couture
With a new season come a new wardrobe and a return of a few forgotten favourite items. This is the time to reorganise your closet, to storage, the cashmere coats and chunky sweaters and navigate your looks to always match the colourful summer. Now how do you start? We’ve asked founder and CEO of Vault Couture and returning Cash & Rocket lady the most competent woman we know Mounissa Chodieva, for professional advice to organise your closet …
To celebrate the Cash & Rocket 2015 tour Vault Couture would like to offer the first 100 people who sign up to our service a complementary three months free of charge! This offer is only available to sign up before July 1st Just visit our website and quote ‘CASH&ROCKET’ for your complementary three months now. This offer is subject to a 200+ items package for 12 months period.
What are the steps when re-organising your closet?
Here are two tips from our Vault couture wardrobe experts on re-organising your closet. -Allocate a realistic amount of time for editing thoroughly (a minimum of 2 hours). Real editing involves trying things on and going through a lot of items. You don’t want to have to run out to your appointment halfway through and loose your clearing out momentum. -Work left to right or clockwise rather than just attacking your cupboards in random order to avoid accidentally skipping over drawers, boxes, closets, etc. Make sure every part of your wardrobe is seen to. We often find people buy the same thing over and over again with out realising, and forget we have pieces, or dismiss garments one season only to love them the next. Therefore we think digital cataloguing with Vault Couture is a great way to start, with a number of packages to appeal to an array of different wardrobe needs. Vault Couture is a service that gives you access to your own virtual wardrobe, digitally accessible 24 hours a day – pristine, organised, perfect. Your favourite looks, travel bags, and wish lists, all in one place, ready to be delivered to you anywhere in the world with a butler-style service. Whether you’re a jet-set traveller looking to take the hassle out of packing for trips or a collector of haute couture looking to keep your collection in perfect condition, or you simply don’t have time to manage your wardrobe due to a busy work schedule. Vault Couture offers a tailored solution to all wardrobe needs.
What is the most important thing to remember when selecting items to go/ to stay?
At Vault Couture our golden rules for deciding what stays and what goes are: 1. If you hold up the garment and can see any body part imprinted in it, i.e. elbows, knees, saggy bums, etc., it goes out. 2. Pay particular attention to collars. These are near your face and right in people’s eye line, so any fraying, wear-and-tear or make-up/fake tan stains, etc. means it goes. 3. Consider the “two tries” rule: if you have put on a garment and then immediately taken it off to wear something else two or more times, let it go. I know, you spent good money on it and have never worn it, but you are not getting that money back by keeping it in your closet. Smile and enjoy the cathartic feeling of de-cluttering. 4. Before you begin editing, get at least two substantial storage boxes. Allocate appropriate names for each, such as costume, nostalgia, presents, etc. Box these items up and store them away from your everyday options. You’ll be amazed how much extra space and order you’ll win back just from this one simple step. Same goes for the million pieces of jewellery, scarves, and wallets that are not your style. Because they were gifts, you keep them out of guilt. This leaves your jewellery box and closet cluttered full of items that you’ll never wear—separate all of these out. 5. Anything more than 6 months old that still has tags on it was a mistake. It doesn’t excite you and/or it doesn’t work with your other pieces. We live and learn. Assess what doesn’t work, and let it go.
How do you know which items you want to keep in your wardrobe for the new season?
Always keep those everyday pieces you cant live without, plus a few trans-seasonal extras. However most garments can be vaulted seasonally, as this is a nice point to start a new exciting fashion journey, whilst still being able to access anything from the previous season you need at the click of a button.
Which dilemmas are you most often faced with from your clients?
Frequent flyers have dilemmas deciding what to pack and ensuring they remember everything they need. Always discreet and professional, Vault Couture will facilitate efficient delivery of items whenever you need them. Same day collection and delivery means that the item you request now will be with you in a moment’s notice. Travel can become light and stress-free. Plan holidays and trips ahead with TRAVEL BAG function, and when you are ready to go, just press send. Removing responsibility of packing, Vault Couture will free up your precious time making each journey effortless. VAULT Couture always keeps a log of what has been moved in and out of your wardrobe. When you move house, or go away for the summer, Vault Couture help to organize a complete online and printed log of what has been moved out of your principle residence to keep track of all your items at all times
What are your personal wardrobe essentials?
I keep half of my wardrobe at Vault and regularly rotate my wardrobe at home to ensure I have diversity in my closet and to make sure I use times I have purchased rather than keep them buried in my closet. I also have a capsule Vault for travel purposes which always has one pants suit and one skirt suit, in neutral colours, but I have several silk blouses in several colours ranging from fresh colours to something bright so the outfit can be transforms for any occasion. A cocktail dress. Always have at least two scarfs black and something colourful to complete the colours with me. Three pairs of shoes and always a flat clutch for evenings. Pair of jeans. I have organised several versions of travel Vault collection and recorded in My Looks so I can pick a version that is appropriate for the occasion and it can be packed at any moment and ready to be delivered to me.
What is your best memory from the tours that you participated in?
The friendship, determination, motors roaring, the huge sense of achievement and pride and of course the parties and dressing up!
What it is Vault Couture does
At their headquarters nestled within Central London, a team of men and women in white lab coats have exclusive access to what may be the world’s premiere walk-in closet. Vault Couture will professionally photograph each piece in your collection, recording every seam and stitch, creating a virtual wardrobe for you to access. Your garments are then stored in a climate-controlled, air-purified facility in Central London. Expert tailors and seamstresses are on hand for any and all repairs and alterations your clothes may require. Should you wish, one of our expert stylists will be on hand to give you a fresh perspective on your wardrobe. Vault Couture will facilitate efficient delivery of your pieces wherever and whenever you need them.
I WANT MY WARBROBE TO GO DIGITAL
At Vault Couture we will professionally photograph each piece from all angles recording every stitch. We will create your VIRTUAL WARDROBE with our state of the art software, providing you with seamless access from any location globally. The days of throwing things on a bed to see if they match are over. Review and arrange outfits with ease, selecting what to wear, store, have delivered, or sell. Use WISH LIST to upload images of that look you’ve admired, and then use your VIRTUAL VAULT to recreate that look yourself.
I WANT MY WARDROBE TO GO DIGITAL AND BE STORED
Extend the size of your personal wardrobe with secure out-of-home storage. Safely archive and store seasonal collections and expand your working wardrobe, while maintaining easy access to your garments. All items are bar-coded to be easily identified, carefully hung in a breathable garment bag and stored in a climate-controlled air-purified facility located in Central London. Our highly specialised tailors and seamstresses will restore and repair items that need extra care.
I WANT WORLDWIDE ACCESS + DELIVERY AND COLLECTIONS
Always discreet and professional, Vault Couture will facilitate efficient delivery of items whenever you need them. Same day collection and delivery means that the item you request now will be with you in a moment’s notice. Travel can become light and stress-free. Plan holidays and trips ahead with TRAVEL BAG function, and when you are ready to go, just press send. Removing responsibility of packing, Vault Couture will free up your precious time making each journey effortless.
I WANT A DIGITAL PERSONAL STYLING SERVICE
Optimise your wardrobe and create your own complete looks through MY LOOKS function, or engage one of our revered stylists to give you a fresh perspective on your wardrobe, just press STYLE ME, we’ll take care of the rest. Your VIRTUAL VAULT allows you access to your wardrobe and lets you keep track of outfits you have worn for trips and at events.
“The innovative wardrobe management service Vault Couture brings a whole new meaning to the term “shop your own closet”. The promise of an edited wardrobe with room for “growth” and all of my beloved oldies but goodies neatly stored away and catalogued with the precision of a Net-A-Porter stoppable page? Let’s be honest – they had me at hello.”
Caroline Issa | Fashion Director of Tank magazine
“New luxury wardrobe storage service in London called VAULT COUTURE spent a good few hours going through all of it; what to toss, what to sell, what to store, what to keep. I learned a lot and my closet is now much less daunting (but I’m never parting with my Spence sweatshirt, I don’t care what the experts say)”
Gwyneth Paltrow | Actress, Singer and Food Writer
