I know it seems early, trust me I do. The way I look at it, by the time Halloween comes, it may as well be Thanksgiving, and by the time the last of the apple pie (or the sweet potato with roasted marshmallow topping … yum) is finished, it may as well be New Years Day. If you are getting ready to send the kids back to school, or have already been on vacation, you know the sad truth: summer, in fact, is almost over.
August is a great time of year to prep your closet for the Fall. We LOVE to give easy, do- it-yourself tips, for a few reasons. First, I'll be honest, cleaning out a dirty, dusty closet is hardly my idea of a fun way to make a living. A necessity yes, but if it were up to me everyone's would be sanitized
before my arrival and I would get to begin at Step 2, the fun part, when we evaluate and create outfits out of what you have and begin the process of shopping. That being said, it is an important first step, what is the point of having a fabulous wardrobe if it is not stored properly?
Second, one of our goals is to empower clients to do a few things on their own. I am deeply conscious of never taking advantage of a situation. My thought has always been to pay us for the valuable information and skill sets we have. Anyone can clean, and frankly, even if I clean it, the client needs to be able to maintain. I also believe that our clients appreciate us providing some tips they can do themselves, if they would rather us do it, we are happy to, in all likelihood, we can get it done faster. In either case, we like the decision to be theirs.
With this in mind, we thought we would share our tips on getting your physical closet and existing wardrobe prepped for fall. These tips are easy, inexpensive, and give you an instant sense of order.
1.
Purchase new hangers. I do not share many of my colleague’s belief that you need seven different hangers to properly care for your wardrobe. It could be because I see more closets short on storage space than I see those with an abundance of room. I love the
Ultra Thin Flocked Hangers available at
Bed Bath and Beyond. These are the most popular hangers we purchase for clients. They keep the shape of your clothes, silk camis and other delicate pieces stay in place, and create an overall uniform appearance. You can also hang your pants over the bar if you are short on vertical space. They easily double the amount of storage, perfect for a small city closet. For pants and skirts we like simple
Clear Hangers. If you are hanging a delicate fabric from these, consider adding a swatch of fabric between the clasp and garment to make sure no marks are left.
If you happen to have the room and inclination, feel free to head to the nearest
Container Store and try to
contain yourself. Wooden hangers are a great investment if you have the space and budget for them. I personally love their look and function.
2.
Actually clean your space. I mean empty it all out, get some mild detergent and warm water and scrub. When was the last time you did that? Exactly! Can you imagine how dirty it is? This is where you store your clean clothes! After spending as much time as I do in strange closets, I am still astonished at how they are kept, and not in a good way.
Another favorite tip is to paint the inside of the closet. It freshens up the space and is visually pleasing. Some of our female clients have painted them fun, pretty colors or lined the inside with funky scraps of wall paper. For creative types, it adds to the ambiance and generates more creativity.
Be sure everything is extra dry before you restock, never return clothes wet or damp and never place them in a wet or damp environment.
3.
Evaluate your space. While you have everything out, see if you actually have a place for everything. If you don’t, consider investing a little bit of money into an organization system. We love and work closely with the team at
The Closet Works; they take your existing space and maximize your storage capabilities in a very affordable and stylish way. Personally, I live in a charming, albeit old home with closets designed in 1894. Apparently wardrobing – and space - was not a priority. Before we had kids, I created my own dressing boudoir out of a spare bedroom. Now, with two home offices, a 2 year old and another due in February I flat ran out of rooms. The solution? A nifty closet system from
Ikea. Goodness do I love it! All the hanging space I need, almost enough room for my shoes and dozens of compartmentalized drawers to perfectly place everything from bras to bracelets.
Before you close the door on your fresh new digs, check out the lighting. If you are an early riser or do not want to wake a sleeping spouse, a few battery operated LED lights placed at the top of the closet will change your life – or at least your morning.
4.
Purge, Purge, Purge. We wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. Now, keep in mind, you need to keep some things you may not wear all the time for the occasional cocktail party, gala or a fun girls night out. What you do NOT need is any business suits you purchased in the 80s, high waisted "mom" jeans, and if you have anything with a pumpkin or snowman appliqué do not pass go on your way to fashion prison.
Do a simple purge first. Is terribly old and tattered? Toss it. Painfully out of style? Toss it too. Maternity wear but the “baby” is in college? You know what to do. Keep in mind, the good women of
The Career Wardrobe deserve high quality items they can be proud to wear to an interview, your old, gross items do no one any good. All your items that are too big, too small or just not your taste but in good shape and stylish should go to them. Everything else send off to
The Salvation Army, at a minimum someone will use it in a Halloween costume. If you happen to have something FABULOUS and in great shape but it just doesn’t work, consider sending it to a consignment store or selling it on
eBay for a bit of extra money.
After you place your now paired down wardrobe back in the closet, turn all the hanger hooks facing forward, after you wear something, add it back with the hook facing inward. Wait 30 days and evaluate the items you have not worn. What is preventing you from wearing it? If you just don’t like it, donate to the appropriate organization. If you love it but need something to pair it with, begin to keep a shopping list for easy reference, you will forget in 5 minutes if you don’t write it down.
5.
Keep it Well Stocked. I’m not talking about clothes, more on that in upcoming posts. I mean well stocked with emergency items. Allocate a box or some drawer space for quick fix go to items including the following:
1.
Double sided fabric tape. We love
Hollywood Fashion Tape; it works wonders for fallen hems or to keep a deep v neck top sexy but modest.
2.
Miss Opps. Miss Opps is a fabric sponge that quickly removes deodorant and make up from your clothes. It is also great to keep in your purse while you are on a power shopping trip.
3.
Lint Brush. Grab a few from the local drug store to keep your clothes pristine. These are especially important if you have pets. Throw an extra one in the car.
4.
Needle and Thread. You do not need anything fancy here, just a small travel kit to fix a loose button, anything more than that take to a tailor.
5.
A bag of buttons and thread. You know all of the extra buttons and thread that come attached to your new clothing tags? Keep them! Especially if it is a special button or unusual color sweater. These come in really handy when you need them. You will bless yourself the day a fancy button pops off a blouse and you have backup. Otherwise, you will need to replace all of them.
6.
Notebook and pen. Keep a small book in your closet or on your side table to jot down thoughts and create a running list of the items you need to pick up. When you go to shop, bring your note book along so you do not forget anything.
Take a little time to get organized now and you will be blissfully organized come transition time. Keep checking The Well Dressed Life Blog every day for more tips to get you ready for the fall. It is our pleasure to serve you, send all of your fashion/style questions to
info@kristelclosets.com, and we will feature it on our blog within one week.
© The Well Dressed Life Blog, Kristel Closets, Inc. 2009
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