BURSTING AT THE SEAMS: HOW TO BUILD A WARDROBE THAT MEETS ALL OF YOUR NEEDS WITHOUT TOO MUCH JUNK IN YOUR TRUNK

“My closets are literally bursting at the seams!” the client cried as we tiptoed through piles of clothes on her bedroom floor. Closet doors wouldn’t open all the way, blocked by more heaps. No room to hang additional clothes on the bars, too crammed. T-shirts, jeans, hats, and sweatpants piled high on shelves, many making a dive toward the floor.

“There’s not enough storage in this house! I need a nicer dresser, bigger closets…maybe we should build-out the garage and move off-season clothes in there? What do you think?” she asked. I told her what I thought, and she didn’t like it. I said, “You have 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5-pound sack. And you only love and wear 3 pounds of those potatoes. So, you tell me.”

She resisted. And out came the “but/what if’s”.

“I hate that blazer and that suit! But what if I interview for a new job, I’ll need those clothes for work!”

“I know those sweatpants have a giant rip in the butt. But what if I can’t find ones I love as much?”

“I don’t remember buying that hat, but what if I go to Mexico or the Bahamas? I’ll need something like that!”

Sure. “But/what if” you let go of the things that aren’t currently providing value to your life? What then? What would that make room for?

It would make room for EVERYTHING. Everything you need, that is. Most people already have everything they need, and then some. We’re talking clothes here, though that does extend beyond our daily wear. Here’s a 10-step process to evaluate your wardrobe and ensure it fits your body, your storage space, and your lifestyle.

Step 1: Write Down Your Activities

Think about the activities you do in your current life. Not your fantasy life when you “take up” gardening, register for a half marathon, or start going to concerts again – what you do TODAY.

For example, thinking about your last year, how often did you hike, bike, run, swim, play tennis, ski, surf? Go casual to a party or work? Go formal a party or work? Do house/yard work? Run errands and walk the dog? Be honest. Your life is full and complete as-is. No need to embellish. What activities are you truly up to?

Step 2: Count What You Need

Think of how many of each item (t-shirt, jeans, slacks, blouse/shirt, suit, dress, etc.) for each category you’ll really use in a given year now that you’ve written down your true lifestyle.

For example, you may have 15 suits but wear a suit twice a year. That is overkill on suits. However, you may have few t-shirts but wear them every day. To have a well-functioning wardrobe, your t-shirts should grossly outnumber your formal wear. So, if you go shopping, priority is to spend money on t-shirts, not formal wear.

Step 3: Check for Comfort, Style, and Utility

Hold each clothing item and review it front and back. Is it stain-, hole-, and rip-free? Do you love it? If you can’t quickly decide, determine if (1) it is comfortable, (2) it fits you well and isn’t woefully out of style, and (3) you have somewhere to wear it to in your current (not fantasy) life.

Step 4: Be Wary of “Just in Case”

If you determine the garment makes the cut, then identify the activity you’ll wear it for. If the phrase “just in case…” populates the word bubble above your head, really think how feasible that event is to happen in the next year…or ever. Once the real, probable activity the item will be used for is identified, put it in that pile. If you’re stuck on “just in case…”, then it may be time to let it go to someone who can use it now and not, you know, just in case.

Step 5: Categorize It All

Keep putting all clothes in piles categorized by type of activity. Look at every single item in the entire house. That includes under beds, in the attic, in all closets and drawers…everything that can be worn. Some activities you can wear the same types of clothes to perform…housework and yard work, casual night out and casual work day, formal party and formal work event, etc. Consolidate as appropriate.

Step 6: Compare and Contrast

When you’re done evaluating and sorting, see if the proportions of clothes in each activity pile match the proportions of time you do that activity. Make cuts or make lists of things to buy as appropriate. Love that purple top but never wear it because you have no slacks or skirts to pair it with? Put a bottom to match on your shopping list if you’re willing to invest into making that top work for you; otherwise, let it go, it’s providing no value if you’re not wearing it and feel badly about that.

Step 7: Arrange by Type

Of all the clothes you’re keeping, arrange them by type: short sleeve shirt, long sleeve shirt, jeans, slacks, suits, etc. Within that type category, arrange in order of light to dark. It may not stay like this, but it is a great visual for you to see where you’re starting at after this process. If you can manage to keep it like this, it will help in feeling at ease letting more go as you can see how much you have that is serving the same purpose. It also makes it easier to dress, and helps save money because when you go shopping you know what holes to fill. I.e. – what is really needed versus impulse shopping.

Step 8: Up the Aesthetic

You have to look at the clothes every day, might as well make it a nice view. Matching hangers do wonders, providing consistency and a sense of order. Hooks are a great solution for hats, handbags, scarves, and belts. Make the most of vertical space…you could put a hat/handbag organizer on the back of a door or have another shelf installed at the top of the closet. Ensure the lighting is good wherever you pull your clothes from; this could be as easy as a brighter bulb, cleaning the light fixture, or adding a stick-on light. Use shelf dividers to hold up handbags, sweaters, or other things that may topple over. Use bins to hold items you don’t need to see individually stacked (ex: underwear, socks, bathing suits). Use shoe cubbies and other space-savers to stack pairs.

Step 9: Sell or Donate FAST

Follow through on your decision to let go of things and go immediately, do not pass Go, get them to the designated recipient: charity, consignment store, friend in need…whatever you decide, do it as quickly as possible. You already put the time and effort into evaluating everything, don’t drag out the ending by not delivering the clothes to a new home where they can be of value. And don’t fall prey to that friend that says, “Wait! I want to come over next week and pick through them!” If it’s so important to them to see your clothes, then they can get them this week and they can take them all. Don’t create more work for yourself by bending to other’s needs. Most of the time, they are just being impulsive. The amount of positive impact it will have on their lives by having that one old sweater of yours they’ve been coveting will be dwarfed by the positive impact you get of getting the unwanted clothes out of there pronto.

Step 10: Shop Wisely

Use your list of “needs” to fill in the gaps of your wardrobe so you don’t do impulse buys of “wants”. Stick to your list. Try on anything that appeals to you that is on that list and ensure it meets the three criteria of comfort, style, and utility. See something not on the list that you are going bananas over? Try it on, make sure if fits the criteria, and think about how many hours you would have to work to pay for it, remembering it is a “want” and not a “need”. Still want it? Sleep on it. Go online and see if you can find it cheaper somewhere else. Review your closet and see what you’d wear it with – the whole outfit, top to bottom. Think about what event is coming up that you’d wear it to. And if it passes all of those hurdles, then yeah, maybe your “want” is a “need”. But more times than not, it’s not.

Thinking of clothes in terms of categories of activities is a much more strategic approach than keeping clothes in your wardrobe and acquiring new clothes using the “I like this!” emotional response. Are your clothes feeling a little tight? Not sure where to start on your wardrobe? Wondering where to buy hangers, hooks, bins, to corral your threads? Contact Meck Organizing, we’ll ensure you get the right fit.