Organize Your Closet

Do you want to organize your closet?  Need wardrobe help? Look in your wardrobe and what do you see. A wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you might be due for a wardrobe makeover.

Many women say "I have nothing to wear"  and then go out and buy more clothes. How much money is sitting in your wardrobe wasted on items you never wear? Eventually your wardrobe becomes so cluttered that you forget what you have in there and you end up buying multiples of the same type of garment.
 
So what do you find in a cluttered robe. Clothes that don’t fit.  Old favorites or wardrobe staples that are falling to bits that you dare not throw out. Clothes that are out of season. Impulse buys. Clothes that you’ve had for years that have been worn once or not at all.  Clothes that have sentimental value and  are now out of fashion, and the small percentage of  clothes that you wear every day.

Are you an 80/20 statistic? You wear  20 percent of your clothes 80 percent of the time. 
 
For so many reasons you end up with clothing invaders in your closet that sit there stealing space and money.  All which could be put to better use with  better clothes that could make you look and feel great today.

If you organize your closet you will be able to spend less money, buy fewer clothes and have more to wear. Having a neat, organized closet simplifies your life, making it easier to get dressed every morning.

Are you ready to move on? It's time to organize your closet so you can work out what to keep and what to toss, based on style, fit, color and wardrobe versatility. Keep what works and purge what doesn’t.  So get organized and clear the clutter with these clever ideas and methods.

How To Organize Your Closet -  DIY Style

Firstly arm your self with 2 or 3 good friends that you trust. They will be your wardrobe help to organize your closet. Ask them How do I look?  What do you think is my style?  What would you never want to see me in again? You will be very surprised to hear what they have to say about your dress and style habits.

Second get 4 boxes or some garbage bags and label them in one of these 4 categories:

• Trash  -   Items that are tired, outdated, ripped or stained. That you can't repair.

• Donate or sell  -   Items you no longer want that are still in decent condition.

• Keep  -   Items that fit and flatter your body shape and your colors. Not what you loved many years ago, wish to love or was an expensive purchase.

• Repair / Alter  -  It be fixed or altered and still  be a great garment. The only caveat is that you actually intend to repair it soon.
  
  

And Finally Culling Time:

This is where your friends come in handy in helping you organize your closet..  As your wardrobe help they will harden your resolve and won't be emotionally involved.  They will be able to confirm or persuade you to get rid of those outfits that are well past their used by date, fit and style.

Look at each garment individually. Assess and decide which of the 4 categories you will place each piece of clothing in and start culling.

1. Think of your closet as a boutique that you shop at every day.
   
   
   
2. Ask your self these questions for each garment.
   Is it age appropriate?
   What does this garment say about me?
   Would I buy it  if I saw it in a shop?
   
   
   
3. To help you organize your closet ask your friends
   What does this garment say about me?
   How do i look in it?
   Would you never want to see me in this again?
   
   
   
4. Live in the present. Consider potential use, rather than past, when deciding what to keep. If you have not worn it at least once in the past year, odds are you will never wear it again. If your weeding process  in your wardrobe audit results in a small discard pile, you probably were not ruthless enough.
   
   
   
5. Consider when you bought the garment. If it screams a decade at you (that isn’t the current one or isn't a great vintage piece ), then it’s had its day. Time to go.
   
   
   
6. If it’s more than 5 years old, out of fashion, looks dated or  makes you look old.  Then trash, donate or sell it. Look at the details in the collars, pockets and buttons for clues that date a garment.
   
   
   
7. Is it too small and you’re hoping to lose weight?  Don't hang on to your "skinny clothes" until you lose a few pounds, donate or sell  them. When you get down to your goal weight, you’ll be so proud of yourself you’ll want to treat yourself to something new to wear, not wear stuff that’s been in your wardrobe for ages.
   
   
   
8. If you are sitting on the fence about an item, keep it and "flag" the hanger. If you wear it, remove the flag. If in a year or at the end of a season you still haven’t worn it, get rid of it . If it's in good condition or if you paid a lot for it, think about selling it at a consignment store or online on eBay.
   
   
   
9. Not sure if it still fits. Try it on. Check if the sleeves and hems are the right length. Not too short.  If you can't alter it. Get rid of it.  If It pretty much fits, but the waist is too big, hips are baggy or hems are  too long, if everything else about the garment works or is great. Get it altered.
   
   
   
10. Does it go with other clothes you own? Look at the color, style and shape. Can you get  a few different outfits  from it. If you can’t wear it with other clothes or the color is wrong. Get rid of it. 

Once you have determined which clothes you are going to keep, you are ready to put them back into your closet. The best way to organize your closet is to:

• Keep clothes together by category. Put them in order of the type of clothes.  Keep jeans hung together, dresses together, skirts together and dress shirts together. This will make finding clothes so much easier when you’re going to get dressed.

• Assign specific drawers by category. For example, t-shirts, sweaters,  lounge clothes, or pajamas.

• Arranging clothes by the same color is also helpful and time-saving.

Take your bags of clothes (don't forget to do your shoes as well). Trash, donate and sell the rest as soon as you can so you’re not tempted to dig out old items. Whatever you sell use the proceeds to build your new wardrobe.

As part of your wardobe makeover make a list of clothing that you need to buy like the favorite jersey jumper you've worn to death but don’t want to throw out because it’s a wardrobe staple. Put it on your shopping list and go out and get a new great jumper. You deserve it.

Once you have completed your wardrobe audit and whittled down your wardrobe. It's time to assess the layout of your closet. Measure and optimize the space you have, use backs of doors, floor space, and interior walls. When you go to shop for boxes, bins, and other space-savers, make sure you have your closet measurements in hand.

Use every square inch of your closet. Hang shoe racks on the back of your closet door.   If you are keeping your shoe boxes, label what is inside or buy clear shoe boxes with drawer-front pulls. They allow you to see what's inside so you can easily access your shoes.

Classic belt hangers with multiple hooks are also a good solution for hanging bras and scarves.

Leave about 15 percent of the space free for future clothing purchases.

Invest in the right kind of hanger for the type of clothing you are hanging.   Get rid of wire hangers. They simply don't properly support your clothes.

Use padded hangers instead for items made from delicate fabrics plastic hangers for button-down shirts, and sturdy wood hangers for suit jackets as they help retain the shape of the items.

Having hangers in just one style and color will instantly give your wardrobe a more neat and orderly appearance.