Tag Archives: closet clean out

Closet Clean-Out Challenge 2023: Step One

Posted in closet clean out, how to, tips and tricks by

It’s a New Year.  How about a New You? With a year full of possibilities ahead, why not shake off that dead weight? I don’t know about you, cleaning out the old and bringing in the new feels like a great way to start the year.  That’s why I am doing a Closet Clean-Out Challenge.

Best yet, this year I am incentivizing you not only to START but also to FINISH this process by offering a $250 gift card to one lucky winner! To get entered to win this amazing prize, you will need to join the challenge. You can do that here: https://fashioncrossroadsinc.com/pages/closet-clean-out-challenge-2023. The sign up deadline is this Saturday, January 7, 2023. Next, you will need to watch all four videos, complete the steps and post pictures of your progress. That’s it!

Are you ready? Read on…

There is something about getting organized that is so refreshing.  Shedding clutter makes me feel lighter, what about you? One of the most important places to get organized is in your closet.  We all know the frustration of searching for an outfit in the morning and pulling out item after item that is worn out, too big, too small or out dated.  Ugh.

I have a four-step system that I use every year in my own closet that is very effective in weeding out the items that I don’t wear and identifying items that require a match or another item to make them work more efficiently in my wardrobe.  I also find that when I take the time to apply these four simple steps, when I am finished, I can clearly see what I have and what I need.  Suddenly, I see new outfit options that I hadn’t noticed before because everything is organized in a way that makes sense.

This blog post is the first in a series of four Closet Clean-Out tutorials that will take you through this process, and hopefully, have you feeling lighter and de-cluttered as well as excited about your closet and shopping opportunities again.  I’ll be recording a video of today’s blog post during my weekly Wednesday Night Wardrobing Live Video broadcast within our VIP Facebook Group, Fashion Crossroads Fashionistas. You can watch that video live or watch the replay here.

So let’s dig in.

First, do me and yourself a favor.  As you complete the following steps, if you come across an item that you KNOW you will never wear again, pull it out now.  Don’t get bogged down yet in trying to decide about those scared cows…you know, the things you just can’t seem to let go of even though you haven’t worn them in 3 years.  We will deal with those in our next video.

Now, down to business.  The first step is to organize your closet by type.  First, separate your tops from your bottoms.  Put dresses in a separate section.  Now, organize your tops by sleeve length – short, ¾ and long.  Next, separate your tops by type.  Within the sleeve length grouping, separate the collared blouses from the pull overs.  If you have more than one season in the same closet, also separate summer from winter within each of the groups.  When you are finished, you should have your sleeveless tops grouped together.  Next should come your short sleeve tops and then your long sleeved tops, summer together and winter together.

Now do the same thing with your bottoms. Start with shorts and move to capris, ankle pants and long pants.  Then, within each group, separate by fabric.  Put your denim together, cottons together, slacks together, etc.  Then tackle your skirts, and organize them from shortest to longest.

I bet you feel lighter already! One more step! Now, within each group, organize them by color using the acronym ROYGBIV.  This stands for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.  Group like colors together.  For example, your pink tops will go next to the reds and your turquoise tops will go next to green or blue, depending on what hue the turquoise is.  Put your black, white and brown at the end.  Group your ivory and cream after white.  Next come the tans and browns.  Last, put your greys after the blacks.

Now, go have a glass of wine! You did it!

You have a week to enjoy your newly organized closet.  Watch for my next blog post and video called Closet Clean Out Challenge Two: Renew and Refresh.  In these tutorials, we will take a look at what you have and figure out what you need to get rid of and what you need to keep.

To watch my weekly Wednesday Night Wardrobing live videos where I will explain in more detail each of the steps, join my Fashion Crossroads Fashionistas VIP group page on Facebook and tune in Wednesday night at 6 p.m. MST. 

Happy organizing!

Closet Clean Out Challenge Step Four: Organize Those Accessories

Posted in closet clean out, dressing your best, fashion, fashion trends, how to, organization tips, tips and tricks, women's clothing tips by
Chilling in Downtown Casper

In this last step to creating an organized closet, I am tackling organizational strategies for your accessories. A true Fashionista’s style is never complete without the finishing touches, and dis-organized accessories can be as frustrating as disorganized clothing. Let’s jump in.

  1. For shoes I recommend trying to group shoes by their category: tall boots, shoe boots, heels, casual/sporty, and flats. I like to separate my summer shoes from my winter shoes, so I have a cubby organizer for my summer shoes and shelves for my winter boots. I have friends that also use shoe boxes with labels or clear plastic shoe boxes to organize their shoes. You can still find the over the door shoe holders as well if you are limited on space. Perhaps you can use a bin to store your summer shoes when it is winter and vice versa. While you are organizing, make sure you are also examining your shoes. How is the tread? Are the toes scuffed? Do they look worn and outdated? When was the last time you wore them? Get rid of shoes that are outdated, worn out or so uncomfortable you never wear them. Create a trash pile and a donate pile. As you eliminate a style, write it down on your shopping list if you need to replace it. When you are all done, take stock of what you have. Are you over stocked in a certain style like shoe boots but don’t have a single tall boot? Additionally, with your colored shoes, consider if they are in your best colors. If you are an autumn and have bright cherry red heels, you are probably not going to find much in your closet to go with those. Wine colored heels would be a much better choice.
  2. For necklaces, I think organizing them by length and color makes the most sense. I have a multi-pronged hanger in my closet that I have my necklaces hanging on. They are organized from shortest to longest. I have grouped similar colors together as well. When I go through my annual closet clean out, I consider which necklaces I haven’t worn and analyze why. I have my earrings in a jewelry box with several small, earring sized boxes. I also keep my dressy jewelry separate from my more casual pieces.
  3. For handbags, I have them sitting on shelves and organized by color. I tend to stick to neutral handbags so mine are black, brown, tan and grey. I keep my wallets and smaller bags lined up in small baskets and these can sit underneath your clothing if you don’t have shelves in your closet. I highly recommend that you apply the principles of your best colors to get rid of handbags that are not in your palate. When you build your wardrobe around your best colors and buy those colors in your accessories, handbags and coats, you end up with a very put together look that always matches. You avoid the hot pink purse with a red coat and olive pants debacle.
  4. For scarves, I recommend a drawer. I have mine in small circles lined up in a dresser drawer. A slim basket that you can slide under your bed also works if you are short on space. Having them piled so high that you have to dig through them isn’t very efficient, especially at 6 a.m. Organize them by color and type. Keep your outdoor scarves separate from your outfit scarves and your wraps separate from those. I put my wraps with my sweaters which are folded on the top shelf of my closet.

I have posted before and after pics of my accessories in my own closet in our discussion for my Closet Clean Out Challenge: Step Four Live Video which will air tonight. You can see those pictures of how I have organized things there or join us tonight at 6 p.m. MST to watch the video live and ask questions!

At the end of the day, an organized closet will save you time getting ready in the morning. And, while we are on that subject, a well thought out outfit rarely happens with sleep in your eyes. Choose what you will wear at the end of your day before you go to bed. Get everything ready, including what jewelry and shoes you will wear. Take the time to change your handbag, if needed. Consider what coat will look the best so you don’t pair your puffer jacket with a dress, as an example. When you feel put together, your confidence will go up exponentially. It is worth the extra few minutes to do this before bed.

Well, that is it!! You made it!! Congratulations on your newly organized closet. I know you will enjoy getting ready ever so much more now! Tune into next month’s blog and live video series where I will be talking Spring 2023 fashion trends, including color, style and fabric trends. I am also headed to market next month, so you will want to join our VIP Facebook group so you can follow along with my market journey and have a good laugh at the best and worst things I see each day. I will also be posting “Be The Buyer” posts so you can help me decide when I am unsure! You can get all of that on Fashion Crossroads Fashionistas.

5 Steps To A New Year Closet Clean Out

Posted in dressing for work and dressing for an interview, dressing your best, healthy lifestyle, how to, tips and tricks by

pearsonphoto2018_068

It’s a new year…the time to move out the old and move in the new!  Perhaps you’ve already made a few New Year’s Resolutions.  I like to start the year by getting organized.  I find, when I feel organized, I feel more in control and less frazzled.

One of the first places to get organized is your closet.  There is nothing worse than starting the day out with a harried rush to put together an outfit and putting on and then taking off several outfits before you decide on one.  You can make getting dressed in the morning a breeze and a pleasure with a few simple tips on closet organization.

  1.  First, each year you need to remove the items you haven’t worn in a year.  So, if you didn’t do this at the start of the winter season, do it now.  You will be tempted to talk yourself out of removing items, so don’t second guess this process. Don’t worry that you will have to get rid of anything.  Instead just separate out all of those items and lay them somewhere out of eye sight.  We will get back to this pile later.
  2. Second, separate your tops, bottoms and dresses and put them together.  This will make putting an outfit together so much easier, and you will begin to see holes in your wardrobe that you never noticed before.
  3. Third, within your tops, organize them so that the short sleeved tops are together and the long sleeved tops are together.  If you have both summer and winter in your closet, also separate them by season so the summer are together and winter are together.  Do this same thing with your bottoms.  Put your leggings, slacks, jeans together by category and season. Last finish with your dresses.  Put your sleeveless, short sleeved and long sleeved dresses together and separate them by season.
  4. Fourth, color code each section.  Do you remember learning how the memorize the colors of the rainbow with the ROYGBIV acronym?  It stands for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.  Put each section, for example short sleeve tops, into this color order.  Keep the hues together: pinks go with reds, turquoise with blue or green depending on the color, etc.  Finish with your neutrals in this order: white, tan, brown, grey, black.  When you are finished, you should have each section organized by color.
  5. Fifth, now let’s tackle that pile from step one.  First go through it and separate out any item that is out of date, pilled, stained, torn, un-hemmed, etc.  These go in the donate pile.  Then, consider each remaining item carefully.  If it is a classic piece, like a black blazer, keep it.  If you love it and can’t part with it, keep it one more season, but if you haven’t worn it when you repeat this process next year, donate it.

Now, stand back and admire all your hard work.  You now should be able to clearly see what you have and what you don’t.  What do you notice.  You probably can quickly see that you tend to buy certain colors.  You might notice that you are really short on blouses but have a ton of pull over tops.  Or you may see that you need some more long sleeve tops.  Perhaps you have too many jeans.  When your closet is organized, it will talk to you, and you can be a smart shopper in filling in holes rather than just buying because you love it.

The other benefit to this process is ease of putting outfits together.  Now, when you choose your slacks for your work day, you can go to your jacket section and choose one that matches and then to your shell section and choose a coordinating shell.  No more searching through an unorganized mess.

If you’re feeling really industrious, why not do this with your purses and shoes too?  Believe me, it is worth the effort!