I am home for the summer and as I was putting away my clothes, I noticed that my closet has started to overflow. I knew I needed to go through it and give away quite a bit. I am aware that a lot of people have this similar issue since I helped out a few of my friends with their closets already this year. It can be a little overwhelming but, hopefully some of the tips I share in this post will help you clear out your own closet.
First, start with one category of clothing at a time. Separating your clothes into sweaters, shirts, pants, dresses, etc. makes it easier to go through every piece of clothing. Dividing your wardrobe into groups also makes it easier for you to stop in the middle if you get bored or if you have something else you need to do. You can finish the rest at any time.
Second, try on everything. I know this takes a lot of time but, if you spend a moment analyzing each article of clothing you will get rid of a lot more. Focus on the fit and also ask yourself these questions:
1. Is it really flattering your body shape?
- For example, I have an hourglass shape so I like to wear clothes that are not so loose fitting that I lose my curves but, I am also not a huge fan of skin-tight clothing either. I always make sure that the clothing I keep either compliments my shape or can be used as a layering piece.
2. Do you wear it often enough to hold on to it?
- For me, this question does not mean the number of times it has been worn. Often enough, for me means how many different outfits or looks can be made with it. If you can only think of one outfit in which it can be worn, either try to make new outfits or get rid of it. You are trying to minimize the amount of clothing while also expanding your style. Keeping pieces that can be worn in multiple ways will help your find your look and will make it easier to prepare outfits.
3. Would someone enjoy this article of clothing more?
- This is the big question that hits home. When you donate clothes, there is a possibility that this shirt or dress or pants or anything could become their new favorite piece in their closet. If you do not feel comfortable donating your clothes, ask friends or people you know that are similar in size if they would like them. You may feel more comfortable knowing exactly where your clothes are going instead of giving them to a random Goodwill.
4. Have you had this piece of clothing for a long time?
- Does it really portray the style that you want? If you are like me and are transitioning from junior clothing to women clothing, is it something that you would buy again if you saw it in the store? A lot of the time the clothing we hold on to is stuff that we wore a lot when we were younger and would probably never wear again.
5. Did you even remember that you still had it?
- This happens to all of us, we go through our closets and find something we haven't seen in a very long time. What is your reaction to it? Are you happy you found it and you immediately want to wear it and think of outfits you can make with it or is there no emotion towards it? If you forgot about it, odds are you probably will forget about it again. Instead of having it take up space in your closet, throw it out.
Third, if the clothing has not fit for over a year, it may be time to just get rid of it. I know this hard, but our bodies are always changing. Do not assume that since you fit in it at one time that it will fit again. Many people keep "goal" clothing around to try to motivate them into losing weight. I am guilty of this because I am keeping around a pair of ripped up skinny jeans that I just recently purchased in the hope that I will fit into them someday. This is a personal choice, but most of the time it is a great idea to get rid of them and just buy clothes that fit you now.
The last thing I am going to express is ways to make sure you keep around the clothing that you truly wear and love.
1. When you wear something, put it towards the back of or on one side of your closet. This way you always see the items that you have not worn in a while first. If these pieces of clothing do not move in a while and you never feel like wearing it, toss it. Another idea, which is similar to this, is putting all of your hangers the wrong way with the opening facing you. When you wear the item, flip it the right way. At the end of the season, you can see which pieces of clothing have been worn and which you could get rid of.
2. If you stack your clothes, whenever you wear something put it on top of the pile. This method requires you to move your clothes around quite a bit, but the clothes you don't wear will eventually end up on the bottom of the stack and will help inform your decisions when figuring out what should be tossed.
3. Get a closet app! I know this sounds silly but, if you are having problems with your wardrobe, there are many apps you can download that will help you organize your clothes. I recently downloaded the app "Mirrow" and I have been loving it. This app allows you to put pictures of every article of clothing that you own, has a feed that people post sample outfits on, and even has a dress me feature! The dress me feature puts together items of clothing from your virtual closet and dresses you according to the weather. Here is a link to a youtube video which explains the app very well if you are interested I would definitely download it because it is free! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5E2kPqi1xI
Thank you all for checking our my blog and I will post again really soon! Good luck with creating your dream closet!
Maddie ♥
