Posts Tagged "closet edit"

By Leslie Willmott on Feb 12, 2019

  A few days after severe cold weather swept across much of the country, Mother Nature brought unseasonably warm temperatures to my area and had me thinking “Spring.” And with that the seasonal closet cleanout! I personally prefer to think about it as a closet “edit” because unless I’m pinched for closet space, I don’t like to throw the baby out with the bathwater! I never know when a favorite item that I’ve not worn in quite some time will be just right for a certain occasion. WHAT SHAPE IS YOUR WARDROBE IN? If you moan that you have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear, then it’s time to seriously assess your wardrobe. If you’ve had a lifestyle change of any measure, your clothing choices might need to change with you. This doesn’t happen overnight, but taking time to edit your closet at least twice a year will help you build and maintain a wardrobe that works for you, not against you.   HERE’S HOW: A closet edit really has no season, although the beginning of spring and fall are typical, especially if you have a routine of switching closets seasonally. But why not set aside some time now, early in the year, to assess your wardrobe and gain control of the image you want to project? Not to mention streamline your closet and make getting dressed faster and easier.  Schedule a full morning or afternoon, if you can. If easier for you, take an hour a day over a long weekend. I like to set the mood with music and a cup of coffee or, if late in the day, a glass of wine! Style your hair and put on makeup – you’ll be trying on most of your clothes and nothing will look good if you don’t. You need to assess each item carefully, based on its fit, color, style and function and then decide to keep it, or let it go!  It’s an easy 3-step process: Pull everything out of your closet and “dresser” drawers. Your goal is to divide and conquer: What to keep versus what to let go of. Group like items together. I like to start with bottoms, then tops, dresses and shoes. (If you need to...

By Leslie Willmott on Jan 9, 2017

  Guest post by Alexandria Heinz   A New Year means time for new resolutions. If you’re constantly on the go and looking for a way to simplify your life, this could be the time to resolve to streamline your wardrobe. How? With a capsule wardrobe, a curation of stable pieces that you can mix and match. A capsule wardrobe can save you future time and money and assure that most of your clothing goes together. The first step to creating a capsule wardrobe is to clean out your closet. This might be something you dread doing, but with the help of the flow chart below created by American Eagle, it won’t be so hard! Just answer a few simple questions to determine if you should keep, trash, donate or sell your items. Make sure to dispose of the items that you’re not keeping within a week and store or organize items that aren’t seasonal in order to streamline your closet. If you travel frequently, organize your essential travel pieces in a certain section of your closet to make packing easier. Happy New Year and good luck!       Leslie’s note: The flow chart by American Eagle first appeared in a post on capsule wardrobes in AEO, the American Eagle Outfitters blog and is reprinted here with permission. Why not print it and tack it in your closest for ongoing reference? That’s what I...