Managing a Wardrobe in Two Homes
Managing a Wardrobe in Two Homes

Managing a Wardrobe in Two Homes

For the last nine months we’ve been living in both Seattle and Salt Lake City. Greg is working for a company that has offices in both cities. We have a house in Seattle, and we now rent a loft apartment in Salt Lake City too. Greg is in Utah more frequently than I am, but Yorkie Sam and I try to join him every four to six weeks for about two weeks at a time.

Apart from house slippers, snow boots, a short puffer jacket, trail shoes, some socks, a sun hat, beanie, and a complete set of toiletries and medication box, I keep my wardrobe in Seattle and pack a travel capsule every time I live in Salt Lake City. The loft is fully kitted out so we can easily do laundry in SLC.

I thought of leaving loungewear and yoga wear at the loft, and might do that this year. But the rest of my wardrobe is staying in Seattle so that I can wear what I want, when I want. It’s not fun packing, unpacking, and ironing as frequently as I do, but since I spend more time and work with clients in Seattle, it makes the most sense to me.

Some of my clients with a dual-home lifestyle minimize packing and unpacking by keeping half of their wardrobe in each home. As a result we find ourselves missing some items during outfit creation sessions. Items can’t be in two places at once, and sometimes they lose track of them, or find themselves wanting items from the other home. My clients with this strategy end up making some style compromises if they don’t duplicate items to compensate.

Personally, I don’t want to make the outlay to have two wardrobes. I’d rather pack, unpack and iron more frequently so that my outfits are dead right in either city, I feel pulled together, and I know exactly what I have and where it is.

Do you have a dual-city lifestyle, and if so, what are your strategies for managing your wardrobe?