How To Transition Your Closet

Prepping your closet is a great way to get you ready for the new season ahead. No matter the size of your home or closet, you will most likely need to transition your closet to accommodate the change in temperature and season. Whether it means actively switching out clothing or making the appropriate clothing for the season more accessible, it is an activity that has to be done at least twice a year. I recently transitioned my closet for the Fall/Winter season and thought it would be helpful to share a few pointers that make the process easier and a little less daunting.

Carve out the time

Before starting the project, make sure you have enough time to complete it in full. This will allow you to feel accomplished and motivated by the fact that you were able to finish, and it won’t be lingering on your to-do list. (Plus, there’s nothing worse than a pile of clothes with nowhere to put them!)

Take everything out & sort into categories

Taking everything out and placing into categories will allow you to see everything in totality. You can evaluate all of your black sweaters together, or you can see how many button downs you have. Looking at everything this way will make it easier to decide what to keep vs get rid of. It also sets you up to see where you have both holes and excess in your wardrobe. In my recent transition, I realized that I only owned striped long sleeve shirts and no solids, like, what??? Now I know where to focus when investing in clothing for the upcoming season, and no more striped shirts for me.

Get rid of items you don’t wear/use

This is the opportunity to be honest with yourself, and is a great exercise for both clothing you’re rotating in for the season and also out for storage. For clothing you are putting away, I generally advise clients that if you haven’t worn it in the last 4-6 months you really don’t need it. If you didn’t wear it this past season, what is the reason for it to take up space in your closet? You are also able to approach clothing for the upcoming season with fresh eyes. Look at each piece individually: do you still like it? Are you excited to wear it? If the answer is no, let’s put it in the donate pile. Your wardrobe should be filled with pieces you love - ones that make you feel confident and good about yourself.

c/o Caroline the Photographer

Have a plan for items you haven’t worn but aren’t ready to part with

For current season items you aren’t ready to part with I have two tips:

1) Hang all clothing with hangers facing towards you. As you wear the pieces switch the way the hanger faces. At the end of the season, all items that still have hangers facing you, donate.

2) Keep a“to be donated” box and put items you are on the fence about in this box. If, at the end of the season, you haven’t looked for anything in that box, donate it.

Store out of season clothing properly

How you store clothing is crucial. Clothing that you will wear daily should be most accessible and readily available, but the clothes you are storing shouldn’t be within reach. If you have a large enough closet, store out of season clothing on those higher shelves or hanging rods that are more difficult to reach. If you have an extra closet, store out of season clothing in there. If you don’t have proper shelving or rod space to store out of season clothing, make sure to invest with proper containers. We like these air tight bins from The Container Store or these high-quality storage bags. Both of these options will help contain and protect clothing until you are ready to wear it next season.

Pro Tip: when storing wool and cashmere add cedar blocks to the bin, bag or closet to avoid getting unwanted holes in your garments.

Put everything away systematically

This is key to having an organized closet. We recommend putting everything away by category, type, and then sorting by color. For example, put all sweaters together, then categorize by type (crew, turtleneck, length, etc.), and then further group all colors together within each refined category. This will help you stay organized, but also makes getting dressed so much easier.

After following these steps, your closet should be ready for the season ahead, making getting dressed quick, easy, and maybe even inspiring. I hope you found these tips helpful and you feel ready to tackle transitioning your closet.