By Dianne M. Daniels, CEO

Visit her blog: “How to Love Your Reflection”

Ladies, we are at war…with our closets! If you’re like me, it seems that the contents of your clothes closet just keeps growing and growing without any end, and there may still be days that you don’t know what you’re going to wear.

This article will help you to focus on the basics – how to weed through the volume of garments in your closet, what to keep and what to pack away, and how to eliminate some of the clutter that can accumulate over the years.

Let’s get started with 5 Essential Closet Organization Principles:

1. Remove everything that needs repair– you can’t begin to evaluate items for fit, finish or likeability until they are repaired, so set them aside.If the repair is just a missing button, a dropped hem, or a busted zipper, the garment is probably worth fixing. If it’s a special occasion garment that you will wear very infrequently, or something you haven’t worn in years and really didn’t miss, then think twice about having it repaired.
2. Next, remove garments that don’t fit properly. Clothing that is too small will make you look overweight, and can also draw extra attention to parts of your body you’d rather not focus on.

Wearing clothing that’s too big for you isn’t flattering either – all that extra fabric tends to bunch up in places you don’t necessarily want it to be. What’s most flattering to your image and your figure is to wear clothing that fits your proportions. If the size tag bothers you, take it out! No one but you needs to know what size your garment is – the fit is far more important.

3. Remove all garments you haven’t worn in a year, allowing for some seasonal items. If the clothes are simply out-of-season, put them into a garment bag and into an off-season closet, or pack them into a box. Make sure they are clean before you do this, because a stain or fragrance that’s had a chance to sit for months is far less likely to come out no matter what you do.If the garment is not purely seasonal (multi-season clothes are the most versatile) but you still haven’t worn it for at least a year, try to figure out why. Is it the color? Is the fabric scratchy or uncomfortable? Is the size right, but perhaps the proportions are wrong?Determining why you avoid wearing a certain garment – especially regarding fit – can give you additional clues on which garments, manufacturers or styles to avoid in the future.
4. Separate what’s left in the closet into clothes you wear all the time, and things you wear less often. You already know these things probably fit pretty well, don’t need repairs, and you like the way they look on your body. Analyze what these garments have in common: color, fabric, fit, etc. You’ll start to see similarities – the weight of the fabric, the length of pants, skirts or jackets, whether things are lined or not, whether the garments are highly structured with lots of seams, or unstructured – more loose and flowing.Do the garments you have left have a certain amount of detail? Are they clean-lined and simple, classic items that don’t show their age? Or do you have a group of the latest trendy items that may need to be replaced in a year’s time because they are out of fashion?None of these answers are wrong or right, they are just to help you realize the patterns you’ve followed, maybe even unwittingly, in developing your current wardrobe.

Once you’ve Conquered your Closet, it’s time to put together a master plan for your wardrobe that incorporates colors that flatter you, fabrics and designs that suit your body frame and personality, and that works for your business or professional AND your budget.

Start with the building block of Color – get your copy of Color and Its Effect on You by visiting https://howtoloveyourreflection.com.