Seasons change, and so should your closet. If you haven't done it already, it's time to flip your closet over from spring/summer to fall/winter. Believe us - there are better ways to spend a Saturday afternoon, but it's a great way to re-familiarize yourself your cold-weather wardrobe (especially if you scored any end-of-season finds last year that you forgot about), and it's also the perfect opportunity to purge. It's something you only need to do twice a year - and it makes getting dressed so much easier, infinitely more enjoyable, and even fun!
Check out these helpful tips to guide you through the seasonal flip:
Out of season, out of sight
Take all your spring/summer clothes, and put them somewhere else! The "somewhere else" depends on your closet and your space. If you have a decently sized closet, then it may be on the tippy top shelves, in storage bins on the floor, or in those unreachable spots. If your closet is space challenged, then it truly is somewhere else - in the guest room closet, storage tubs in the garage, or wherever else that's out of the way until spring.
If I wouldn't buy it, why would I keep it?
That's the question that you should ask yourself as you go through last season's wardrobe. If you wouldn't buy it right now, then it's time to donate, alter, or toss.
If it doesn't fit, get rid of it
Items that don't fit aren’t just clutter in your closet; they’re clutter in your mind as you try to get dressed. If you have things that are too big, you shouldn't be wearing them - the added volume just makes you look bigger. If you have things that are too small, then they're a constant reminder of those 10 lbs. that you keep meaning to lose – and do you really need that every morning? So it's time to make a decision - and the choices are: donate, alter or toss. If you can fix it with a simple alteration, head to the tailor. If you're not sure, head to the tailor anyway - she can tell you if it can be saved and how much it costs. If the cost is less than buying new, then get it altered. If it's more - donate and go shopping!
Sentimental? Store!
Everyone has those sentimental items that they can't get rid of. But they shouldn't take up valuable real estate in your closet. Pack them up, store them away, and pull them out when you're in the mood to reminisce.
See what you love, love what you see
Without your out of season clothes clouding your vision, you can see everything you have to wear for fall and winter. Now isn’t that nice? If you still feel overwhelmed by what you have, here are a few tricks:
Start the slow purge – commit to getting rid of 1 item a day. After 2 weeks, 14 less things are in the way of you enjoying your wardrobe.
If you wouldn’t buy it now, then don’t keep it – same as we stated earlier, but worth repeating. It may be that it’s not part of your current lifestyle or taste – but for whatever reason, it’s time to let go.
Do I wear it or don’t I? Sometimes it’s not all that easy to remember if you wear something often or not. To help jog your memory – once you wear an item, pull it to the front of your closet. Then after a month or so, everything at the back should be up for elimination. Another easy trick (especially if you don’t want to disturb your orderly layout) is to simply turn the hanger backwards once you’ve worn it. Then you can easily see what’s been making it into the current rotation, and what could be on the chopping block. This also helps you see where you have multiples (for example, way too many white blouses) that need thinning out.
Classification vs. occasion - If you need to remove more out of your closet due to size, you have two choices - remove by classification or occasion. Either can work, depending on your lifestyle. Classification means relocating one type of garment - moving all your outerwear to the front closet, or taking all your dresses into the guestroom. Filtering by occasion means taking all your gym clothes and sneakers to underbed boxes, or shifting all your fancy dresses/shoes/purses to the spare room. Do what makes the most sense for you.
What to wear? If your mornings are full of painful indecision over what to wear, then you need to take the decision making out of the morning routine. Have a spot where you can lay out tomorrow's outfit and take 10 minutes the night before to figure it out - you'll be amazed at how less stressful mornings are. Or if you're a planner, do it on Sunday night for the week. Store your pre-planned outfits on a small rack, or on a wall-mount hanger holder (like this one) that folds back up when not in use.
A seasonal flip, painful purge, or whatever you call it, is the best way to get more wear out of what you love and start enjoying getting dressed, everyday. After all – if we didn’t enjoy clothes, then we wouldn’t go shopping, right?
All clothes and shoes by J. Crew. Select images have been distorted for effect.
