Mood is: CLOSET ORGANIZATION
RECENTLY I HELPED (I THINK, I HOPE) THREE FRIENDS CLEAN OUT THEIR CLOSETS. I PERIODICALLY DO THIS MYSELF BECAUSE I CAN’T STAND CLUTTER AND I LIKE THINKING ABOUT CLOTHES, BUT I DON’T THINK THAT’S THE ONLY MOTIVATION YOU NEED. SUCCESSFUL CLOSET ORGANIZATION MAKES IT EASIER TO GET DRESSED, SPEND MINDFULLY ON NEW ITEMS, AND SHED GUILT FROM HOLDING ON TO ITEMS THAT ARE OTHERWISE EMOTIONALLY WEIGHING YOU DOWN. THIS MIGHT SOUND DRAMATIC BUT I BELIEVE IT TO BE TRUE. LET’S MOVE ON.
MY PREFERRED METHOD
There are countless methods to cleaning out your closet published by professional organizers web-wide. My preference is to join stylist Allison Bornstein’s crusade to “reclaim your closet” from her book Wear it Well. The broad strokes of this method, with my amendments, are:
Take everything out of your closet and actually clean your space. Vacuum the corners and dust the shelves so you are putting things back the right way.
Assess one item at a time and sort into three piles: items you wear often even if you don’t love them, items you love but don’t wear often, and items that you don’t love/don’t wear, for whatever reason.
Items you wear and love from any pile can go back in your newly cleaned closet.
Here is where I think you need a friend. Not your most fashionable friend, your most honest friend. The one who knows if you will actually get your pants hemmed. Invite them over to be your sounding board while you do a show-and-tell of your clothes. I find it very fun and fulfilling to be this friend so I imagine others do, too.
Items you don’t love and don’t wear should be questioned. Does it need to be mended? Put it in a tailoring pile. Does it fit? Does it have potential to? No? DONATE IT, SELL IT, JUST LET IT GO.
If you wear something often, but don’t love or even really like it, why? Identify the reason and write down your ideal version of the item. This becomes your shopping list.
Continue on until all of your clothes are either back in your closet, or in piles to donate, sell, or tailor.
THEN:
ADD VISUAL APPEAL
Most of my clothes are organized by color because that’s how I remember where things are. If this doesn’t work for you, try texture, type, or even hanging length. At the very least, use only one color of hanger.
BRING JOY TO THE FRONT
I enjoy seeing my specialty pieces amongst my everyday items because the silver and sequins bring me joy, and that makes me more excited to get dressed. Bring to the front what brings you joy.
USE STORAGE BOXES
Not everything can or should be on display, which is why storage boxes are an important investment. Mine is this stack of colorful shoe boxes. Yours might be baskets, crates, or small totes.
IDENTIFY “THE CHAIR”
If you are not familiar with the concept of “the chair” it is a bedroom seat that serves to hold clothes in purgatory between laundry and being put away. I do not have room for a chair, but I do have an old laundry rack that serves the same purpose.
START SMALL, DON’T DWELL, MOVE ON
At maximum, this method should take a few hours. If you are full of enthusiasm for closet organization, you can apply the same practice to your dresser. If the thought of getting rid of clothes stresses you out, start by changing your hangers. If you enjoy stuffing your stuff in drawers, I’m sorry this newsletter wasn’t for you.
MOOD IS: IS AN INDEPENDENT NEWSLETTER CONCEPTED AND WRITTEN BY ELIZABETH MCAVOY. EACH EDITION FEATURES A NEW MOOD.