And you don't need an extra room to house your vast wardrobe. You need less stuff! I will never understand why people keep buying bigger spaces, just to fill up those beautiful closets with ill-fitting, outdated clothes. The only logical explanation I can come up with is that they must not realize that all that stuff they're lugging around is worthless. (Do you really need an extra clothing rack to keep all those cheap t-shirts?) The one thing I realized when I unpacked my clothes and loaded up my huge, walk-in closet is that I have entirely too much stuff. And since this time of year tends to motivate us to clean and get organized, I say it's the perfect time to purge those bulging closets!Let's tackle this process in moderately manageable steps. (I will be reviewing each of these steps in the next few weeks.)
STEP 1 Sort Your Wardrobe Toss anything you haven't worn in the last year. By toss I mean either donate it to a charity or give it to a friend. For those of you with packed wardrobes or multiple closets, dispose of any items you haven't worn in two years. Now toss any items that don't look good on you. If you're not sure, ask a friend who will provide you with an honest answer. Please don't ask the person who looks absolutely dreadful in her own clothes. Rely on someone who has a good sense of style.
Step one is easy for a lot of people. Until you get to the point where it's time to actually pack up all those tossed items and remove them from your home. I bet they stay in your house for at least another 3 weeks. (Note: My donation box has been sitting in my bedroom for 6 weeks!)
So here's to hoping my husband doesn't see the title for this one! SHEESH! I have been trying to be REALLY good at purging items from my closet, but sometimes it's hard. What types of tips do you have for folks that keep all 4 seasons of clothes in one place? Can I also interject that a big closet eliminates the need for a chest of drawers and frees up valuable square footage for you :-) I think the hardest thing is to really judge ,with or without a friend, things that look good on you. I mean we all have some go to outfits, but really how to mix and match so getting dressed is a pleasure (ala Lloyd, Tim Gunn and the UK What not to wear ladies). I am inspired to host a clothing swap. Wanna come visit Seattle?:-)
Posted by: Mo | January 13, 2010 at 11:36 AM
LOL Mo, I hope your husband doesn't see this blog post either. You asked an excellent question about what to do if you keep 4 seasons of clothes in one closet. That's exactly what I do so I know the challenges that method brings. (Sounds like a new blog post to me.:) But here's the main trick: get items that transcend more than one season. That's why I like layering because I'm making good use of my t-shirts and tank tops even in the winter months. A clothing swap is an excellent idea! It would be helpful to give people some ideas on how to wear their newly swapped items. That's my job, huh? So when is a good time to travel to Seattle?
Posted by: STYLEnosh | January 13, 2010 at 01:05 PM
Usually spring is nice here, though right now we are enjoying some warmer temps in the 50's which is better than most of the country.
I remember back to that great clothing/accesory swap we had years ago and it was a lot of fun! At least I know I have lots of great shoes for you here!:-)I'll organize it and then perhaps folks can send your pics of their newly aquired items and for a fee you can tell them great ideas on how to re-use?
Posted by: Mo | January 13, 2010 at 01:56 PM
Mo, I love that idea!!! We had so much fun at our swap I know people will love it! Let's discuss when you'd want to do it. :-)
Posted by: STYLEnosh | January 16, 2010 at 09:07 AM