Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Closet Organization 101 Part 1

So as I've mentioned in a earlier post, I am revamping my entire closet! So very excited! I was inspired by Kendi of kendieveryday to create for myself a "working closet"  A working closet means, that I can go into my closet and be able to make an outfit out of any and everything in there. Ive lost 33 lbs in the last year and I have numerous clothes that no longer fit, or need to be tailored. So instead of going out and just buying new clothes, Ive decided I need to revamp the whole closet and start with the bare bones. The first step in closet organization and creating a working closet is Purging. We all know purging mean. To get rid of what is undesirable, to cleanse, etc. So that's what I did. Here is Kendi's quick and easy step by step process of "purging"


How to Purge Your Closet (and still have things to wear)

1. Go through your closet with a fine-tooth comb. Take inventory of everything you own and start evaluating if you need to keep an item or not. I have a few guidelines that I use to see if it's worth keeping or it's ready leave my closet.

It no longer fits. 
You don't like it or you've never worn it. 
It has unrepairable holes or tears in it. 
You haven't worn it in 6-12 months (or within the appropriate season). 
You get confused by just looking at it. 
You've never seen this item before and you're not quite sure how it get in here. 

If you answered yes to any of the above, there is only one answer: purge it. Get it out of your closet. 
Keeping items that you will never wear in your closet does you no good. Think of these items as junk mail, when you clean out your inbox you can see your other emails a lot better. Same with clothing you don't wear, clean it out and you'll begin to see your closet for what it is and can be.

2.  If you are struggling with throwing a few things out, start a "maybe" pile. I keep a (small) box in my laundry room, so when I find something that I just don't wear anymore, but I'm not ready to give away it goes in the box. If it's still there in a month or so (meaning I haven't missed it), then I donate it, sell it or swap it with a friend. If you are unsure about a few items, pull them to the side and try them on. If it fits and you can pair it with 3-5 other items in your closet, then keep it. If it doesn't, purge and move on.

3. Next, go through the clothing you've decided to give away. Figure out where these clothes are going to. Is it a thrift store like goodwill or salvation army? Is it to a friend for a clothing swap? Will you sell it to a consignment shop or online? Find a place for these clothes to go somewhere, don't just toss them out. If you can't wear them, someone will. Donating creates a great cycle. The more you donate, the more people can buy which creates more jobs. See? Who knew that cleaning out your closet could do so much good?

4. After your purge, go through your closet and start to pair items together without the clutter of the unworn clogging your creativity. Pair things together for the coming week and hang them in their respective outfit pairs.

Taking her advice I attacked my closet, and started going through every item. I first just took everything out and quickly went through each pile of clothing and threw out stuff I knew I hadn't worn in the last year, what was too big, too old, etc and started a unwanted pile. As I went through all of my clothes I also pulled out anything that I knew needed to be taking in  or mended (I have a few very expensive work pants that I'm not going to give away when I can get them tailored to fit me.)

Over the next few days, I went back with an even more keen eye and pared down what was left in my closet. I realized that I had stuff that I bought last year and only wore once. I also had numerous camisoles that were printed that I never wear(why I have so many white ribbed tanks, and sweatshirts Ill never know! lol) I'm still in the process of going through my shoes and getting rid of the clutter. Most of the pile of clothing I have set aside that is no longer taking up residence in my closet, will go out to my sister and friends and whatever is left I will donate to a thrift store.

After all this purging, I was able to stand back and admire what I had left in my closet. I've already been able to create new outfits out of what I have left! My next post I'll go through and discuss what I have left and why! 

My lovely mess of a closet

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