Come Organize Your Closet With Me!

I know. I know. I’m kind of a Closet Organization Unicorn. I get totally excited when it comes time (quarterly/each season) to organize my closet. At this point, my closet is pretty organized, I just flip pieces depending on the season. But most people aren’t like me. They absolutely dread the process and just keep stuffing pieces in, and say to themselves, “I have nothing to wear”, and go buy more clothes.

Don’t feel bad. 90% of my Clients that call me for Closet Organization are in the exact same boat. Overwhelmed by options. Well, come on a closet organization adventure with me! I promise to make the process easy, rewarding and at the end, you’ll hopefully find getting dressed in clothes you already own, a breeze.

I’ll break it down in steps, assuming your closet needs a total overhaul. Also, please keep in mind this post is being written mid-March, so we are fazing out heavy winter pieces and incorporating spring pieces in.

Step 1: Pull everything out of your closet. The hanging pieces, the folded pieces, shoes, accessories. It’s all coming out, in a big pile on a floor of a room you (hopefully) have room to work in. Now is a good time to dust your shelves and sweep or vacuum the floor.

Step 2: You’re going to start making piles. First pile is for donations. This will be anything that has holes, stains, is damaged, out of style, fits horribly or is just ready to leave your wardrobe forever. The second pile is for keepers. These are pieces you love, fit great, are seasonably appropriate and work with other pieces in your current wardrobe. The third pile is for pieces you want to keep, but are unseasonable. Put away that gown from the Christmas Gala, your heavy sweaters, your winter boots. The fourth pile is for Consignment, but we’ll get to that in step 4.

Step 3: Depending on how much you have that is unseasonable, purchase CLEAR plastic bins (I get mine from Target) and store them away until it’s time to swap them out. I highly recommend clear bins, because you never know when you need to pull something quickly, and you can see everything in the clear bins.

Step 4: If you have pieces that are in great shape (maybe still with tags), doesn’t fit, doesn’t go with anything, not your style, etc. I recommend consigning. Now let’s be real, unless it’s Designer, a Consignment shop won’t even consider taking it. And if they do, you’ll get a fraction of what you paid. I highly recommend selling your pieces on Poshmark. It’s super easy to do and if you use my referral code: CHELSEAKRAYFASH, you’ll start with $10 in your account to start Poshing.

Step 5: Okay, so you’ve donated and consigned all your pieces that were no longer working in your wardrobe and put away pieces that you currently aren’t wearing. Now it’s time to put your new, streamlined wardrobe back. Unless you use a shoe rack or have a huge closet to display them, I line my shoes up on the floor. I place one facing in and one facing out. That way it’s easy to see the heel height and toe shape of each pair. Next, neatly put away your accessories. When things are out of sight, they’re out of mind, so I recommend displaying them out in the open.

Step 6: Time to put away your clothes. I like to fold my pants. I stack them on shelves in piles, jeans, trousers, leggings, etc. If you’d prefer to hang your pants, be sure to use the right hanger. Pants folded over a wire hanger are going to leave a crease. I also like to fold my lightweight sweaters and any tops that are going to stretch on a hanger. Over the years, I have collected hangers from the dry cleaner that has that cardboard roll. I’ve also invested in matching hangers. My favorite are the crystal clear ones with round shoulders and clips for skirts and shorts.

Next, let’s hang. It sounds over the top, but I like to go: type of garment, heavyness, color. So, I start with my layering pieces, then long sleeve tops, short sleeve tops, sleeveless tops, dresses, skirts, shorts. It not only looks pretty, but makes finding the perfect piece to match one you’ve already selected, easy.

Step 7: You’re done. Congratulations! It wasn’t that bad, right? And now you’re standing out front of a beautifully organized closet. Getting dressed in the morning is going to be so much easier. Once you take out all that distraction, knowing what works, makes life so much better.

Step 8: Completely optional, but right now is a good time to think about gaps in your wardrobe. Did you toss your favorite white tee because it had pit stains? Great time to replace it. Are all your jeans skinny and you want to try a new style? Straight jeans are a great way to update your look. Don’t own a blazer? You should.

Step 9: If all of this is just too overwhelming, call me. I’ll do it for you. If you can’t pin point what pieces may be a great addition to your wardrobe, call me. I’ll help you find them. If you just don’t know where to start, call me. That’s what I do.

Chelsea K. Ray, Wardrobe Consultant, (207) 615-4028, Chelseakray@gmail.com