How many times have we opened our closet and immediately felt like screaming “I have nothing to wear!” Maybe more times than we care to admit. One reason for this is that our closets get overrun with clothing pieces that don’t serve or inspire us anymore.
Welcome to Wardrobe Edit 101! Now is the perfect time to edit. As the weather changes, we naturally are going through our clothes to store summer wear and pull in our fall layers into our wardrobes.
Prepare 3 Boxes
Label one box, “Repair / Tailor / Repurpose” - This is for items that work for you but need a little love. Or perhaps it’s a piece that you will wear, but needs to be hemmed to hit your body at the right length. A good tailor can work wonders in customizing and repurposing a clothing item to give it new life. The caveat, if you choose to tailor items, plan to do it in the near future.
The second box can be labeled “Donate, Sell or Recycle” - Free up space by letting go of items that no longer serve you. Someone else could need the very thing you have.
The third is labeled “Store” - Perhaps an item needs to be stored for a different season or occasion that happens infrequently.
- Keep your wardrobe needs in mind - What occasions do you require clothes for? Are you making a lifestyle change or a career change? If there is no longer a practical need for an item, put it in the Donate, Sell, or Recycle” box.
- The One-Year Rule Modified- You’ve probably heard of this one. If an item hasn’t been worn in the last 12 months, it’s good to get that out of your closet to make space. But instead of throwing the item out, ask yourself which of the 3 boxes you should place it in. Sometimes getting an item tailored or repurposed will do wonders for reviving a forgotten clothing piece.
- Try it on - If you’re unsure about an item the best thing is to try it on. You will know with more confidence if it’s deserving of space in your closet. Ask yourself 1. Do I feel confident in this? 2. Does it fit properly? If it's a “no” then place it in one of the 3 boxes.
- If you still have doubts about items in your boxes, give yourself a week or so, and pay attention to what items you actually pick to wear. You will realize what you ultimately won’t miss.
Organize your closet in a way that makes it easy for you to find pieces to pull together outfits more easily.
Now that you only have pieces you like and you will wear in your closet, think about what makes sense to you in how you find clothes and put together your outfits. For some of us, organizing by purpose is preferred. For instance, hanging clothes for work together, workout clothes together, etc. For others, it may make more sense to organize by type. So sweaters together, pants together, blazers together, etc. Or, organizing by color. For some, it makes sense to find pieces by color to put together their outfit. Try out a different organizational method to see what works best for you. The point is to make your wardrobe easier for you to pull outfits together from.
Congratulations! You have completed Wardrobe Edit 101!
Our next topic is Closet Essentials! It's time to evaluate what items you currently have and what key pieces you are missing that will make outfit planning easier.