Closet full of clothes and nothing to wear?

Don’t worry, you are no the only one who feels this way. My goal for you is to have nothing but what absolutely works best for you in your closet.  I want you to feel inspired by what is available in your wardrobe. I want you to be confident in your daily wardrobe choices.

Potential clients often say, “Oh I’d love to have you go shopping with me! But.... I need to wait until I have money for a whole new wardrobe.” I’d like to introduce you to a concept I refer to as shopping in your own closet. I guarantee that if you follow this program you will feel like you have new and updated outfits without spending a dime. (Yes, yes I can hear your roaring applause now. Thank you. Thank you very much.) All of us have some clothing, right?  The best way to start shopping is with what you already own. 

This is the simplest way to clean out and reorganize your closet.  Yes, I am one of those crazy organized people.  (What, you don’t have a spreadsheet for your outfits when traveling?)

ABC Closet Review

Before you begin you need to KNOW a few things:

            1. What is THE best fit for your body

            2. Your style personality (men and women)

            3. Your best colors

            4. The level of dress required by your lifestyle

If you are unsure of any of these, just schedule a free phone consultation with me to discuss your options.

Before you begin you need to DO a few things:

1. 1.Have only clean clothing hanging in your closet (Seriously, do I really need to tell you this?!?)
   

2. 2.Eliminate all wire hangers and replace them with (preferably) wooden hangers or at least plastic hangars.  (Ikea has my favorite cheap plastic hangers 4 for 99 cents!)
   

3. 3.Hang up all of the clothing you would like to review.  If you aren’t focusing on your casual wear, keep them in a separate part of your closet.
   

This is something you can do piece by piece each day as you are getting ready or all at once. (Invite your best friend over, open a bottle of wine and play dress up. She’ll be glad she “helped” and can take your cast-offs for herself.)  Here are the easy steps to take:

Step 1

Sort through your clothing and put each item into one of these three piles:

        A – Your “A Game” clothes. These are the correct fit, style and color for YOU. And you feel like a million bucks when you wear them.

        B – Your “so-so” clothing. Maybe not the best color but a fabulous fit or a quality piece. This is clothing that you’ll keep even if it isn’t your ideal choice. (But you promise never to buy another B pile item again!)

        C – All the remaining garments (to include clothing that no longer fits, needs mending, is outdated or just doesn’t reflect who you are today).

Step 2

Return all the “A” and “B” clothes back to your closet. I suggest you do this according to type of clothing (i.e. all skirts,  short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, jackets, pants etc.) If you are lucky enough to have several of a style, arrange it by color within the style (i.e. tan pants, gray pants, black pants)

Step 3

Manage your “C” clothing by having items mended, altered, given away, consigned or thrown away.

Step 4

Repeat this same sorting process for other items in your wardrobe such as your accessories:  jewelry, belts, purses or portfolios, shoes, bags, hosiery, undergarments, outerwear etc.

Congratulations! You are now ready to go shopping in your own closet. By separating your clothing into categories, you will see your clothing differently. (Yes, separate your suits and outfits purchased as a set.) You will be able to mix and match different items together.  Your wardrobe choices have now expanded as you are able to easily select outfits from a multitude of pieces.

Maybe as you read this you have already mentally cleaned out your closet.  Surprised by what you see? Maybe you see you have lots of black pants but really no shirts. Maybe you see you have all jackets and no pants.  This is the beginning of your closet inventory... but that is for a different day.

May the SPARKLE be with you,

Tressa Branin

www.totalstylesolutions.com