The Closet Revamp!

I suffer from closet blindness.

Yes, that moment when you step up to a row of clothes hanging in your closet and think "I have nothing to wear!" for the next half hour.

And, honestly, I get tired of it!  So recently I decided to revamp my closet.

Now, because I don't have a pile of money to roll around in, this process will take time, effort, and strategy.

Here is a step-by-step process of what I am doing to put together a wardrobe that I adore!

The Big Clean

Yeah, this is the most time-consuming part of the process, but it is WORTH IT.  I took my clothes out of my closet and drawers, tried everything on, and then decided what to get rid of and what to keep.

Sometimes it really helps to try on your clothes with the purpose of deciding how much you really like what you own.  I discovered that many things in my closet used to look good, but don't so much anymore (no wonder I haven't been wearing them!).  Bodies change, ladies.  Something that fit and flattered you two years ago might not look the same now!  As much as you love it, you have to consider that it might be time to say goodbye.

You may also be surprised by how many things you try on that just aren't your style anymore.  If you're anything like me, your style may have morphed and changed throughout the years and some things you used to think were fantastic now make you wonder, "And I bought this, WHY?!".

So, make piles.  Three of them.

What you love (as in, LOVE).

What you like (it's nice, but you aren't quite sure about it).

What doesn't fit, doesn't flatter, or isn't what you want to wear.

And then move on.  Get rid of your "No" pile.  I gave all of my clothes that I decided not to keep to my sisters who both have different body types and styles than me (boy, were they excited!). 

Side note: trying on all of your clothes can be exhausting.  Don't feel you have to do it all at once.  Put on some fun music or have your mom/sibling/girlfriend help you out.  My sister, Natalie, helped me go through all of my shirts, telling me honestly what she thought of everything I tried on.  Sometimes I was too hard on myself and she had to tell me that certain things looked great on me.  Other times I was so in love with the shirt that she needed to bring me back to earth and remind me of the things that didn't work.

Okay, so now you have two piles of clothes.  What next???

Reorganizing

Look at how much "Yes" stuff you have and then decide how much of your "Maybe" stuff that you need.  If two items from the different piles look similar, then only keep one.  If you don't have a lot of "Yes" clothes, it might be a good idea to keep quite a lot of your "Maybe" clothes (but also remember that if you have a good amount of "Yes" clothes, you should probably get rid of the rest).  It's okay whatever you have though, this next part will really help you to get rid of the things you really don't wear even if it's not right away.

When hanging my shirts, dresses, and skirts back up in my closet, I did something different: I hung all of the hangers backwards.  Now, whenever I wear a shirt (actually wear it, don't just put it on and then an hour later take it off), I hang it the right way when I put it back in the closet.  Now I can tell what shirts I've worn and what shirts I haven't used.  In about six months, if there are still shirts hanging backwards, that gives me a hint that I probably should find a new home for them.  Simple, but useful strategy.  It definitely has shown me how much I wear the same things over and over rather than utilizing my whole wardrobe.  :-)

Make Your Mark

I've done the same things with my pants and shoes.  For my shoes, I left little stickers inside.  Now whenever I wear a pair of shoes, I remove the sticker.  The same with my pants, only with them I just used a marked piece of tape.

If in six months I still have shoes or pants with stickers/tape on them, then it's time to part ways.

Take Inventory and Shop!

When you clean out your closet you discover two things:

1)  You have less now.  It's okay to go shopping again.  Just make sure you hold yourself to strict standards as you buy new clothes:  does it fit, is it flattering, is it different from other things you own, and do you LOVE it?!

2)  You have clothes!  Trying on all of your old clothes can reawake a love for items you forgot about.  So wear them!  You should only have clothes that you love at this point!

Unless you have a money tree, it may take time to get your perfect wardrobe together.  That's okay though.  Be frugal, buy only what you need and love, and then enjoy your clothes (and don't forget to continue cleaning out your closet every six months or so, that will really help to keep you from accumulating a ton of clothes that you don't care for).

I hope this was helpful to you, ladies!  Are you going to be revamping your closet in the future?  What style do you enjoy?  Do you think you have lots of clothes that suit you or do you need to make a "No" pile?

Hope you all have a lovely Monday!

God bless!