Matters of Style: Making Your Wardrobe Work (Part 2)

 Making Your Wardrobe Work

Part 2: Taking Inventory

Ah, here comes the fun part.

Some people try to avoid the daunting task of organizing at any cost. I love it, especially on days like today when my bedroom is the only air conditioned room in the apartment. What better time to hole myself up in my room to sort? Also, SO is out of town, so he's not around to be horrified as mountains of shoes make themselves known.

Now that you’ve created an inspiration board or book, it’s time to take a look at what you have to work with in your closet. This step is critical—don’t skip it!

I’d like to note that it’s really helpful to have a friend help you as you begin to sort and organize. Not only is it easier to stay motivated to complete the task when someone is there to support and/or help, it’s also more fun. Friends act as the voice of reason. If he or she is a good enough friend, he/she will give it to you straight—and won’t allow you to keep anything dingy or unflattering.

Let’s begin.

Step One
Find What You Like

Start by flipping through everything hanging in your closet or folded in drawers and pull out the things that you LOVE. It doesn’t matter if the item is casual or more suited to work wear, just as long as it isn’t the fat pants you wear at home (‘cause we all love lounging around in those). Grab the things that really speak to you and put them in neat pile. When I did this, I realized that a lot of the things I grabbed were things I don’t wear that often. Go figure. Really, these items should be the key pieces I’m utilizing.

Here are just a few of the items I came up with (in total, there were about 12):

Be sure to go through your shoes, too.

Keep a mental note of these items. You’re going to work with them in Part 3.

Step Two
Find What You Don't Like

Time to part with the items that have no business hanging around in your closet (I’m talking to you, dress that’s going to look awesome…when I lose 10 lbs). This step requires actually taking time to try clothes on. This is also where it’s helpful to have your trustworthy companion around. 

For whatever reason, I find that it’s harder to part with items than it is to pick out the things I really like. Maybe it’s a security issue. Maybe it’s because I’m evaluating my own shortcomings through my clothes. After all, tossing out my size 4 pants means admitting to myself that my body isn’t what I want it to be, and tossing out the 10 cocktail dresses I don’t actually wear reminds me that life ain't as fabulous as I wish it were. Damn. I’ll venture a guess that laziness is most of the issue. Tossing things out forces me to stop and think, and normally on weekends I’m just plain tired of thinking.

Whatever is keeping you from tossing, get over it quickly. You’re more of a failure just by keeping dumpy or unflattering things around (just sayin’). I only keep items that fit the following criteria:

1.    It’s flattering
2.    It fits well (or can be altered to fit well)
3.    It isn’t damaged beyond repair
4.    It’s not too shameful to be worn in public (don’t worry, there’s a special place for your favorite
       pilled sweater, but we’ll get to that in the next step)
5.    It’s likeable on some level. I don’t keep things I dislike.

I’d like to add a personal note that defies general wardrobe building convention: I don’t believe in the saying to “keep only what you love.” If you’re anything like me, you schlep around the house from time to time (hello, Sunday afternoons). You want something that’s easy to wear. You know, stuff that you couldn’t give two cookies about becoming stained, snagged wrinkled or ruined. My inspiration board tells me I’m a bit of a glamzon, but not all of the time. I like my old J Crew dresses and Splendid tops for lazy Sunday afternoons (or hellish 100+ degree days like today).

Step Three
Organize by Category

This could easily vary from person to person, but as a general rule a good way to organize is as follows:

1.    Basics/staple items (camisoles, cardigans, black skirts, work pants, etc)
2.    Blazers and layering jackets
3.    Work blouses/tops
4.    Work appropriate dresses/skirts
5.    Casual dresses/skirts
6.    Casual blouses/tops
7.    Casual Pants
8.    Cocktail and party dresses
9.    Outerwear
10.  The dingy Sunday stuff

I put my work items in my closet where they’re easiest to access since that’s what I wear Monday through Friday. Obviously, if your life allows you to wear casual clothes most of the time, you’ll want to organize your closet so that those items are the most accessible.

All of my casual weekend wear, for the most part, stays folded up in drawers in my closet. Same with my tights and dainty underthings (hah).

Once you’ve categorized, is one category falling short? Do you have a closet full of work blouses but only one good pair of work pants? Make a list. We’re taking inventory, after all.

Step 4
Take your favorites and start coordinating

Actually, I’m going to cover this topic in detail in Part 3, which I’ll publish next week. It’s a topic of its own, but is an important part of the inventory process.


Up next: Working with Key Pieces