by Dawn Mellon
“Clothes, clothes everywhere, but not a stitch to wear.”
How many times have you stood in your closet full of clothes and felt like you had nothing to wear? You are not alone. There’s that great skirt you bought on sale but never found a blouse to complete the outfit, the fabulous dress that doesn’t have an equally-fabulous pair of shoes, and all the clothes you’re holding on to with the hope that, one day, you’ll fit into them again. Eventually, you resort to wearing the same outfits over and over again, and, ultimately, half the clothes you own are never worn.
The solution to this dilemma begins witha well-organized closet and ends with a well-thought-out shopping list.
Step 1: Divide and Conquer
To start:
Purge clothes that are out of style, don’t fit or are no longer part your lifestyle.
Store sentimental pieces or outdated items that may come back in style.
Keep the classic and current styles that fit both your body and your lifestyle.
Step 2: Categorize
1. Clothes should be categorized according to:
Season – fall, winter, spring, summer
Use – casual, business, evening
Type – tops, blouses, pants, skirts, dresses, jackets
Color – follow the color wheel for consistency
Length – blouses, for example, can be sorted by sleeve length - sleeveless, short-sleeve or long-sleeve
To create a consistent look, use one type of hanger throughout your closet.
2. Similarly, shoes and boots should be categorized according to:
Season
Type – evening sandals, pumps, booties, boots
Color
Store your shoes in clear shoe containers (which can be found at the Container Store) with a photograph on the outside of the box. Because of their size, you’ll need men’s shoe boxes for booties and shooties.
3. Handbags should be categorized by:
Season
Type - everyday handbags, evening bags
Color
You can put all of your handbags in one location in your closet or with like-colored shoes. If you store them in cloth bags, put a photograph of your handbag on the outside of the cloth bag.
4. The decision to divide or mix your authentic jewelry with your costume jewelry is personal preference. Either way, jewelry should be categorized by:
Metal – gold, silver, two-tone
Color – either of the stone or the beads.
While there are many ways to store jewelry, I prefer small clear boxes with movable dividers that are labeled on the outside. Larger pieces, such as bangle bracelets, can be put on bracelet holders.
5. Accessories call for the most creativity:
Use drawer dividers for socks, hosiery and small scarves.
Roll belts with the buckle face up and put them in sock/hosiery drawer dividers as well.
Large scarves and wraps can be folded on pant hangers.
Clear hat box containers are available at the Container Store for storing hats.
Step 3: The List
A well-organized closet will help you understand what you have, what you need and, ultimately, help you put together a well-thought-out shopping list, which I’ll cover in my next column.
Helpful Tips for Organizing Your Closet
*Enlist a friend to help you organize your closet – it'll be more fun.
*If organizing isn’t ‘your thing,’ barter with a friend. For example, if your friend likes to organize and you like to cook, ask her to organize your closet in exchange for some home-cooked meals.
*If you’re unsure whether to purge something or keep it, put the piece in a box and if you don’t miss it after a season, purge it.
*When you re-hang a piece you’ve just worn, turn the hanger it in the opposite direction. By the end of the season, it will be easy to see what you haven’t worn, which means you need something to wear with it or you need to purge it.
*Your unwanted items can be donated or consigned, or you can host a ‘Second-Time Around Party’ (see the La Mode's Fall 2009 issue for details).
*When you have time, create outfits and put them in one area of your closet. You can pull them out and look great, even when you’re in a hurry.
Dawn Mellon is a Dallas-based stylist. Contact her at dmellon7964@msn.com, for your styling needs.
