Things I Love: Closet Editing

Last Saturday, I set the whole day aside to do a closet edit. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's essentially an intense version of cleaning out your closet. The whole process is pretty rough and time consuming, but here are my steps and tips for getting it done.

First, grab three garbage bags to put clothes in - one to give away, one to try to sell, and one to throw away. After this, make an initial run through of your closet. Take out anything that you already know is going into one of these three garbage bags and put it in the proper one. Clear a space, like your bed, to take out the rest of your clothes and lay them out. From here, just start trying things on. If it fits well, and you know you are actually going to wear it, hang it back in your closet. If it doesn't fit well, or if you don't think you'll ever actually wear it, put it into one of the garbage bags. Once your done with your closet, it's a good idea to also go through your dresser or anywhere else you keep clothes. 

As you can see, the process of closet editing seems simple enough. However, if you are anything like me, you have tons of clothes to go through, and it can get boring really quickly. 

My tips:

• Be dedicated. Don't start this if you aren't in the mood to do it. You have be dedicated to trying on every piece of your clothing and making a solid judgment as to what to do with each piece.
• Put on some fun music. To keep yourself entertained while trying on all of your clothes, put on fun music and dance around a bit. TV can be too distracting if you start getting too into what's on. Plus, moving around a bit in the clothes you're trying on can be good to determine how well they fit. 
• Don't keep things because you hope you'll fit in them again one day. Once you can fit in those clothes again, do you really think you'll want to? My guess is no. You've got a new body that you want to put in new clothes. 
• Hang your clothes back up in an organized manner. This may seem OCD, but I have two small closets - one for shirts & skirts and one for dresses. Plus, everything is sub-organized by color then by sleeve length. This is super useful when I'm looking for a certain piece since I know exactly where to start. 
• Be decisive. If there's something that still has tags on it because you haven't found the right accessory, occasion, etc., just let it go. It's hard, but 100% worth it when everything in your closet fits and looks great on you. 

I make a garbage bag of clothes that I hope to sell along with a bag to giveaway. Clothes that are still in good condition and recently bought, I try to sell. In the New Orleans area, stores that buy gently used clothes are Plato's Closet in Metairie, Funky Monkey and Buffulo Exchange which are both Uptown. Even if you get like $5 back, it's still more than just giving them away. I take anything that wasn't bought back and my give away bag to Goodwill or Salvation Army. 

I think closet edits are great to do seasonally. Since summer's gone, it's a good time to make some room for some fall styles. 

Let me know how it goes if you go for it!

xo,

Sara