Closet Tips For Stress Free Dressing

Good morning!

I don’t know about you, but keeping my closet in good shape is always a work in progress. It is one thing to own the right pieces that work for your Body-Type and its Symmetry, as well as your Personality, Coloring, and Life-Style Requirements, but it is another thing to make sure that your closet is low maintenance, and you can see all of your clothing and get to it easily, so that getting dressed is done with ease, and something that you look forward to.

Awhile ago I received this e-mail from my client Amanda:

Hi Michelle,

Help!! I feel like I am constantly fighting with my closet. I love all of the clothes we have bought on my shopping sprees but I can’t seem to get organized. I know you are not a closet organizer per se but I know you must have some tips on organizing my closet that will make getting dressed easier. Although my closet is small, I just recently had it upgraded, so it has plenty of room for my clothes and accessories, but I just can’t seem to keep it neat and organized in a manner so that I can find items easily and get dressed quickly in the morning. Any  rules or tips would be helpful. Thanks!

Amanda

Like Amanda, it seems that many of us are rushing in the morning to get dressed and the last thing we want to do is filter through our wardrobe looking to find the pieces we want to wear for the day.

Here are my tips:

1. One of the most important tips I can give is to hang all of your clothing on the same hangers. You will be amazed at how just having your clothes on the same hanger will put ease to your eyes, making going through your closet a lot less stressful. It really doesn’t matter which kind of hangers you prefer as long as they are the same type and color.
2. Immediately remove the plastic covering from your clothes that you have gotten back from the dry cleaners and rid it of the wire hanger BEFORE you put it back into your closet. This not only keeps your closet looking visually appealing and less chaotic, but it will save you time in the morning as you get dressed.
3. Iron items that need ironing immediately after they have been washed BEFORE you hang them back into the closet.  You will be so happy you did this when you have limited time to get dressed. There is almost nothing worse than putting together a favorite outfit only to discover that one of the items you need to complete the outfit needs ironing.
4. Color coordinate your clothing from light to dark, sleeveless to long sleeve. I like to do this for my solids and/or “core basics” keeping them separate from my colors, prints, and patterns. This makes it easier when you are coordinating an outfit. Pick a “core basic” or a color/print/pattern/ first and then build from there to create your outfit.
5. Hang as many items as you can, and keep your intimate apparel or work-out wear folded in drawers. I can’t tell you how many times clients have confessed to me that they forgot they had an item because it was folded in a drawer and they could’t see it. If you are limited in hanger space, keep your items neatly folded on shelves that you can easily reach or use clear plastic stackable containers, fill them with folded similar items and label them. For example: “Fall Cashmere sweaters.”
6. Invest in accessories that will display your jewelry, scarves, hats, belts, shoes, etc., so that you can easily see and reach them.
7. Coats take up a lot of space so if you have a small closet, see if you can move your heavy winter coats to another closet to give more space to your everyday wear. You want to create ease in your closet as you pick through your wardrobe, not have a closet that is so packed you can’t see the items, nor can you pull them out or put them back easily because they are so tightly packed in.
8. Visually inspect your items wear and tear at least every few months. If you discover that a hem is falling down, remove it from your closet and set it aside to take to your alterations person. If you discover a fallen hem after you have gotten dressed, and you don’t have time to change, tack it up with a piece of Hollywood tape. Just remember, this solution is only usually reserved for a temporary fix – this is not something you should rely on every time you wear an item that is needing to be tacked or held together in a particular area.
9. After you get home, unless your clothing needs to be cleaned, make it a habit to put them back in the same place that you removed them from. If you keep putting back your clothes in different areas (or worse, toss them somewhere where they may get more wrinkled) every time you wear them, you may be wasting precious time in the morning just looking for them.
10. Have one or two of your go-to outfits put together in your closet (attach scarves, belts and jewelry in a small plastic bag hanging off the hanger), always ready to be put on should you wake up late or find yourself having to deal with an emergency early in the morning, leaving you with little time to get dressed.