The Best of StartCloseIn Closet Cleansing

The Best of StartCloseIn Closet Cleansing

Recently, I worked with a client to move her winter clothing to the side and focus her on spring and summer clothing. It struck me that many women keep all of their clothing in their closet year round, and I think that's not a great idea. In fact, I think it can be absolutely liberating to have less clothing in one place; it can save time, and it can make you feel refreshed and ready for the next season! 

So let's talk about how to cleanse your closet. I've written about this before, and I stand by my advice from this post where I advised you to first do the prep work before diving in to your closet, dresser, baskets, pile...wherever it is that you store your clothing. I use the word "closet" broadly here! 

In this post about switching from a summer to a fall/winter closet, I wrote "you should be able to fall into your closet in the morning and anything you grab will fit and feel like your best version of yourself." Here's what that could look like for you: try on everything in your closet. If it doesn't fit right now, get it out of your closet. That could mean donating it, selling it (I wrote about one of many sites that will buy your clothing in this post about doing a closet cleanse. I also love the site called Twice), giving it away, or just storing it somewhere else for a little while and pulling it out in a few months to see if it feels right for you then. 

Once you have eliminated anything that doesn't currently fit you, check out my tips for visually organizing your closet from this post:

Use all one color (preferably white or those black fuzzy ones) hangers. It makes the closet look more cohesive, more like a store. Since we're trained to like the way clothes look in stores, it helps our brains to be more excited about our closets when they're organized. That means more fun in your closet!

Organize your clothes in a way that works for you. I like rainbow because I wear too much black, and it helps me to realize how many other colors I do have. I put all of [client Hannah's]black clothing up top in her closet because it's an easy color to use and doesn't need to be highlighted. She knows it's there to grab if she wants it. Having colors coordinated helps you to dress effortlessly in monochrome as well as to mix colors and patterns in new ways.

Here, in a post about doing an end-of-summer closet purge, I shared my guidelines for preparing a professional wardrobe:  

1. First, look at the most influential person in the room. If what you and that person are wearing look like they are attending completely different events (she's in a suit that could go to the White House, you're in a tshirt or dirty jeans or very casual shoes), then you might not be dressing in your most professional way. 
2. Take a look at how to incorporate elements of how that person is dressing into your own style (if she's the only one in a suit, for example, consider wearing a blazer to work more often, echoing an element of her formality and the formality she perceives for your office; if no one else wears open toed shoes at your job, consider trading your sandals for a pair of closed-toe shoes, even a more casual pair).

I think these tips can make a huge difference in how you feel while getting dressed for the day. My hope is that spring will bring relaxed mornings and fun outfits to you! As always, if you want help, I'm here to come play in your closet any time!

Here's my client's closet when I first arrived...

And during the closet cleanse...(That's me!)

And after!

Of course I couldn't resist hanging up a few outfits for her there on the side! Doesn't it feel brighter and lighter?