As you might have noticed, I have been thinking a lot about the closet review recently. Having done this so many times in my own closet and for clients, it has become an intuitive thing more than a structured process. So I decided to spend some time trying to distill what I do into a usable set of steps.
And If I haven’t convinced you that reviewing your closet on a regular basis is a brilliant idea, here are 10 more reasons.
- Keeping track of your inventory: You can’t wear something when you forgot that you had it. There’s nothing like a closet review to remind you that you have fab stuff. Wear it!
- Identifying wardrobe gaps and surpluses: By keeping track of your inventory, you’ll put the right items on your shopping list. No unnecessary duplication.
- Embellishing capsules with the right pieces: Running through the contents of your wardrobe makes you think of each piece as an item, each item as part of an outfit, and items and outfits as components of a capsule. The result is a closet bustling with outfit possibilities.
- Passing on items that do not work for your style: This is a liberating feeling. You’ll make others happy with the things that you’ve passed on to a new home.
- Decreasing cost per wear: Familiarity with your wardrobe will lead to wearing items more frequently, and in more combinations.
- Addressing new storage needs: Who doesn’t want their closet to look attractive and organized? Get that belt hanger. Get those shoe boxes. Hang up your necklaces inside your closet. Install those shelf and drawer dividers. Shape those boots. Give your closet that extra TLC and you’ll get it all right back.
- Fine tuning your style goals: The more familiar you are with the contents of your wardrobe, the easier it is to compare them to your current set of style goals. Are your current wardrobe looks in line with these goals? If not, think about why that’s the case. Do you need to tweak your style goals, or do you need to adjust your shopping list. If it’s all in sync, enjoy the satisfaction that you are honing your style and mastering the wardrobing concept.
- Sparking off a sense of creativity: Running through the contents of your wardrobe kick-starts the creation of new outfit combinations. This costs nothing but a little extra time in your wardrobe. Priceless.
- Keeping things tidy: Closets always look neater after a review. As you sorted through your stuff, you refolded, rehung and reorganized items and got rid of the clutter. Bonus.
- Speaking to your inner control freak: I feel particularly in control of my life after I’ve reviewed my wardrobe contents. I walk into my neat, edited closet with a good knowledge of the daily looks I want to pull together. I feel a sense of calm, and this calm filters through to other areas of my life.
Feel free to add on to my list in the comments. And let us know which part of the closet review process gives you the most satisfaction. Mine are a tie between #3 and #10. I love creating wardrobe capsules and I’m a complete control freak.
