By Danielle Harvey
We have all (well, almost all of us) experienced that moment when you’re standing in front of your closet and piles of t-shirts, jeans and sweaters are right in front of you. The thought of having to sort through current trend items and favorite pieces from seasons past might be a little daunting. Especially now, as we get further into fall, it’s time to pack up summer clothing in favor of warmer options. If you’re not one to stay super organized, then read on for tips from Cathy Starnes, a personal fashion consultant and creator of Style Speaks in NoVA. She shares her five best tips for organizing your closet, which means less time having to frantically look for your favorite blazer in the morning before work. Staying organized definitely sounds like a win-win situation for your wardrobe and sanity.
Five Ways to Organize Your Wardrobe
1. Set Up Your Closet for Who You Are Today
This means that if your lifestyle revolves more around family than socializing at the latest nightclubs or parties, you might want to pack away the items you no longer have any use for. The same goes for if you’re entering the professional world after college, you don’t need to hold onto all of those old t-shirts and college sweatshirts. Your wardrobe should reflect where you’re at in life. This guarantees avoiding clutter by getting rid of items you don’t wear anymore that are just collecting dust in you closet.
2. Sort Items by Category
Simple enough, right? Hanging up all of your pants in one section and jackets in another really opens up your options for creating outfits because you’re not focused on just looking at certain outfits you have already put together. This is also a good tip because if you’re in search of only one piece of clothing, you don’t have to look through each outfit in your closet.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Hang Sweaters
If you have the space in your closet, then you should really hang up your sweaters. It saves space by not having them piled up in a drawer and you don’t have to constantly refold them either. The important thing to keep in mind is to use huggable hangers like these to prevent sagging or tears. Plastic ones can easily break or snag the fabric in some sweaters. Also remember to hang your winter coats in a front closet to have them ready for when you’re heading out the door.
4. Use Closet Dividers
This is such an easy way to keep everything in its place. Closet dividers are practical because you can label them for exactly what you need.
5. Make Sure Your Organizational Strategy is Personalized
This tip might seem like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised by how many people try and do something just because they have heard it’s the best. For example, if you prefer everything to be sorted by color, then that’s great. Or if you like to avoid a messy closet by only hanging up certain things, that also works. Staying organized will only work if you understand what specifically works for you and your lifestyle needs.