Your Fall Closet, Part I

Break out those scarves!  A towel bar on the back of your closet door
is an easy way to display your scarves

So, yes, it is already that time of year.  Honeysuckle is already accepting fall transitional pieces as we head for the end of the summer.  And yes, we all need to start weeding through our closets and pulling out our fall pieces to take inventory of what to keep and what to toss.  Before you begin purchasing clothes for fall, take an afternoon or evening to get ready for your fall wardrobe by cleaning out your closet.

Pare it down:  keep only current-season clothing in your closet; put the rest in labeled storage containers.  While you’re pulling out your seasonal clothes, take this time to pare down your clothes.  Here are three ways to go about it: 

1.  Try on everything in your closet.  Make 3 piles:  keep, donate, and consign.   OR 

2.  Don’t have time to try on everything in your closet?  Then during the season, create a “worn” pile or section in your closet.  At the end of the season, you’ll know which items to keep and which items to consign.   OR

3.  Make a list.  This speeds things up.  Write a list of everything in your closet.  Look at the list to determine your favorites; when you remove an item, refer to your list.

Ask yourself, “do I love it?”  If the answer is “no” it has to go.

Love it?  Keep it!

Consign!  Knowing your tossed clothes will bring you some money will make it much MUCH easier.  Plus, consigning your clothes at a shop is so easy.  Simply make an appointment and the shop does all of the pricing, selling, and lovely check-writing for you.  Don’t have a consignment shop nearby?  Consider a charity for your clothes; you’ll get that same satisfaction knowing someone else will benefit from your clothes. 

Invest:  Ladies, those wire hangers are terrible for your clothes.  Use wooden or heavy plastic hangers.  They will last you a lifetime and your clothes will thank you.

Organize:  create zones in your closet based on how you think.  For example, a working mom may have different zones than say a stay-at-home mom.  Then, within each zone, organize by color.  The color spectrum, ROYGBIV (Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet) is an easy way to remember the order.

Creating "clusters" in your closet makes outfitting easy.

Don’t fantasize.  Ha!  If you bought it because it is beautiful but you NEVER wear it, sell it girlfriend.  Buy clothes that fit your lifestyle. 

Don’t buy the same item over and over.  Yes, you look fabulous in a white button-down, but how many do you need?  Take inventory (or refer to your list) of what you have and then make a list of items you may need.

Speaking of what you need, our next post will be a look at this fall's must-haves.  Now, get to work on that closet!

Sources:

Adam Glassman from oprah.com

housebeautiful.com

organizedhome.com