#MakingTime Day 27

Is your closet in a mess? Is it overflowing and yet you only wear a small percentage of the clothes you have? Do you have things that you know don’t fit, that aren’t your colour or that make you look or feel older? If so, it’s time for a cull! Get ready, get set, get organised! 

Your Day 27 Making Time challenge:

For 27 minutes… blitz your wardrobe

Psychologically, the satisfaction we get from getting rid of the old makes total sense. Things in excess, like clothes, are burdensome and stress us out. So if you’re into fashion and see it as a means of self-expression: having a closet filled with clothes that aren’t our style is literally restraining our ability to express ourselves. It’s fine if your closet is close to bursting, as long as everything in there reflects your style.

So today take 27 minutes and follow our three-point plan to making peace with your closet…

1. Pile up: sort your clothes into the following piles: 1) To keep – ask yourself: do I love it? Is it flattering? Is it the image I want to project? If it’s a “yes” to all three, then it’s a keeper.  2) Sentimental: if you wore it for a special occasion or it reminds you of a good time but you know you’ll never wear it again, ie your wedding dress, fold it in tissue paper and store it. 3) Needs altering: fix any holes, add buttons, sew up hems, etc 4) To go: Sell designer or branded items on eBay or Etsy, do a car boot sale, charity shop or recycle bank the rest: knowing that your clothes are going to help others is something to feel very good about.

2. Get organized: designate zones in your wardrobe so it’s easy to get to everything you need: sort by occasion (work clothes, weekend clothes, evening clothes) or by garment type (i.e. dress, suit, skirt, blouse). Within each section, arrange the clothes by colour. It looks neater and makes it easier to assemble outfits.

3. Create space:

• Invest in wooden hangers, which don’t damage your clothes.
• Hang clothes by item with small gaps between so dresses together, trousers together etc.
• Within these categories, group by function: work, casual, evening.
• Use a compartment garment hanging organiser in the wardrobe for underwear, socks, vests and T-shirts.
• Fold scarves and pashminas over a hanger so you don’t forget about them.
• Store jumpers and fitness wear on a top shelf or in a box chest to create more space.
• Screw a key rack on the inside of the wardrobe door to hang necklaces.