Revive Your Wardrobe with a Closet Clean-Up

Little motivational post to encourage you to start the new year with not only resolutions you want to keep, but a wardrobe that make you feel your best. Take advantage of your last day or two to pack up what you don’t need and donate it for a nice tax write-off (perk!)! I try to clean out my closet every four to six months just to stay on top of it.

Go through every single item in your closet and ask yourself:

If it does not pass this threshold, say adios. Personally, I’m donating some pre-baby clothes that I’ve been hanging on to. I’m not that size and might never be again. If I get there, great, I’ll buy some new items. Until then, I don’t need to have those items sitting there taking up space and making me feel slightly guilty that I can’t squeeze pants past my hips and that some fitted shirts hug my tummy way too tightly now. They need to peace out. Here’s a few images from my closet (including my beloved new hangers on the left!)

Once you purge, make an effort in 2012 to create the wardrobe you really want. A few tips for what you have:

- To determine what you’re really wearing, turn the hanger around after wearing something. After two months, take inventory of what hasn’t been worn and determine why. It might be a seasonal thing or it might be that you don’t really wear it. Consider how you might style it, or put it in your donation pile.

- Only buy if it fits you perfectly, or is an easy alteration you are willing to make pronto. If pants pull at the crotch, if shirts are baggy in the chest or are too tight, do not buy.

- To get more use out of your closet, I’ve said this before… pick three items every week that you want to wear and leave those at the front of your closet. Commit yourself to integrating them into one of your looks. It’s a great way to make use of items that can hide in the back of your closet.

When buying, a few recommendations…

- Consider how you can style a potential new item. You could have found the coolest new blazer but if you’re a fab stay-at-home-mama who’s mostly in casual gear or work clothes, is your money better suited on something else? Are you going to wear this?

- Only buy if you absolutely LOVE. It doesn’t matter if it’s $8, discounted from $200. You’re not saving $192, you’re still spending $8 so consider if you need it and it makes you feel like a million bucks. Or, is it just another lame t-shirt when you should be saving those $8 toward that denim button down you really want (reminder to self!)?

- Lastly, a reminder to RID YOURSELF OF THE “I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR” SYNDROME {discussed here}. When you feel this way, write down the item you wish you had. When you’re shopping it’s much easier to stick to what you need if you see it in writing. Otherwise it’s easy to get distracted by the sales and other simply cute items.

Wishing you a wonderful, ultra fashionable and happy 2012!

Tagged as: closet, fashion, organization, wardrobe