In my last post, I explained how I have gone about re-doing my clothes closet. I talked about

• Preparation

• Purging and Sorting

And now the final step, putting it all back into the closet. I’m so excited to show you the final outcome! So here goes:

Put it Back

-Before I put everything back I re-hung all the clothes on the new, slimmer hangers my mom gave us for Christmas. What a difference! They take up so little space on the rod. I highly recommend them.

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In my last post, The Basics of Closet Organization, I listed the 3 steps to getting your closet organized.
1. Prepare
2. Purge and Sort
3. Put Back

I don’t just write this stuff, I actually do it! In February, I challenged myself to minimize the amount of clothing I keep. I had read a great article on the Small Notebook blog that motivated me to go into minimalist mode in my clothes closet. Let me first say that I come from a long line of clothes hoarders. My grandma has 3 closets full of clothes; my mother and my sister are running neck and neck for 2nd place! (Yes, Mom and Sis, if you are reading this- you have tons of clothes!) At any rate, I started out to see how much I could pare down my wardrobe.

Here’s my closet before I started:

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So you are determined to be more organized than ever but you don’t live by yourself… There’s your other half, the kids and maybe even a mother in law in the mix! You may be wondering how to get them organized. The answer … you can’t.  It’s like making someone love brussel sprouts (sorry mom). You cannot make someone be organized, and if you could, they certainly would not be organized the way YOU expect them to be.

Still on the wardrobe topic – wouldn’t you like to have the most put together wardrobe of the season?

Are you ready to simplify your wardrobe? Here’s a formula ( and you don’t have to know algebra) for creating a wardrobe filled with possibilities. It’s called:

Capsule Theory of Wardrobing

Start with your choice of 4 bottoms ( skirts, skorts, pants, capris,etc)

Add your choice of 5 coordinating tops (tshirts, blouses, shirts)

These nine pieces, since they all coordinate, make for a total of 20 outfits combinations! But wait, there’s more….

Add one jacket and that equals a total of 40 outfits;

add another jacket and that equals a total of 60 outfits

and add one more jacket and the total combination of possible outfits equals 80 outfits!!

That means that with only 12 articles of clothing, you have 80 possible wardrobe combinations!  While I cannot illustrate the combinations for you on this blog post,  I can promise you that I saw this demonstrated live and it works!

I learned this useful technique from an image consultant, Lois Payne.  Using different pieces that coordinate enables you to have less clothing but a larger wardrobe… Brilliant! And we haven’t even talked about adding accessories..

So, is anyone willing to try this capsule wardrobe idea?  I am going to use it for my winter wardrobe this year… who’s with me?!

Last week, I talked about how getting rid of my son’s dresser and having used only his closet for clothing organization was a success.  Many of you responded on Facebook that it was a great idea and that others have tried it with success. So today, let’s stay on the topic of clothing organization.

At the end of each season (now for example) is a good time to purge and re-organize your wardrobe.  Taking a look at what you did not wear all season and deciding to donate it or give it to a friend.  Some friends even have “swishing events“, where they swap clothes that they are no longer interested in and create a whole new look with some new (free) pieces.

This is also the time to look at the incoming season’s clothes and decide what key pieces should be purchased this year.  Using a personal style consultant like my friend Krista Carlson can help you to select a few pieces to add impact to your wardrobe without spending a fortune.  I had Krista come over and help me see what was missing from my wardrobe.   She also helped me to see new combinations I had never considered!

Organize your clothes by category: shirts, pants, jackets, etc.  Then organize each category by color: greens, blues, browns, etc. Seasonal sweaters are better stored folded than on the hanger; you don’t want to have it mis-shapen.  If you want to store your sweaters in the closet, purchase shelf dividers.  If you place them 10 -  12 inches apart, you can stack folded sweaters in between and have your stack stay neat and tidy. You can find them here. Another option for sweaters that works well for handbags, scarves and hats is the hanging sweater shelf.

While you are working on your clothes, create a space or system for those things that need to go to the dry cleaners.  Install a hook in your closet or behind a door. Place a laundry bag on the hook and when the bag is full, go to the cleaners.  No more dry cleaning lying around “in wait”!

Fall is in the air finally! I love this time of year, my senses come alive with the color changes, the glowing pumpkins, the hot ciders and everything else. It is also a good time of year to work on your wardrobe! Here are a few tips to organize your closets

1. Hang all hangers backwards.
Sounds strange I know, but bear with me. When you pull something out to wear it, the hanger gets turned around and hung the usual way. At the end of the season it is easy to see what you did not wear; anything that is still on a backwards hanger! This way you can purge quickly as you prepare to change your closet for the next season.
2. Use different color hangers for clothes you want to wear a 2nd time. Many of our clothes are dry clean only so we tend to wear them a couple of times before they go back to the cleaners. Sometimes it is difficult to determine if this is a second wear or not. When hanging up something you have worn once already, use a different color hanger to indicate that you have one more wear before it goes in the dry cleaning bag. Speaking of dry cleaning….
3. Install a hook in the closet or behind the bedroom door to hang your dry cleaning bag.
This keeps the clothes from being piled in a corner or on a chair. When the bag is full, then it’s time to go to the dry cleaners.
4. Use multi hangers to create space.
There are some really cool hanger products on the market today. For example, one hanger can hold 5 skirts or 5 shirts, there are innovative pants hangers out there as well. Another tool that might help increase your closet space, short of a complete closet system, is a second bar. These are bars that hang, from the existing closet bar, down lower to hold your pant hangers beneath your shirts.
5. Use baskets on closet shelves for bulky sweaters and sweatshirts.
Our fall and winter wardrobes are a bit bulkier, so use the top of your closet to hold baskets to hold the bulky, less frequently worn items. Of course, at the end of the season if you have never worn the item, you should donate it. There are also shelf dividers. When positioned between stacks of clothing on your closet shelf, the dividers help everything to stay in its place, in an organized manner.
That’s all we ever want, right?