Three babies and pregnant with my fourth, my body has gone through many changes in the past five years. My closet became messier and chaotic between a shift in my sizing, panic shopping for events, and impulse purchasing during the quarantine. It was terrible, and I was resorting to the same pair of leggings and oversized T-shirts because the thought of trying to put together an outfit was overwhelming. I was lost when it came to my wardrobe, and I needed backup; I called my good friend Mary, Your Local Stylist. She laid out three simple steps to help take control of my closet. After going through this process, I have rediscovered my clothes and see my wardrobe in a different light. I can now breathe when I walk into my closet, and now enjoy getting dressed, which is a very new experience!
1 . CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET
- Sort your clothes into categories (T-shirts, sweaters, pants, dresses); that way, you can see how much of each item you own.
- Go through each item and decide whether you want to keep, donate, sell, or toss.
- If you know you love an item and wear it often- KEEP. When deciding whether to keep or get rid of clothes, ask yourself the following questions:
How often do I wear this?
Will I wear this?
Does it fit?
Do I like the material? Color? Style?
Can it be worn with other items in my closet?
Does this represent my lifestyle?
- When getting rid of items, determine if you are going to toss responsibly, donate or sell.
If stained, ripped, or damaged – toss
If worn but in good condition – donate
If barely worn and in excellent condition – sell
2. PLAY AROUND WITH YOUR CLOTHES
- Mix and match items in your closet and put together outfits. Putting together outfits helps you see your clothes’ versatility and is helpful when you are in a rush to get dressed because you already know what looks good together.
- Challenge yourself to mix up your clothes and wear outfits you wouldn’t normally wear. Try new combos, layering, dressing clothes up or down using shoes, and other accessories. Switching it up will help determine what you like and don’t like when defining your style, leading you to make more intentional future purchases.
- Pull items that you want to wear more to the front of your closet; this way won’t forget about them and will be more likely to throw them on.
3. KEEP YOUR CLOSET CLUTTER FREE
- Moving forward, pay attention to the items you have in your closet and to what you gravitate towards; if you own four waffle-knit shirts, you probably don’t need a fifth.
- Make intentional purchases. When buying new clothing, think about how versatile it will be in your wardrobe. If you are unsure, try the new item on with other pieces from your closet and see how well it fits with what you already own. Sit on it for a few days, and if you don’t love it – return.
- Keep a steady flow in and out of your wardrobe; if you buy a new item, consider letting go of another youve been unsure about.
- Go through step one at the end of every season. Clear out anything you did not wear or do not love; this will keep your closet free from unwanted clutter.
Mary genuinely loves to help women feel incredible in the clothes they already own and gives so many excellent tips and valuable information when it comes to fashion and style. To see more from Mary, follow her @yourlocalstylist.
Check out how Mary worked her magic on my wardrobe, working mostly with maternity outfits (which we all know can be a challenge), and my takeaways from this experience. All on my maternity wardrobe post (:
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