If your closet looks like a hurricane just blew through it, it may be time to stop and smell the mothballs. Here are a few easy steps to get your closet under control and looking great.
Instructions
1. Eliminate. There is no reason to spend time folding, stacking and organizing clothes that have no business seeing the light of day. Take some time to sift through the shelves, drawers and even the darkest recesses of your closet and get rid of outdated, ill-fitting or just plain obnoxious garments. A good rule of thumb is this: if you haven’t worn the item in the last year, it needs to go. Keep in mind that sometimes tastes do change, so be careful about parting with something that was an absolute favorite last year but something you were only mildly attracted to this year. Play it safe and weed out things you darn well know you’d pass up even on your most desperate day.
2. Categorize. The next step is to divide your wardrobe into seasons. Find a place to put your winter wardrobe away during the spring and summer, and vice versa. Those year-round light sweatshirts or t-shirts that can be layered are a different story and we’ll get to that in a minute. Once you’ve only got the current season’s clothing in front of you, it’s time to compartmentalize further.
3. Keep compartmentalizing. If you are like most people, you have a wide range of clothing (work, weekend, athletic and evening). Move the dressiest going out items to one side of your closet. Next, that section should fade into office wear, but still be grouped by type of garment: skirts together, blouses together, slacks together, etc. Casual clothing that you wear on weekends only, like jeans or sundresses, or to a casual mid-week dinner/movie date can be grouped together, which then segues nicely into athletic wear. Have a few shelves or drawers devoted to sport-related clothing; no need to take up precious hanging space for sweats or sweatshirts.
4. Color-code. If you are like most people, you have a favorite color that dominates your wardrobe. For example, if you have four black tops, all of which can be worn to work, group them together. That way, if you throw on a pair of slacks that require a black top, they’re all together and ready to be scanned for the perfect match. Do the same with same-color pants, blouses or skirts. Remember, the whole purpose of organizing your wardrobe is to make it easier to get dressed.
5. Those boots are made for…a designated area? You guessed it. Sandals to the right! Pumps to the left! Hiking boots to the…underbed box? Yes, shoes can be organized according to season and purpose. Put rarely used seasonal shoes away and leave the prime real estate in your closet for everyday shoes. Group by color, heel size or whatever attributes you seem to gravitate toward when picking out your clothes for the day.
6. Don’t forget the delicates. If you have swinging closet doors, the over-door hooks are great for bras and camisoles. If you have shelves, get clear, plastic shoeboxes and line them up on a shelf that is easy to see and reach. Try using attractive baskets for open shelves. Or, if your closet has lots of drawer space, separate undies, bras and slips from one another and use baskets here as well. A cute little sticker or other label on the outside can keep it straight for you when you’re in a hurry.
Tags: your closet, your wardrobe, last year, like most, like most people, most people
