Today I thought I’d share some of my best practices for purging, organizing and setting up your closet so that it is functional and beautiful. First things first…if you’re new here, when I first started my blog, I took on clients and organized their closets for them. I kept some of my favorite before and afters that you can check out here if you need some visual inspo! Fall is a great time to take on this project…as we start to mentally prepare for Winter, there’s no better time to give yourself a clean, fresh slate when it comes to your wardrobe!
Step 1: Purge
Go through everything. Be HONEST. What no longer serves you? What no longer makes you happy? Maybe you were waiting to lose your pregnancy weight. Maybe you meant to hem those pants. Maybe you were hanging onto things for emotional reasons…they remind you of a past relationship or younger period of your life. Whatever the case may be…those THINGS are taking up space and energy in your life. Let them go! Make three piles: donate, sell, keep. And start sorting. Anything with stains, holes, pilling or tears should go. Anything that does not fit should go. Anything you wear and love you should keep!
Step 2:
Switch out your hangers. If you haven’t done this already, it is TIME! This one little step and investment will save you a ton of space! Everything will look uniform and cohesive! These are my preferred hangers for clothes and pants and these are my preferred hangers for skirts. I use these smaller ones for the kids!
Step 3:
Put everything back according to color and type. Here are my sections of clothing: long dresses, skirts, pants, shorts, tanks, t-shirts, outerwear, long sleeved tops. Organize your categories by color and either sort darkest to lightest or vice versa.
Step 4:
Make it yours. This is the fun part! And this is the part that is totally dependent on your personal space. Put shoes on shoe racks (personally, I use these white shelves), display your bags, jewelry, art or books. Hang up your hats…organize your things to best suit your space. Display the handbags you love by stuffing them with your scarves or other Seasonal items! I love baskets or bins for scarves and belts. Style your closet as if it were a boutique that you’d want to shop in. Make the space special- maybe add a rug, fresh coat of paint, a chair or light fixture depending on your space! Pinterest can provide great inspo for this! As I said in my stories yesterday, get the stuff off of your floor. Utilize the often unused space on the shelves by storing shoes or bags up there! If you are displaying your bags, be sure to stuff them so they hold their shape!
So Now What?
First of all, great job! That was no easy task. Now what to do with the clothing you want to sell or donate? I’ve had success with Tradesy, Poshmark and ThredUp when selling clothing. Tradesy I’ve used for higher end items like shoes, bags and sunglasses. All take a cut of your profit but the process itself is seamless. If you’re local to San Diego, I’ve had a lot of success at Uptown Cheapskate in Carlsbad! They are so nice there and sell gently worn and new contemporary clothing. In terms of local donations, I use Vietnam Veterans for donations or Salvation Army. I hope this has helped you jumpstart your closet organization! I’d love to see some pics if you have them and as always, thank you so much for following along! xx
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