Organizing Your Wardrobe- Tips?

[User49]

So I've been having a bit of a dilema every morning getting ready, my wardrobe is crammed full of clothes and theres absolutely no room to actually see what's in it! I think I actually really need to rethink what I need and buy some essentials. All the junk is really cramping my space and makes for a stressful morning.

I've spent the last two days reading tips on how to declutter and organize a wardrobe and it has definitely helped.

I've done the typical three piles thing

Charity Shop
Ebay
Chuck Out

And I've been surprised by how much I didn't actually need/want.

Does anyone have a specific way they organize all their clothes? I'm going to invest in some of those vacuum bags which save space and put all my spring/summer shirts shorts in there but as far as knowing what to keep and what is really just taking up space any tips?

Also do you have any recs on what are just plain essentials like

Skinny Jeans
A white blouse
Black trousers ect...

 

[gildedangel]

I usually put my current clothes in the closet and my off season clothes in a dresser; and switch them out when it is time. Space saver bags are a good option too if you still have too many clothes.
You really have to shop around for basics; but I like to try the thrift store first - you would be surprised by what you find!

 

[Tashona Helena]

I use those Wonder Hanger Space Saver hangers and they really work. If you have those thin metal hook hangers you can fit two shirts b/w each hook. Other things I've been doing to organize my closet: I've been putting my leggings, legwarmers, tights in one bin. I got a little plastic dresser for leftover tights/legwarmers belts. Then I have a bin for my older clothes and a bin on top for newer layering pieces (tanks, etc) and with skirts and shorts. And I usually look through my stuff each month to see if there's any more stuff to send to goodwill. Sometimes I'll change my mind.

Plain essenstials to me are:
My Lucky Jeans (or your favorite fit) in straight, skinny, and flare
Plain tanks and tees just to grab (one day my plain v-neck Miley Cyrus tee saved me from a hectic morning of match up stuff)
Hoodies/Blazers

I work in a retail store that's pretty laid back, but in my bin that has older clothes, I have clothes from my BPA days pretty much a soft color blouses (white, light blue) and black slacks and skirts either pinstriped or plain.

 

[makeba]

i just reorganized my closet and totes yesterday. i have this thing for order and get pretty frustrated if things are out of whack. but anyway. my closet currently has the things for the current season in them aligned as follows
shelves have
long sleeve t shirt stacked together
short sleeve t shirts stacked together
tank tops stacked together.
shorts and capris stacked seperate.
my pants are on pants hangers close to the back of the closets. my short sleeve blouses are on hangers and the long sleeve blouses on hangers behind them.
i take advantage of clear totes so its easy to see whats in them. summer clothes are in one bin and the fall going to winter clothes are in another. fall clothes are on top of the winter clothes in my bins.
leggings and hosiery are in my drawers with my socks.

 

[chynegal]

i organize my clothes by style and color so it goes from tube tops to dresses...i have alot of shoes and flip flops so what i did was i got big shoe boxes from my job and all my flat shoes and sandals i would put maybe one or 2 in each box or 3 if they could fit

 

[Kayteuk]

I usually give take my clothes that I don't want once a year to Romania and give to the teenagers I work with out there as they don't have a lot of clothes...
Stuff that's good I sell on eBay, otherwise I keep it

. I usually organise my clothes by having (In a walk in closet) tops across the top rail, going from black, brown, beige, through to red at the furthest end, all colour organised.
Dresses on another rail, again colour organised, and trousers/skirts on another.

I also have a mini rail for bikini's and swimwear with lingerie hangers (I know its crazy!) as my fiancee takes up all the draws with millions of t shirts. But it saves draw space which I then use for Cashmere jumpers.

Another idea is organising lingerie in to matching sets so its easier to find and match to outfits so it doesn't all show through. Bags are also on the top of my rails, and jewellery is hung up with command strips across my wall. Shoes are kept in their boxes so I can grab and go as they have labels on the side so I know which ones they are, and its easy to pick them out and they look good as they keep really well in boxes.

That's just me with my OCD talking, but I hope it helps! It definitely helps me pick out outfits a lot easier

.

 

[metal_romantic]

I completely understand the dilemma!
I'm studying Image Consulting (will be certified in just a couple of weeks!) and Wardrobe Auditing is a big part of that!

The "essentials" for your wardrobe depend on your:
-body type
-personal style (eg. classic, relaxed, romantic, expressive etc.)
-lifestyle (eg. what kind of dress code do you have at work? Do you 'dress up' a lot for social occasions? etc.)
as well as many other factors and variables.

With clients, the list will be individualized. Eg. while a tailored white shirt may be a staple for a businesswoman or someone with a classic style, others may never wear one. Skinny jeans may be an essential for you and me, but they will be unflattering on another person and simply disliked by another. T-shirts are worn and loved year-round by myself, but my friend (who has a romantic style) doesn't own a single one!

If you can tell me more about yourself I would be happy to help!

Here's a tip for how to figure out what you wear and what you don't:
Turn all your hangers so the hooks are on the bar backwards. Then, as you wear your clothes, return them to the wardrobe and place the hanger the correct way. After 3, 6, 12 months (it's up to you) you will see what you have worn and what you haven't. If the hanger is still backwards, that garment can go, and it's unlikely you will miss it!

To answer your question on how I organize my wardrobe(s)....

I hang (or fold/stack) clothes together by type- eg. T-shirts together, jeans together, dressy tops together, etc. I also keep 'business' clothes separate from 'casual' and 'dressy/party' clothes.
For tops/shirts/tees and pants, I then group by colour.
For dresses, I group by their "dressiness"- eg. casual summer dresses, winter dresses, fancy cocktail dresses etc. Skirts get sorted by type- denim, full, long, etc.

 

[purrtykitty]

My closet is organized by colors. All my red shirts are grouped together, green shirts, etc., and then I do the same with my skirts, dresses and pants. I find it makes locating a particular item much easier.

As far as discarding clothes, I generally get rid of stuff that I haven't worn in twelve months. I also put away anything that is decidedly winter or summer since I live in a climate that has four seasons. I do leave my spring/fall and basic stuff out all year, though.

 

[Lyssah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by purrtykitty My closet is organized by colors. All my red shirts are grouped together, green shirts, etc., and then I do the same with my skirts, dresses and pants. I find it makes locating a particular item much easier. .

I group by colours too!

I must not have a lot of clothes or I have a lot of space because I leave all my season clothes in my cupboard. (I live in Melbourne, OZ and the saying is 4 Seasons in one day).

I keep all my pants folded in my tall-boy and my singlets, tops, dresses and skirts in the cupboard!

 

[RedRibbon]

I've got a large wardrobe with sliding doors (there is relevance to this point later, I'm not being a show off..especially as sliding doors aren't that special) in which I have all my clothes. In front of one door I have a cross trainer so it's not as easily accessible as the other door so that has my less used clothes in it.

On the side I do use I have a shelf at the op, a middle area and then three drawers, my set up is as follows (I've got pics if you want as I blogged about the fact I made teh cupboards myself):

Top shelf: All my handbags that I don't use on a daily basis
Hanging area: Tops to the left and then smart trousers to the right
Shelf under hanging area: Super smart work handbag, hangers from clothes I'm wearing.
First drawer: Jeans, hats, belts and gloves
Second drawer: Left over clothes from hanging area
Bottom drawer: Night clothes/vegging around clothes

On the other side:
Top shelf: Banking stuff and other spare bits, ie camera boxes
Hanging area: Winter coats, other tops I don't wear so often, some desi outfits
Shelf: Shoes, brand new hairdryer.
Bottom area (no shelves, just open): More shoes and my old CD/ tape collection.

I get quite a bit in the cupboards really.

Staple items for me are:
Well fitting black trouser
Well fitting black jacket
Well fitting white tailored shirt
Skinny jeans
A nice warm winter jumper
Thin summery sweater

ETA to mention that I keep my unmentionables in different drawers, top drawer is bras, standard knickers and vest, second drawer is my nicer stuff.

When I spring clean I seem to think I'm arranging the wardrobe for someone else as I put stuff away in colours but that lasts about a week or so before I'm back to my old system.

 

[MizzVivaGlam]

I hang my tops in order by style-hoodies,sweaters,jackets,tanks,tube tops,tees ect...then dresses...I fold my jeans on a shelf and keep them together by length...then skirts/shorts I will keep together. I don't really put any clothes away by season besides winter jackets/boots. Sometimes you can wear a summer tank under a winter cardigan and I like to keep all my options there! lol