Style Secret: Clean Out Your Closet

 

A girl can dream.

My closet looks nothing like the ones in the magazines, or the above picture for that matter (which is Whitney Port’s closet if you were wondering).

Personally, I would refer to my closet as poorly designed, cramped and a source of mild frustration but also, one of my favourite places.

I love waking up and deciding what I’m going to wear, but seeing as I don’t have a lot of space, I need to make sure I use all items within.

 

 

That’s why I’m a stickler for routinely cleaning out my closet – which I recently did and thought I’d share my tips on how to tackle the often avoided but highly necessary closet cleaning.

Here are my closet cleaning commandments:

Make it fun

Don’t look at it as a chore. Look at cleaning your closet as the ultimate solo-girl time. Blast whatever music you love that you’re embarrassed to share with friends, grab a glass of wine, and get ready to go down memory lane.

Do it twice a year

Don’t limit yourself to once a year; if you’re anything like me, you can accumulate a fair bit of clothing over a full year. Personally, I like to do my closet clean-outs twice a year, once after spring/summer, and again after fall/winter. The rules are simple: if you go a full season without wearing a specific tank-top, or a whole winter without wearing a cozy knit, odds are, you’re not going to put it on next year either. Meaning, it’s time to RIP that thing.

Do it in rounds

The first thing I do is grab the items I know 100% I do not want and will not wear. For example, that sweater with the stain on it, or the dress from 2010 that still has the tags on it (don’t ask me why it was still in there, I do not have a logical answer). Go for the easy-clothing kills first. This way you receive instant gratification and immediately feel like you’ve accomplished something. From there you can go to round two, which is a little more work.

Try things on

I know. I know. Round two can be the worst. But with a glass of wine in hand, music blaring, and being in the comfort of your own home… trying things on is far more bearable. Plus, at one point or another, you most likely tried it on and liked it enough to bring it home with you. So put it on and see why you bought it, “Do you still like it?” “Does it hug in the right places?” “Is the colour flattering?” “Is it comfortable?” And the most important question of all, “Will I actually wear it?” If you answer yes, then you have to…

Prove it

Now that you’ve claimed you’ll wear it again, prove that you actually will and create three outfits with that specific piece of clothing. If you can find a way to re-work that item into your wardrobe with pieces you already own, then you probably will truthfully wear it again. If not, it might be time to say goodbye.

Pass it on

If you’re anything like me, at this point you are almost a bottle of red deep, are sick of looking at yourself in the mirror, and have played that new embarrassing tune one too many times, but overall you’re feeling pretty satisfied with yourself. Despite having clothing shrapnel scattered throughout your bedroom – now the only thing left is to decide what to do with it. The options are: discard (if the item is broken or stained), sell (if you think the item is worth something) and donate (my go-to option).

What are your closet cleaning commandments? What do you do to make the process not feel like a chore?