MY CLOSET EDIT : SPRING EDITION
Over the last year or more of really diving into the capsule lifestyle, I've narrowed my wardrobe down A LOT... and I mean from needing an entire spare room for my closet to needing just one small rack and a portion of a shelf. So when it comes time for me to do a closet edit, it's a very quick process because I've already done my fair share of hefty closet clean outs.
I like to do monthly or sometimes seasonal edits to clear things I haven't been wearing recently or won't need in my daily wardrobe as the weather changes; although, I have a pretty season-less wardrobe even though I live in the PNW with all four distinct seasons. As a work-at-home-mom, I spend most of my time indoors so I dress for the climate of my house and even my super-seasonal stuff gets use in the off seasons for different trips, so I don't really do any major wardrobe storage.
Over the last few weeks I've added and removed a few things, but I'm noticing a good amount of pieces not getting any love, so this is a great time for me to do a quick edit and I'm excited to share my process with you in the case this is a good time for you as well!
For this exercise, I'm focusing on "everyday wear" or my work week wardrobe. You can always take these steps and apply them to other areas of your closet like workout/lounge wear.
step one : laundry
I always complete and put away all of my laundry before a closet edit or clean out. It's important to have all my clothes in front of me and it gives me the perfect clean slate once I'm finished.
step two : inspiration
I look over my entire collection (even take a before photo) and decide what I'm aiming for with this edit. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a mini capsule wardrobe challenge where I limit myself to a certain number of pieces for a short period of time, and sometimes I'm wanting to keep a wide assortment but it just needs reorganized (or as I like to call it, re-merchandised). Either way, I determine my goal and then turn to my recent inspirations to get an idea of my theme. Themes can be seasonal or trend oriented, but for me is often associated with my mood as of late.
I've been feeling a little out of sorts with my schedule lately, we've had too many sick days to count in this house since the new year and getting dressed has felt dull and often times is just a switch into clean yoga pants. But I'm the kind of person that needs to get up, get dressed, and have a cup of coffee in order to be motivated for the day so my inspiration for this time around is: stay-at-home work wear with a 70s boho/mod vibe.
I get my inspiration from a few favorite Instagram accounts and still try and get on the ole Pinterest board every once in a while. I also regularly "window shop" online and fill my carts up with styles I'm currently into. Looking through all these things while also staring at my closet shows me what I have that is similar and makes me think of the things I already own in new ways.
step three : blank slate
Once I've established my end goal and new theme, I swipe everything off my rack and get a fresh start. (I have two inexpensive clothing racks from Ikea that I use as my "closet" and they come in very handy for these edits) I hang everything on one rack and put my folded items on the floor in front.
step four : rebuild
Next, I start adding things back onto my empty rack and open shelving next to it (for my folded items). My favorite way to begin this step is to first add five of my very favorite things. These are things I've been wearing on repeat or maybe brand new things that I'm excited about wearing. But they can also be five inspirational things that you're really wanting to build your closet around.
For this edit, my {let's call them} first five were: distressed straight-leg jeans, a new cream cable knit cropped cardigan, a mustard colored oversize sweater, an off-white boxy tee, and button front wide leg cropped jeans. These are pieces I've already been wearing heavily, but also fit into my theme very nicely!
From there, I continue adding in groups of three and I merchandise along the way. Meaning, I place them in specific places.
Here's how I typically merchandise my wardrobe: I hang everything besides jeans and sweaters in this order; tops by sleeve length, dresses by length, cardigans, overalls/jumpsuits, jackets. This can get more technical by the amount in one closet, but as I said, my collection is quite slim and already pretty color coordinated so this simple order works for me. I fold my jeans and sweaters on an open shelf next to my rack because I think it's important to see my wardrobe as a whole, plus they're so pretty that I like to display them! This can easily be done within a regular closet as well if you have shelving above or next to your hanging rod.
As I work through my wardrobe in groups of three, I start thinking about the pieces I'm not gravitating towards and ask myself, "why?". My answers are usually, that doesn't fit right, this is too worn, I don't like that color, etc.. and I start grouping those items into different categories: sell, donate, save for later. This step comes to a natural close when each piece has a home, whether that's back on my rack or in a designated section.
step five : straighten up
I finish by tidying up my jewelry and accessories (it's a good time to sort through things like shoes and handbags, too if you're up for it) and do a quick vacuum and dust. I always make sure to store my keeps, bag my donations, and snap photos of things I want to sell immediately following because this is what used to get me in the past... I'd clean out my closet but then never actually get rid of the things and, well, I'm sure you know because I think this has happened to everyone.
Finally, I snap an "after" photo to compare to my "before" and enjoy my fresh new wardrobe!
That's it, friends! I hope this helps you regularly rethink your wardrobe and get creative with your style. If you feel like you need a more thorough closet clean out, you should click here for our CLOSET CLEAN OUT GUIDE!
All my best,
Sydney
