Maybe your New Year's resolution was to get more organized. Maybe you just ran out of hangers after you went shopping those January sales (it happens to the best of us). Whatever the motivation, cleaning and organizing your closet is always a great idea, especially approaching the spring and summer season. Nixing those "I don't have anything to wear" moments while jumpstarting an organizational revolution (think finances, home office, Facebook friends…), bringing some order to your wardrobe will also give you room to purchase those pastels that'll be hitting the racks in the coming months.
1. Try everything on
Be realistic about your wardrobe: Do you wear everything you own? Probably not. You're likely hanging onto clothes that fit at one point and you're hoping will again or something that you got on sale as an impulse purchase, but has been hanging with the tags still on for months. Take an afternoon and trying everything you own on. If you can't make at least two outfits with each piece (unless it's meant to be a statement piece or worn to a gala) or it doesn't fit, put it in the toss pile. There's no use keeping something that doesn't really work in your day-to-day wardrobe or is part of your "when I lose 10 pounds" collection. Plus, you'll feel a lot better when you donate all that stuff you don't need, and you'll have some outfit inspiration from all that closet modelling.
2. Get new hangers
Thin felt hangers are a closet game-changer. Changing your entire closet over to them might be a bit of a hassle and take some time and money, but once you do it, you'll realize how much space you were wasting in your closet with your mish-mash of plastic hangers. Plus, all those delicate tops you bought will hang better without falling everytime you pull something out and won't wreck anything. Oh and they totally make you look like a grownup and you have your life together (at least your closet).
3. Organize
Having an organizational schematic in your closet sounds a little OCD, but it actually makes dressing in the morning a lot easier. Group similar clothes together so it's easier for seasonal swapping and to pair pieces together. For example, organize all of your tops and blouses in order from the smallest sleeves to the longest, or from lightests to thickest, including all of your sweaters and cardis. That way when you wake up and it's freezing out, you'll automatically know which end of the spectrum to go for and won't spend half an hour rifling through your closet.
4. Swap for the season
If you have the extra storage space, try pulling out your winter clothes in the summer and vice versa. Removing those bulky cold weather sweaters during the warm months will help keep your wardrobe neat and tidy and will give you some extra space for all those summer dresses. Keeping summer clothes in your closet in the winter may be a bit easier since layering is usually at an all-time high, but if you know you're not going to wear that floral dress again until June, store it with those short shorts.
5. Be friends with bins
Clear plastic bins will rapidly become your bff when you start storing all of your shoes and accessories in them, making for speedy morning selections. Transfering all of your high heels from the cardboard boxes they come in to clear plastic ones will make your closet look more uniform and tidy and will help you locate that pair of pumps as you're running out the door for girls' night. Grab a couple extra to store bikinis, winter accessories, belts and clutches and you've just made it easier to change over your seasonal accessories and you've saved space.