We’re all experiencing a little extra time at home these days. Since spring is officially here, let’s plan some spring cleaning this week - starting with your closet!
My book, "Style On A Shoestring" (McGraw-Hill, available on Amazon), offers a thoughtful and complete guide to cleaning out and organizing your closet. Basically, I believe in asking yourself a few questions regarding each item in your wardrobe, and creating 4 piles when sorting through your garments:
DONATE, RE-CREATE, CONTEMPLATE & FITS ME GREAT!
As you assess each item in your closet, ask yourself, does this item speak to who I am now? Does this send the message I want to send and reflect the best of me? Is this what I want to say to the world?
Based on the answer, choose one of the four piles for each item.
- Your DONATE pile will be all of those garments that you’re done with. They don’t represent who you are anymore, they don’t speak to your style, or they don’t fit, AND they can still be useful for others (don't put things here that are worn out and should be thrown away - just throw them away). You can donate them for a tax credit or resell them online or at a consignment shop.
- Your RECREATE pile will be those garments that need a SIMPLE alteration to be brought back to life. A hem, dart, shortened strap, or adjusted waist band can all be accomplished with a little time or around $20 bucks. If an alteration is priced at more than $20, you should think of donating it. The cost of the alteration shouldn't exceed the cost of replacing the garment.
This is an important group of clothes. You’ve already invested in these items, and if they can be salvaged and given a useful life, it’s good to try. Use your best judgement.
- The CONTEMPLATE pile are those garments that have sentimental meaning, things you’d like to be able to fit back in to one day, or items of greater value. These garments can be put at one end of your closet and revisited every 6 months or so.
- The FITS ME GREAT pile is your actual wardrobe. These are the items that you like, that work with your figure, make you feel confident, and fit you perfectly. They reflect who you are and send a confident message to the world. Statistically, this is probably less than half of the clothes hanging in your closet right now.
Once you’ve gone through your wardrobe, you can apply the same questions and create the same piles for your shoes, accessories and purses. These few hours will revolutionize the way you approach each day and get dressed.
You can do this!