4 Steps to Weed Whacking Your Wardrobe

“Going through your wardrobe and closet can be a daunting task; however once you get started you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and free yourself of some clutter,” says Michelle Sterling, Image Consultant.

1. Assess Your Current Wardrobe. What would you like the final product of your closet and wardrobe to look like? Do you need to donate that suit you haven’t worn since the 80’s or those jeans you wore out in the 90’s? Does your closet look like a museum of artifacts preserved in plastic bags? Can’t seem to find your favorite black sweater? When was the last time you looked at your dry cleaned clothing? Have you collected a sea of ‘on sale’ clothing that doesn’t seem to go with anything in your closet and instead of saving money, you probably wasted money? Rule number one, if you have an ‘on sale’ item with its tag still on — return it or try to get merchandise credit. Wouldn’t you agree that $20 here, $30 there, and $75 adds up? Your credit card will thank me later.

2. Clear Out Your Closet. Take out all of your clothing by category. Start with your coats, jackets, and tops. Then proceed to your bottoms, shoes and accessories. Since most of us do not have rolling racks in our homes, the bed will do (and if you do have one – use it, however it’s definitely time to clean out your closet). Organize each category by season – spring/summer and fall/winter, then by color — place all your blacks together, then browns, khakis, reds, greens, blues, violets, pastels, and whites. This exercise will help you figure out what you have in excess. Rule number two, if you find you have too many of one item — such as white shirts or black pants, think twice before buying another one during your next shopping trip.

3. Should it Stay or Should it Go. Once you’ve cleared your closet of all its contents and organized it into categories, assess each item of clothing. Define your wearables, bearables, and terribles. Your wearables are your favorite or most wornclothing, shoes, and accessories. Asking the following questions can help you identify your bearables and terribles: Do I still like the look, cut, color, and / or style of this garment, bag or shoes? Does this item go with anything else in my closet? Does this item look worn out, have wholes, or permanent stains? Does it fit? Can it be altered?

If you answered maybe or no to any of these questions, you should place the item in the ‘bearables’ or ‘terribles’ pile to be sent to a consignment store or donated to your favorite charity. If you find it Bearables or Terribles difficult to part with an item of clothing due to its sentimental value, take a picture of it or of you in it. But let it go and if you really can’t, set it aside in storage. However do not place something in the bearables pile instead of the terribles pile due to the initial cost of the item of clothing. Determining whether an item should stay or go is not dependent on the cost of the garment however the use of it.

Rule number three, if you haven’t worn it once in the last two years you should probably discard it.

4. Establish Balance and Harmony in Your Closet. Once you’ve identified the items you would like to keep, look at each piece and ask yourself if you love it and start creating outfits in your mind to make sure it works with the rest of your wardrobe. Remember that you should have two to three bottoms for every jacket and three to four tops for each bottom for a balanced wardrobe. Before you place everything back into your closet, make sure everything is hung on wood or plastic hangers and not the wire hangers that stretch your clothing out from the dry cleaner. Be consistent in the type of hangers you use. Rule number four: Hang everything in your closet facing the same direction by category, season, and color. Then step away from your closet for a moment and re-enter it with fresh eyes. You know you’ve done a fabulous job weed whacking your wardrobe if you feel as though your closet is your favorite department store the minute you open its doors.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully organized and developed a manageable wardrobe that works for you. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the process, do not delay and contact a Global Image Group consultant today. Our goal is to provide simple solutions to what may seem like a complicated task.

For more useful style tips, contact a Global Image Group image consultant, personal stylist and personal shopper in San Francisco, NY, LA or Miami. We specialize in image makeovers, wardrobe consulting, personal styling, personal shopping, business etiquette and effective communication skill training. Our team of professional image consultants will help you increase confidence, develop successful business and social relationships, and achieve your goals from the boardroom to the dining room.

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