Have you ever walked into a retail clothing store and thought to yourself, “Why can’t this be my wardrobe?” While many of us can’t afford to furnish our closets with the breadth and variety of clothing offered at retail, what you can do is organize your wardrobe in a professional manner that will make the clothes you have seem that much more appealing!
A well-kept and organized wardrobe not only keeps your clothes looking nice, but also makes it easier for you to take a quick inventory of what you have so you can put together the perfect outfit, every day. A well organized wardrobe saves time in the mornings and also makes getting dressed a lot more fun.
For the best tips in wardrobe organization, we looked to the experts and found some great advice from WhoWhatWear.com:
Tip #1: If you don’t wear it, get rid of it!
This one can sometimes be easier said than done! But to fully maximize the utility of your wardrobe, you need to remove items that really don’t belong there. This includes items that you haven’t worn for a year, items that don’t fit, or items that are no longer something you would wear. Special occasion items, such as evening gowns, or items with sentimental value are obvious exceptions to this rule. Consider storing these items somewhere other than your closet so you know where they are but they aren’t taking up space needed for day-to-day items.
Tip #2: Make friends with storage
Whether you hire a professional or take the DIY route, efficient storage options are essential for a well-organized wardrobe. Choose storage devices that allow you to actually see your clothes, such as open cubicles or clear boxes, so that you don’t forget what you have. As one expert put it, “If you can’t see it, you don’t wear it!”
Tip #3: Start organizing
Depending on the type of garment and how and when you will wear it, there are different organizational techniques to use.
Tops – hang as many as possible.
Sweaters – the exception to the tops rule (above), sweaters should be folded so as not to lose shape. The experts recommend colour-coding your sweaters and separating using cubicles or dividers. Also, cedar helps protect cashmere and wool from moths.
Jeans – while this is really left up to personal choice, the most popular way to organize jeans is by colour, moving from dark to light.
Pants/Skirts/Shorts – for these items, try using clips and folding in the sides to avoid having the clips mark the garment. Folding sides also provides cleaner lines, giving your wardrobe a more pleasing aesthetic.
Dresses – the experts differed on the best way to organize dresses, with one preferring to organize by colour and the other by length. You can also organize by sleeve length, occasion, or season.
Bags/Scarves/Hats – these items need to be as visible as possible, especially if you have multiple varieties of each. Try displaying your bags on a shelf, your scarves folded in piles by colour and material, and hat boxes for hats with a picture of the hat on the front.
Shoes – nothing beats a great shoe rack! But if you don’t have one, organizing by colour and style is the best practice.
Lingerie – even though most lingerie is kept in drawers, it can still be organized. Ensure you don’t over-wear certain items and neglect others by organizing according to colour, size, and type.
Jewelry – a built-in drawer works great for keeping jewelry neat and uncluttered, giving a quick perspective of your collection, and keeping valuables hidden from plain sight.
Whatever method of organization you choose, the most important things to keep in mind are whether it’s easy for you to find items and how much you enjoy looking at your wardrobe! After organizing, you should open your closet every morning and get that same feeling you did after walking into your favourite retail store – only this time, it is your wardrobe!
Happy organizing!