There is a quote that I think about all the time when it is time organize my home. Marilyn Pace said "Engineer your home to create peace."
And one of the ways I have felt peace is in an organized closet. Before, I would feel frustrated when I couldn't find what I was looking for and I felt like I didn't have enough clothes.
When my closet is organized I can easily find things and can get ready more quickly. I can take inventory so when I know what I really need when it is time to shop. It helps me to realize how much I actually do have when it comes to my closet.
So where do you start?
1. Start with a purge. My closet was overflowing with items that didn't fit. Things I didn't actually like or were damaged and I never wore them. Marie Kondo says to hold each item and see if it sparks joy and only keep the things that do. You could do that too.
I constantly remind myself that it's wasteful to let something hang in your closet that someone else could wear. It helps me keep my hoarding nature at bay while I sort.
If you are unsure about totally getting rid of things, I have put things in a tub in the top of my closet, especially when I was riding the weight roller coaster after having babies. It wasn't totally gone, but it was out of sight for step 2.
2. Sort by Category. I am trying to build a capsule wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe is a closet made up of clothing pieces that you can mix and match to create a ton of different outfits. Basically, trying to do more with less.
I like to organize my clothes according to how I would build an outfit and then by color. Here are my categories for what hangs in my closet.
Solid Neutral Shirts Grouped By Color: This would include chambray, white, black, grey, navy, etc.
Solid Color Shirts Grouped By Color: I found I really love coral, greens, and mustard. Since both our college and local high school colors are maroon, I have a ton of that too.
Patterned Shirts Grouped By Pattern: Stripes, polka dots, florals are all together.
Graphic Tees: If you want to get fancy, you can group these by topic
Dresses & Skirts: I sort the same way as my shirts. Solid neutrals, colors, patterns all grouped by type and color.
Those make up the bulk of my closet. From there, I put the rest of the items in to categories. If there was enough of something, I would organize it by color/pattern too. But most of my pants and jackets are neutral.
3. Organize Other Categories by Color/Pattern:
Coats, Vests, and Cardigans
Pants & Shorts
Shoes
Accessories (like belts, scarfs, etc)
If you're like me, you will probably find that you are definitely drawn to certain things. For example, I have 7 solid white shirts. I think I have that category sufficiently covered. You may also see some holes in your wardrobe. So the next time you have a little spending money, you can buy something you know you need. If so, head over to the website to see if we can help you out.