If you read our blog on designing the perfect wardrobe, you’re probably looking at your own closet and dresser wondering what’s the best way to categorize your clothes. The “best” way is the way that makes it easiest for you to find what you’re looking for and allows items to keep their shape. For instance, hanging up all your socks would be a tremendous waste of space while you wouldn’t want a silk blouse folded up in a drawer.
At Simply Laundry, we prefer the occasion-based method of categorizing clothes. This means categorizing our clothes based on when we will use them such as work, leisure, evening wear, etc. Unless you’re lucky enough to have a dream closet, closet space is no doubt at a premium. For most of us, especially those living in smaller condos, our wardrobes are miniature spaces, which is why organization is so important. If you have limited wardrobe space and an expansive collection of clothes, one option is also to organize by season. Bring out your summer collection in the spring, then pack it away and bring out the winter collection in the fall. However, for the average person, you should be able to neatly fit all your clothes in whatever space you have available with the proper organization and some categorizing.
Work Clothes
Depending on what type of job you have, the definition of ‘work clothes’ varies. For our purposes, we’re going to assume a 9-5 office type of job.
Suits
Again, the way you organize your suits depends a lot on personal preference. At great way to have any suit you want available is to hang suit jackets and pants (or skirts for women) together on one hanger. This way, you can just grab one item and everything you need for your outfit is ready to go.
For pants without a matching suit jacket or suit jackets without matching pants, hang these item on their own hangers separate from the suit section. This way, if you grab a suit jacket expecting a full outfit, you won’t be disappointed. These items can actually be hung near one another as many unmatched pants and jackets can form a full outfit with the right accessories.
Blouses/Dress Shirts
The blouse or dress shirt is an item of clothing that must be hung in order to look its best. Nothing ruins an outfit quicker than a wrinkled shirt that looks poorly cared for. Many dry cleaners, including Simply Laundry, will return your blouses and dress shirts to you perfectly pressed and ready to be hung in your closet. Blouses and dress shirts are best categorized by colour and pattern. For instance, a black suit will go nicely with a patterned or solid-coloured blouse, however, a patterned blouse paired with a patterned suit is not necessarily a great match. Keeping your blouses and dress shirts categorized so you know which type is appropriate for the suit you’ve chosen makes getting dressed in the morning easier and quicker.
Leisure Clothes
Leisure clothes are another item that are very much dependent on lifestyle and personal preference. While some people consider ‘leisure’ to be hiking in the woods, others consider it spending time at nice restaurants or reading on the couch. Whatever your idea of leisure is, leisure clothes are typically those you feel most comfortable in. If this includes jeans and t-shirts, you can probably get away with folding these items and storing them in a drawer. However, if you have a large collection of jeans (more than three pairs), a great way to keep inventory of what you have is to hang them in your closet (or at least your favourite pairs). This works well for a large t-shirt collection as well.
Categorizing Your Clothes To Suit You
When it comes to your wardrobe, it doesn’t matter how many clothes you have or what type, what matters is that your wardrobe works for you and your lifestyle.
Keep your closet easy to use and organized with our categorization tips and let Simply Laundry keep your clothes looking their best by booking a pickup online today!