A Wardrobe Consultant's Closet Confession

Messy Closet

See that picture of the messy closet above? Well, it’s a picture of MY CLOSET! 

Yes that’s right I, a wardrobe consultant, have a messy, unorganized and cluttered closet. There, I said it.

Now, my closet wasn't always this way. Honestly and truly I kept my closet clean and organized. But then, you know how it goes- life got crazy, I was travelling non-stop over the summer, work got super busy, dishwasher broke (so I spent a giggillion hours researching new appliances), back to school shopping, birthday planning for the little one and so on and so forth…

So last night when I went to put my clothes out for today (I at least keep up with this time saving ritual) I ended up wasting a lot of time searching for the shirt I wanted to wear and decided enough is enough! I slipped up, I owned it and now it's time to get back to a clean closet. Today begins the closet clean up. 

What's the big deal about a clean closet anyway?

I’ve blogged about closet organization before, but since we are starting a new season and well my closet’s a mess, I figured it was time to talk “Closet Re-Fresh” again.

So what’s the point of taking out the time and cleaning a closet? There are lots of benefits of a clean closet:

a) You can mix and match your clothes with ease.

b) Pick outfits quickly and get you out the door faster.

c) Make clothes shopping easier and faster- In other words, you’ll know what you own and therefore can assess what you need. So when you walk into a store (or go online) you don’t have to spend hours “just looking”. You go in, select the item you need, pay and you’re done!

d) Save you money- (See Pt. c) - You know what you own and you only buy what you need.

Just re-writing the benefits is therapy for me… I can’t believe I let my closet get to this point, but now I’m pumped and ready to clean!

Here's the step by step guide to an organized closet.

The one year rule- Go through your closet and pull out anything you have not worn in the past year. Then from that pile, pull out the basics, (i.e. - white button down shirts, navy blazers etc.). Try them on and make sure the fit!! I put these items back in my closet since they are timeless and can be worn regardless of fashion trends. However, if any of these items are pulled out the second go around, they don’t go back in the closet…

If it doesn't fit, you must… toss it…- No matter what your personal style, body shape, hair color, skin tone is, if you wear something that doesn't fit (either too small or too big) the item will not look good on you, so toss it. Now, if you’re on a real weight gain / loss program and you’re looking at these non-fitting items as motivation to get to a certain weight then yes, go ahead and keep them. If you’re not, chances are you won’t fit into these items again, so don’t let them create clutter your closet, get rid of them. And if by chance you do end up gaining / losing weight its all the more reason to go shop for new clothes :)

Sort the clothes by category- Now that you've tossed the unneeded items, it’s time to organize your closet. I like to organize mine by category- shirts, pants, blazers, etc. all separated so I can easily see what I own and can therefore mix and match to create many different outfits.

Assess your needs- Once you have your clothes organized you can then see what you need. Take an inventory of your basics (black pants, button down shirt, etc). Check to see if you have enough seasonal items- sweaters for winter, shorts for summer...

What to do with that pile of clothing on your closet floor- Now, for the stuff to get rid of… There are several organizations that take clothing donations. Plus, with the holidays coming around there are many more organizations that will be looking for clothing donations. There are also garage sales, clothing swaps, etc. Whichever option you chose, make sure you get rid of the clothes quickly otherwise they may lay around creating more clutter or end up going back in the closet and there goes all that hard work…

So there you have it- easy tips to re-fresh your closet. Do you have any other closet cleaning tips? I’d love to hear them!

OK, I’m off to start cleaning, are you?

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Tip Tuesday #5- How to Organize Your Closet

Happy New Year!! I can’t believe the craziness of the holiday season has come and gone and here we are, in 2014… Wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful year.

I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions per se, but I usually start the year with certain goals I’d like to accomplish. This year I’d like to get “healthier”- not really watch what I eat (I’m usually pretty good with that) but, to overall get my body and mind in balance. The other goal I have is to get more organized. Now for those of you who know me, and my OCD tendencies, you know I’m already pretty “organized” (we’ll go with that word), so stop rolling your eyes, that’s not what I mean by organized… By organized I mean I need to get a system / structure in place and get rid of the clutter!!

The first thing to organize - my closet!! While I usually do a closet purge at least 2x a year I will say, unfortunately, I have not been able to do one since last year and now I’ve got hangers sticking out all over the place. So, if you’re in the same situation as me and want to know how to organize your closet- here are some tips on how to do so.

The one year rule- First go through your closet and pull out anything you have not worn in the past year. Then from that pile, pull out the basics, but only ones that fit!! (ie- white button down shirts, navy blazers etc.). I tend to put these items back in my closet since they are timeless and can be worn regardless of fashion trends. However, if any of these items are pulled out the second go around, they don’t go back in the closet…

If it doesn’t fit, you must… toss it…- No matter what your personal style, body shape, hair color, skin tone is, if you wear something that doesn’t fit (either too small or too big) it’s just plain unflattering… Now, if you’re on a real deal weight gain / loss program and you’re looking at these items as motivation to get to a certain weight (if you are- good for you!!!) go ahead and keep them. If you’re not, chances are you won’t fit into these items again. So, don’t let them create clutter your closet, just get rid of them. And if by chance you do end up gaining / losing weight it’s all the more reason to go shop for new clothes :)

Sort clothes by category- Now that you've tossed the unneeded items, it’s time to organize your closet. I like to organize mine by category- shirts, pants, blazers, etc. all separated so I can easily see what I own and can therefore mix and match to create many different outfits.

Assess your needs- Once you have your clothes organized you can then see what you need. For example, you may be going back to work in an office, with a clean closet you can see if you need more work clothes, and then go shopping!!!

I have a pile of clothing on my closet floor- Now, for the stuff to get rid of… Personally I like to donate them. There are several organizations, for example Dress for Success hosts donation drives, Salvation Army, Good Will or any organization of your choice. There are also garage sales, clothing swaps, etc.

Hope this information helps you to de-clutter your closet and therefore enable you to shop for more clothes, I mean, be less cluttered…