8 Steps to Get Your Closet Ready For Fall

How to have a closet filled with clothes you can wear

I know it is hard to believe that it is already the end of summer, but as you have most probably noticed, the days are shorter and the nights are, thankfully, cooler. The time has come to put away our Capri’s and sandals, and get our wardrobes ready for the cooler weather of fall and winter.

Before you go shopping for the clothes and accessories to complement and expand your existing wardrobe, follow the guidelines below to make room for your new wardrobe purchases, and you will discover the possibilities that await you with what you already own.

In anticipation of many women saying that they have nothing to wear, even though their closets and drawers are overflowing, here are eight steps to take to have a closet always filled with ‘something to wear’.

Take a few hours to spend some quality time with your clothes and accessories. Step into your bedroom, open the doors and drawers that hold your clothes, and be open and honest with yourself. Reacquaint yourself with all that you have, and determine which of your clothes you should hold onto and which you need to let go. It is now time to really get to know your clothes, accessories, and shoes.

Here are eight steps to take that will help you review and edit your existing wardrobe. When you are done, not only will you better understand which of your current clothes fit and flatter you the most, you will also have a better understanding of what clothes you need to purchase to update your closet for fall and winter.

• Label five bags as follow: Donate, Repair, Toss, Clean, and Consign.
• Anything with holes or permanent stains needs to be tossed. Be honest. If you haven’t gotten the stains out by now, or repaired the tears, it is time to let the items (or clothing) go.
• If you wouldn’t want to bump into someone you know while wearing one of your pieces, then place said item in the donate bag. Just ask yourself, would you be thrilled to bump into your high school crush, while wearing your ‘comfy’ clothes?
• If you wore it in the ‘70s, ‘80s or ‘90s toss or donate, depending upon its condition. Now come on, you knew that anyway, right?
• Any item you have held onto for more than one year, unless you were pregnant, should be donated or consigned. Never put off looking great right now in the hopes of losing weight. All of my clients discover that it is not any extra weight they perceive they have to lose that holds them back from looking and feeling great, but rather the style, cut and color of the clothes they had been wearing that were holding them back from looking and feeling fabulous.
• Now start trying on what is left and be honest. If it makes you look and feel great, keep it, if not donate or consign. Do not forget to take notice of which colors, fit and style, look best on you. Contrary to popular belief, black is not always flattering on everyone.
• Take the remaining clothes and hang them all with the hanger facing out. As you wear an item, if you love it, rehang it facing in. Anything left at the end of a season facing the wrong way is to be donated or consigned.
• Any items that you simply cannot let go of, perhaps for sentimental reasons, should be placed in boxes designed for long-term storage, and stored in a space not used for your clothes.

If the above steps are difficult for you to tackle alone, ask a friend or close family member to offer their opinions.

Charla Krupp, author of How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better, advises women to hire a Personal Stylist, also known as an Image Consultant, to help them review their closet each season, thereby discovering which pieces need to be removed and which to keep.

The money you earn from the consigned clothes, and the tax deduction for your donations, can be put towards buying pieces that will compliment and complete your existing wardrobe.

Voila, you will now have a closet no longer stuffed with “Nothing To Wear,” but actually more to wear because now no matter what you pull out, it will fit and flatter you, allowing you to feel good about yourself.

You will be more than happy when you bump into someone you know, because now you will look and feel great!

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