Last Friday I had the pleasure of spending the morning at my friend Erin’s house. While our youngest daughters played, we sifted through the contents of her closet. Our goal? Clear out the clutter and create some workable wardrobe options for Erin’s lifestyle as a supermom to four beautiful young kids. Erin was tired of her mommy uniform, and wanted to mix it up a little. Do you feel similarly stuck? Here are a few pointers based on Erin’s Closet Cleanout:
1. Work Quickly: We made it through Erin’s entire, packed, walk-in closet in a couple of hours. Let’s face it – you already know what works and what doesn’t. You just need the courage to toss the duds. Erin has it. As I held up one item after another, Erin gave me the thumbs up or thumbs down. This is a woman who knows what she likes, and isn’t afraid of the pruning process. If it doesn’t fit, is dated, faded, or unflattering, put it in the toss pile. If it has some value, either sentimental or monetary, keep it in a separate place. Don’t let items you don’t wear take up precious closet space!
2. Designate a Holding Spot: On the fence about a few items. Store them in a suitcase or a storage bin for a few months. If you never miss them, it’s time for them to go.
3. Keep a Running Shopping List: I am completely convinced that most women could create dozens of new outfits from their existing wardrobe by adding only a few, inexpensive basics. (Tomorrow, I’ll tell you what they are. And yes, they’re the same for most of us!)
4. Create three piles: Toss, alter, or store. Then get them out of your closet ASAP. Check out the size of Erin’s toss pile, below.
5. Organize the remainder: Once you’ve cleared out the junk, merchandise your own closet as if it was an upscale boutique. Sort items by type, and then by color. Erin’s closet starts with sleeveless tops, then short sleeve tops, then long sleeve, then jackets, then skirts. She keeps her pants folded. Within each of those categories, I sorted the items by color from light to dark. Here are “After” pictures of the closet:
Leave a Reply