Thursday, January 3, 2013
• 4:02 PM •

New Year, New Closet

By Susan in Fashion Tips, Guide
1 Comment

Happy New Year fashionistas! I’m stoked for what 2013 will bring us this year! I feel pumped to start anew and work hard!

With so many sales happening this holiday and the new collections that are making its way onto the racks, I can no longer ignore how terribly packed and messy my closet is. What better way to start the new year with a “new” clean closet, all spacious for my new wardrobe.

This may just seem like advice on how to clean your closet, but it does quite closely relate to style. You’re not just reorganizing your closet, you’re getting to know your wardrobe and tossing out things you don’t need. When you have a better idea of what you have, it makes it that much easier to style yourself everyday, integrating old and new things together.

Let’s start:

1. Make 3 piles/baskets: KEEP, TOSS, & UNSUREs.
2. Most likely your closet is divided into sections. So let’s literally clear out the biggest section and start sorting. I find that starting section by section is less overwhelming!
3. KEEP pile: Stuff you love to wear – where you sometimes base your whole outfit on. Also, this pile might contain clothes that are classic staples, like a tank top or cardigan. These should be things you’ve worn/used in the past 6 months, or 12 months for season-specific items (swimsuits, shorts, coats, etc.…).
   You can keep something special in your closet if it is THAT meaningful to you (i.e. your wedding dress) but let’s not start keeping clothes back when you were 5 to maybe one day dress your own child with.
   For clothes that are for specific occasions like formal dresses that you would wear at a wedding, as an example. Ask yourself, if this event took place literally in a week from today, do you see yourself wearing it a week from now or do you see yourself buying something new. If it’s the former, then KEEP it.
   DO NOT KEEP the clothes because you hope to fit in it one day, like a prize to yourself if  you finally get the physique of your dreams. Toss these away because you deserve to buy yourself  new hot wardrobe for this new you when you get there!
   TOSS pile: Stuff that are collecting dust in your closet because you have not been using them! Also toss away clothes that don’t fit you anymore or that clearly has defects, like irremovable stains.

   UNSURE pile: Everyone has a little bit of a hoarder personality, not wanting to let go of things “in case you need it” or because of sentimental reasons. This pile should not be large. If you see that the Unsure pile has more than your Keep pile, you’re probably being too lenient! Re-sort your Unsure pile to the best of your ability. I get it. Right now you’re on the spot to make a black and white answer and it could get tough. Though if you’re struggling, here’s a helpful read on How To Let Go Of Possessions.

   

4. It might help for you to have a close friend to sift through your Keep and Unsure piles for their honest advice. It could be fun to come up with potential outfits with your friend.
5. With the Keep pile, reorganize your closet. I personally do it by sleeve length and then by color. That way, my short sleeve clothes don’t get lost between my long sleeve clothes of the same color. It’s also easier to point myself in a particular area and work with a smaller section instead of my whole closet! (Won’t be in the long sleeve area during a hot summer day!)
   Section off your closet. Areas for shoes and an area for handbags, which can be organized by season or color or even by designer! (Like Christina Aguilera above).With the Toss pile, ask your family members and friends to take a look at your toss pile and pull out things that they’d like to keep. That way it goes in their closet instead of yours! With the clothes left over, you can donate them to an organization that welcomes donations of all sorts like the Salvation Army!

   With the Unsure pile, pack it up in a box and date it and store it somewhere else for 6 months. If you feel that within those 6 months, you haven’t forgotten about the Unsure box and actually had the urge to open that box to retrieve something from it for an outfit that day, keep it. Otherwise, toss/donate the stuff you have not bothered to touch!

6. Declutter as often as you can, because it’s sometimes inevitable for it to become a mess again. Do it by season or every 6 months!

Hopefully you gain a better understanding of what you own and how each item can mix and match with other things in your closet. You’ll feel great about yourself because of how this closet organization is time well spent, but the things you’re about to Toss is going somewhere where it would be a lot more appreciated!