Spring is here. Really it is. Hard to believe when you’re still sending your kids off to school in full winter regalia. Days are bright and sunny and the air is crisp. Perfect time to clean out and organize your closet and wardrobe.
Many clients have told me when they attempt to do this, they get overwhelmed and end up stuffing all the clothes back in the closet and shoving shoes and accessories into any nook they can find. If you do a little bit at a time you’ll be more successful.
Step one: Purge current season’s clothes. You know which pieces you love and feel good in. Those obviously stay. If there are any pieces that you didn’t wear or that you didn’t feel great in, put them in a donation pile. I often use shopping bags with handles or contractor bags so all the donation items are ready to go. If there are pieces that need laundering/dry cleaning/repair set those in a separate pile. Take care of them before you store them.
Step two: Purge and organize tops. Go through spring and summer tops and remove any that are dingy or that you don’t love. If you have 15 black t-shirts, pare ’em down. If you have hanging space in your closet, I recommend hanging as much as possible. It makes it easier to see what you have vs. going through a pile in a dresser drawer. Hang them in majority color order: reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, browns, blacks, whites. Within the color hang by sleeve length: tanks, short sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, long sleeve. I like to use these low profile non-slip hangers from The Container Store. Using only one type of hanger provides a uniform look making your closet neater.
Step three: Purge and organize bottoms. Same process as for the tops, for shorts, skirts, capris, ankle length and long pants. I keep shorts, capris and jeans on shelves in my closet and hang skirts, dressier pants and dresses. I like these hangers from The Container Store to hang skirts because they save space.
Step four: Purge and organize shoes and accessories. I hang my scarves in color order on the back of my door with a rack like this one from Bed Bath and Beyond. I have earrings on a jewelry stand like this available at the Container Store. I don’t have a ton of earrings, so this sits on my dresser. Again, I like to see what I have. It makes getting dressed easier. Sterling silver jewlery is in a closed jewelry box on my dresser so they don’t tarnish. If you have shoe shelves in your closet, you can use those or a shoe rack like this one. Most of my frequently worn shoes for the season are in the hall closet on the main floor and not-so-frequently worn shoes are in my closet. You can sort and hang belts on an organizer like this. I like to stand purses on a shelf (in their dust bag if you have it). These shelf dividers keep them separated and from falling down.
You don’t have to sort and organize your wardrobe in one go. You could do it in four smaller chunks of time. Once you’ve organized and sorted your wardrobe, it makes it easier to know what you need to shop for!
