I have nothing to wear!

How many times have I walked into my closet and had absolutely nothing to wear! Well, let’s be honest, there were tons of items to actually put on my body and wear, but nothing seemed to fit or look right together or meet my expectations.  Organizing your closet and giving yourself space to see what you own can help you get ready on time and look great every day.

First things first… take everything out of your closet. You might be tired of hearing me say this, but it is always the first place to start. Beginning with an empty space that is clean helps you see the full potential of the room. It lets you take a deep breath and enjoy empty space. It lets you realize that once a room is not jam-packed, it can be a place of contentment once again.

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Next, try everything on. See what fits. If it doesn't fit or doesn't look right, do not keep it.  If it needs to go to the tailor or needs to be dry cleaned, do that now.  If you have not worn it for more than two years, take a closer look at it. Do you like it? Do you have an outfit to wear it with? Do you have a reason to keep it? If not, put it in the donate pile.  Do you own several of the same item, like 4 or 5 white t-shirts? How many pairs of socks do you own? How many do you need? Be realistic and a little ruthless as you make your keep, donate, and trash piles.

I heard that Oprah said once that she keeps all of her clothes from a size 6 to a size 16. My closet is not the size of Oprah’s, and I am betting neither is yours. If you own clothes in lots of sizes, really challenge yourself on whether you will be a different size again (bigger or smaller).  Some things might fit you next year if you lose or gain those ten pounds, but it might be horribly out of style by the time it fits. And let’s face it, if you finally lose those ten pounds, you deserve new jeans, not to waste time digging out those old ones.  Plus, if you are dying to get back to your high school weight, so you can wear your high-waisted acid washed Guess jeans, you are missing the point.

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Buy some nice hangars that match. All wood hangers look very nice, and keep your clothes nice, or soft velvet hangars are gentle on your clothes as well.  Invest in a few drawer organizers to separate undies from socks.

Put clothes in your closet in a way that makes sense.  Group like items together. Dresses, pants, skirts, short sleeve shirts and long sleeve shirts should all go together.  And then organize everything by color.  This will help you see what you have and what you might need to buy or stop buying. 

If you still have a ton of clothes leftover after you made your donation pile, test yourself to see whether you will wear them or not.  Place all of your hangers backward on the rod like the picture. When you wear that item, turn the hanger around. If in a year, you still have hangers backwards, get rid of all of those things.

In order to keep your new closet space as beautiful as it is now, you have to have a plan. Stop buying new things for a while.  If you do go shopping, have a plan to buy only items that you need; for example, a new white t-shirt that will replace your old one or a shirt to match the jeans that you love.  Also, put things away. Hang clothes back up as soon as you finish the laundry. Put the dry cleaning away when you bring it home.  Take it out of the plastic bag and put it back on its hangar. Always put clothes and shoes back where they live.

Cleaning out your closet can be an overwhelming task to tackle on your own. Enlist a friend to help you or call me!