Ever lost something in your wardrobe? Working up a sweat hunting for that top that’s exactly the right shade of white? It’s like a black hole that eats cute cardies and one shoe of a pair just when you wanted to wear them.
We end up wearing something that will do, but it’s not what we really wanted to wear, so where is the blasted thing!?
If you have a minimal wardrobe, you won’t have the faintest idea what I’m talking about. (Full disclosure, I have a minimal wardrobe now, but back in the day I had 2 big double wardrobes crammed with clothes before I became an accidental-minimalist.)
But if you have an average to a I Love Every Piece With All My Heart kind of wardrobe, you’ll get it. So let’s get stuck in and make it easier for you Work Your Wardrobe.
But first…
It’s always a good idea to do a bit of a weed before you organise. Even the most devoted clothes collector will have a few things that they’re totally over. Getting rid of anything not worth keeping makes the organising part easier.
Sort It Your Way.
This is crucial, the way your wardrobe is organised has to suit you. The end result should make it easy-peasy for you to choose an outfit and get out of the house feeling great. Let’s look at a few options:
- Colour. Group your clothes by colour across your entire wardrobe in any colour order that makes sense to you. For example:
Keep your red skirts and red pants grouped together with your red tops and jackets. Gather your white blouses and dresses together with your white summer cardigans.
If you have a dark part in your wardrobe and you can’t get better lighting try storing your lightest clothes at that end. Dark clothes in dark corners are hard to see.
- Like With Like. Group long-sleeve shirts, short-sleeved shirts, sleeveless-tops, long skirts, short skirts, long dresses, short dresses… You get the idea.
Hang long things together so you can make the most of the floor space under everything else. If you want to hang rather than fold your T-shirts you might need to install another hanging bar.
Then order everything by colour within the type of clothing. Try and be consistent across all types, it just makes it a little bit easier to find what you need if there’s consistency across all types.
- Temperature. Some people run cold, and some run hot. It could make more sense for your clothes to be grouped by how you feel in them.
Group your clothes by most used or most comfortable. Warm tops together, long warm skirts together or light shirts together and shorts together, right where it’s easiest to grab them.
Then order from most used to least used and then by colour within each type. Again consistency makes it easier to find things so repeat the same arrangement with each type.
- Purpose. If you have clothes for different activities it’ll make your life so much easier to keep them separate.
Separate work clothes from going out clothes, casual clothes from smart clothes and sports clothes from dance clothes.
Within each activity, group like with like and colours within each type. The grab and go wardrobe is a huge time saver.
- Seasonal. You can store your off-season clothes somewhere else and just have the current seasons clothes in your wardrobe.
This can make your life SO much easier, especially if you have a very small wardrobe. You have just what you need right at your fingertips with more space to see what you have.
The spare room wardrobe is a handy place to hang off season clothes. You can store foldable clothes in airtight bins in a dark, dry place or in under-bed storage. Labels are handy here.
Storage.
- Get the right hangers. Matching, well shaped hangers are heavenly! Get the best quality you can and don’t skimp on substance, you’ll avoid stretch marks and breakages if you get hangars appropriate to the weight of the piece of clothing you’re hanging.
- Divide drawers. This alone will make the daily frantic fossick go away. And it looks amazing, especially if you fold neatly, file style. You’ll be able to find everything easily, because everything has a place and won’t get muddled up with other things.
- Use vertical space. Shoe hangers can be used for scarves, hair accessories, anything small. The back of the door is often an underused space where hooks and racks can be added. Add extra shelving to blank wall space or install storage units inside the wardrobe.
- Proper shoe storage. You loved those shoes once! Give them space to be with their partner, dust free and un-squashed. There are so many options from the simplest white shelving unit to nifty purpose built sloping shelves. Inexpensive clear plastic shoe boxes are brilliant and stackable. Or just keep your least worn shoes in the original shoe box, with or without a photo, stacked where you can reach them.
Any of these tips will make your day to day life so much easier, and your wardrobe an absolute pleasure to look at and use, so get organising!
Liz.
X
PS. Remember to keep your wardrobe well ventilated and dry. I’ve seen too many lovely things ruined by mildew and mould.