Fixing a closet crisis

Do you constantly find yourself out of closet space? I know I do. College housing doesn't offer the best of amentities when it comes to storing clothes and if you shop as much as I do the problem becomes even bigger. So when I found an article in InStyle Makeover about closet organization I thought I'd share it for all of us who don't have dream closets like Cher from Clueless. Here are my favorite tips:


1. Best storage options for Purses
Treat your purses as art. Buy pretty knobs or hooks and arrange them on the wall like you would a collection of pictures. Start with the largest handbag and build around it. Store special-occasion clutches in a translucent container on an accessible closet shelf and out-of-season bags on a high shelf.

2. Organization help
Group clothes by function (work, social, casual), then by type (skirts with skirts), and then color. Basically, aim to arrange clothes based on how you actually wear them. Another solution: Color-categorize hangers by function so you can quickly see where to hang them back up.

3. Find room for shoes and boots
Sort them by style or purpose and relegate shoes to different areas in the house based on use (ie. casual/errand running shoes placed by the front door in cubbies). Reserve closet for special pairs in hanging holders or racks on the floor. As for boots--avoid flopping by lining them up and stuffing them with magazines to preserve shape.

4. Create more capacity
Approach your closet as if you are packing for a trip: be conscious about what you put in it and fold and place objects with care to maximize room. Start evaluating your closet row by row and donate what you don't use. One of my personal heroes, Tim Gunn, instructs in his book, Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style, that the first thing to do when building a wardrobe is to clean out and build from the ground up. Make three piles: Keep, Donate, and Mend and sort all clothes into one of the three. Be honest with yourself and don't keep anything you won't wear. For whatever you do keep, make a pledge to start wearing those items as part of your everyday wardrobe. Take things from the Mend pile to the tailor right away and rid yourself of anything that is taking up valuable space. You will feel better when you do.


Once you get organized, keep it that way.
Got 5 minutes?
Vacuum or sweep closet floor and refold messy piles of clothes.
Got 15?
Put a pop up mesh hamper or large shopping bag in the back of your closet from clothes that no longer fit or that you don't wear. Once it's full, give the items to charity.
Got an hour?
Make a "look book" by taking photos of your favorite outfits and gathering them in a three-ring binder. Catalogue by occasion--travel, dressy work, casual Friday--so you can get dressed quickly. Include runway images or magazine tears for inspiration. An even easier idea: Punch a hole in each photo and place on a key ring, then hang it off a hook on your closet door.

I hope these closet tips help you because they have certainly helped me. Nothing is better to a fashionista than having a well-organized, well-stocked closet.

Mandy


[Source: Instyle]