So, your closet is a treasure trove of clothes, but you still can’t find what to wear? You’ve tried purging your closet but find yourself coming up with reasons not to get rid of much, “I will fit into this again,” “it will come back in style,” or maybe every time you look at your 15 year-old prom dress all the lovely high school memories come rushing back. If so, STOP, this is ruining your ability to see what you have and what you actually need in order to make killer outfits. Your old prom dress isn’t going to hand you a promotion; but a closet edit to clear your head and put together a a smart outfit that gives you confidence might.
There’s a lot to think about when clearing out your closet. You have to get honest with yourself because holding on to clothing that you don’t wear, just gets in the way of your happiness—physically clearing out clutter also clears your mind, so you’re doubling down. By being mindful of what you actually wear, you can discover what works best for you (fit, color, silhouette, etc.).
So, let’s get started with a closet edit!
A closet edit (sometimes also called a closet audit) includes clearing out your closet (purge) and organization.
In this first step, we’re going to focus on the clothes in your closet and you can extrapolate the method to the clothes in your dresser drawers and elsewhere. Go through each item, one by one and sort into four piles:
Keep
Mend/clean
Donate
Trash/repurposes/upcycle
When examining the items follow this "keep criteria:"
It must be in good condition (no stains or holes)
It must fit properly
It flatters your body
It is either on trend or is a classic design
(Note, I didn’t ask you to hold it up to your heart to see if it still gave you the goosies or gave you a hard and fast rule that if you haven’t worn it in a year to toss it.)
If the item has stains or holes and it meets the rest of the keep criteria—give it some love, take the time to care for your clothing, take it to grandma to fix it or to your local dry cleaners.
Donation pile. If you take it to your local thrift shop instead of the recycle or trash bin, you are extending the life of that garment and helping that shop meet its fundraising goals. Also consider donating certain items to non-profits organizations that provide bras to homeless women, shoes to people who need them and your career clothing to women reentering the workplace.
You can also choose to resell your items through one of the many apps available like eBay, Poshmark, Mercari or you can consign with ThredUP or your local brick and mortar consignment store. Whichever you choose, you are prolonging the life of your clothes before hitting the landfill.
Here's a really fun idea, if you and your girlfriends often admire what each other wear, then organizing a clothing swap might be your jam. Have 5-10 of your besties over and ask them to bring 10+ pieces of clean clothing, shoes and accessories. Then over a pitcher of refreshing Moscow Mules place them all by category on a table and have everyone start shopping. Your friends will love you for this.
If you are crafty, then you can upcycle your clothing, especially your nice cotton and jersey fabrics, by finding other uses like making other clothes, face masks or cleaning cloths.
And before you trash your stained and ripped-beyond-repair clothes review your waste management guidelines, some allow you to place them into the recycle bin instead of the trash.
Having said all this, our bodies are always in transition, so if you are not feeling any of the advice above because you just can't get rid of some items that you love, let me offer this: If its too small to wear, keep it but store it somewhere different than your main closet and if it's too big have it tailored to your current size. Do not keep your larger size clothes as you are just telling them "hang on, I'll be back"--and that's not healthy!
Next. Take all of your clothes from your keep pile and hang it all back organizing it by category and then by color. Upgrade your hangers to thin velvet ones so your clothes stay put and minimize space in your closet. Also utilize the array of tools available to keep your closet organized.
Finally. Once your closet edit is complete, pay attention to the items you select to wear each day. After washing them, do not place them back into their rightful place, instead put them right at front and do this for the rest of the season. Take note of what you have worn (fit, style, color, etc.) so you can examine how you have built your “go to” outfits and also ask yourself why you haven’t used the rest of your clothes that were also appropriate for that season and activity and consider placing those in your donation pile. Your "go-to" outfits are your "uniform" and they should speak to your personal style, fit well and make you feel good.
Shopping. Take notes during this entire process as this will become your shopping to keep you on track. Your next shopping trip should include the clothing items that you need to replace because they were damaged, any items you noticed were missing while you were organizing and items to make more "go to" outfits.
By repeating this closet editing system before the start of each season, you will build a closet full of clothes that are in good condition, fit properly, flatter your body and are currently on trend or have a classic design. Your closet will be organized where you can find everything you need and you will wake up each morning excited to get dressed!
Why I advocate for caring for your clothes, buying what you need and understanding where the material comes from and where it going. Being a conscientious consumer is important in order to move away from the straight line cycle of buying clothes, wearing them a hand-full of times and then tossing them in the landfill (especially with fast fashion). Instead, move towards slow fashion by purchasing higher quality clothing that will last longer and extend their useful life by caring for them better, donating, reselling and swapping.
The EPA estimated that in 2017 12.8 million tons of clothing and footwear were generated, of which only 13.6% were recycled and 8.9 million tons went straight into our landfills, this a 100% increase from the year 2000.
Hire a personal stylist to help you with a closet edit by contacting us at info@thecloseteditco.com.
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