6 SIMPLE STEPS TO ORGANIZE YOUR CLOSET

Step #1-Mindset 

 

As many of us are emotionally connected to things, you need to be prepared for the adventure, as it requires some hard decisions to be made especially when it comes to parting ways with things. 

 

I personally work in the 3 rules mode: 

• Keep– only what you love 

• Donate to your chosen charity (or a girlfriend) 

• Repair and dry-clean 

 

Step #2- Empty the space 

 

Depending on the space you have, empty everything from your closet and put it on the bed(or just a section of it-shirts for example). I use this time to wipe all the surfaces and position some ‘smellies’ (like lavender bags or mini soap bars). 

 

Step #3- Sort by Season 

I find the best-organized wardrobes are the seasonal ones. If you live in a country where you need summer and winter clothes, I usually keep the current season (winter in this case) hanging on display and the opposite one (summer) I store in boxes above my rods. That way I have better visibility of what is there for the winter and get really excited when I am rotating to summer clothes as I always find something I’ve forgotten I own. 

 

Step #4- “Kondo” as you hang 

I was obsessed with Marie Kondo’s book when I discovered it a few years ago and regardless of the fact that her folding advice does not work for me, I follow religiously her “Spark joy” advice. (Marie Condo)

Hold every single piece for a few seconds close to your heart before you hang it back in. If it makes you happy, (Sparks joy) hang it back in the closet, if it doesn’t-put it on one of the Donate or Repair piles. 

Everything I haven’t worn for a year-I put on the Donate pile, regardless of how expensive it is (excluding evening gowns). Imagine how many less fortunate people you are going to make happy just doing this…

Repair pile- I personally love it when I can show ladies the little tweaks we can do to make a garment work for them. Is it the sleeve, the colour or the length that doesn’t work…with a lot of creativity and very little investment, we can reinvent pieces that you will love wearing over and over again.

 

 Step #5- Upgrade your hangers 

 

Regardless of your colour and style preference, your closet will look so much better if all your hangers are the same (wooden, velvet etc.) You can keep the ones you like (or have most of) and discard all the odd ones (especially the ones you’ve accumulated through the dry cleaning service). This not only will make your closet more aesthetically appealing but also will extend the life of your clothes (most of the dry-cleaners will accept them back), so you will feel good knowing you are helping the environment by doing that little extra. 

 

Step #6-Get creative with your space 

Now that all the “dirty work “is done, it is time to get creative and show your personality. Some people like me, like organizing everything by colour. I position the darkest pieces on the left and then gradually go to lighter colours on the right. 

I also put outfits hanging together –for example: This animal print skirt goes well with my red jumper and patent heels. This way when I pull the skirt out, I don’t waste time to look for the perfect top that goes with it in the morning, as this in my opinion is why so many of us have so many clothes and “nothing to wear” moments. 

I am also a mirror believer-please, invest in a full length mirror (there are some great second hand finds out there.) You might ridicule me here,but I can very easily tell if people don’t have this necessity in their home by the way they are dressed. 

And voila, all done…Some of you might find the whole process hard and quite daunting If this is you-please, feel free to call me for help. I will be quite happy to advise you or even organize the whole closet for you-whatever your choice, always remember that your clothes represent who you are and dressing up should be fun.