Out of the Closet - 5 Minute Read
Are you struggling for more room in your closet?
Do you look in your closet, hate your clothes and don't feel like you have anything to wear? Well, this is the time of the year to make that change. How about starting a tradition of switching out your closet for the season. OK...hear me out on this!! We shouldn't be staring at tank tops in the middle of Winter or Sweaters in the Summer. Trust me, this will help settle your mind and make your choices of dressing every morning so much quicker. Plus, it just looks much better and will add life to your clothing. I'll be focusing on switching from Summer to Winter in this piece but just reverse it when it comes to Spring.
Let's have a frank conversation...there are a lot of fabrics and colors you should never wear in the Winter that are only meant for Summer. If you have any of these items in your wardrobe for Summer, put them away now and don't bring back out until Spring.
SUMMER:
Seersucker
Linen
White Pants & Shorts
Pastel
Summer Colored Button Ups
Cloth Belts
Sandals
Boat Shoes
WINTER:
Wool
Velvet
Flannel Shirts
Chunky Sweaters
Thick Belts
Winter Boots
Tweed
Puffy Jackets
All Winter Accessories
Shoebox Closet
- Not everyone has an Oprah closet, most of us are lucky to have a skinny closet about the size of a coat closet. You're the guy that needs to take this blog and use it the most. By changing out your closet twice a year, you will free up so much room and will quickly be able to find the outfit that you want to wear. Also, there are some incredible blogs out there on how to truly utilize all the space in a tiny closet...if you need help with this...just google Tiny Closet Makeover.
- First thing...When you're packing clothing away...it needs to be clean. Yes, your Spring sweater needs to be cleaned at least once a year. If you can't wash it at home, a yearly trip to the dry cleaner will be a good move. If it's not clean it could attract insects or mice.
- Secondly...you need to figure out where to store the Summer clothing you're going to be putting away. I have always had luck with under the bed storage in skinny tubs. I've lived in apartments and homes...and under the bed is the best place to store things away...out of sight, out of mind. Depending on how much clothing you have, you may even get away with one tub. I have a friend that only wears T-shirts and sweatshirts most of the time. Even with that kind of wardrobe, you're going to have certain pieces that are only Summer or Winter depending on color or fabric. Put it away and give yourself some space to breath.
Multiple Closets
- If you live in a home with a guest room closet and or a coat closet, you're Golden! These extra closets can get overrun very quickly...so cleaning them out twice a year is key. Think of your extra closet as the opposite season...a holding chamber for the next season. Also out of sight out of mind but a bit more easy to get to for a warm trip in the Winter.
- I like to keep my nice wood hangers in my main closet and switch to plastic for the opposite season that I'm putting away. If you have the money to buy all wood hangers, go for it, it'll be a much quicker switch over.
- Switch out your coats and jackets for the season also. I put away my heavy wool jackets for the Summer and put away my light Spring Jackets in the Winter. Freeing up room in your coat closet allows room for your guests coats...which is the reason for a coat closet to begin with.
Final Details
- We've discussed Tubs to store clothing in. Before doing so, I nicely fold all of my clothes going away and create stacks of similar types of clothing. Shorts together, Tees together, Button-Ups together...you get the point. It will be much easier finding items for the trip in the middle of Winter if you have items placed in bins all to themselves. Labels on the boxes would be a good way to go as well.
- Invest in some sweater bags. I did this quite a few years ago and it really keeps the sweaters safe from moths but keeps the dust off of them. Once again, make sure you get your sweaters cleaned before putting away for the season. The sweater bags are also great if you don't have a ton of shelving space and can stack on top of one another instead of sweaters toppling over.
- Shoes and Boots also need to be rotated. Why take up valuable real estate in your closet and coat closet with footwear that you won't be wearing.
I hope this helps make your life a bit less chaotic and more organized. If you would like to know anymore specific details of what I do, feel free to reach out or stop by the Emporium.
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All my best,
Travis Samson - Proprietor
