I had planned to do this later (after NAS), but we are drowning in textiles, and thinking through style goals in response to Angie's blog post was exciting, so I got started. This is another one of those wordy posts where I overthink everything, but I think (hope!) the action is coming soon.

Before
Analyzing the disaster that is my wardrobe's current condition, we find that it doesn't all fit into the closet. I have a fairly large walk-in closet in my master bedroom. It needs to contain more than just my wardrobe, because there isn't much other storage here. Where you'd expect a coat closet in the front entry is where the HVAC and water heater are. The garage is not a safe place to store things--the mold, heat & humidity would kill them. I also have dresser drawers for shorts, tank tops, short and long-sleeved T-shirts, pjs, swim stuff, and undies.

The back wall of the closet is home to storage bins of seasonal decorations and memorabilia to condense into albums before any move. That's a project for much later. Near the front of the closet is more memorabilia, above a bunch of coats and jacket-type things. More than half the coats will probably get weeded out, and those that will remain don't need to take up such prime real estate. The odds & ends on the top shelf are presents I've bought for far-off holidays, like my niece's birthday in November. This luggage has mostly been used to store things that were too small; the luggage that I use more frequently for travel is scattered about the apartment, because the closet was too messy to put it away easily. This space should be for "keepers", especially things I'm currently wearing all the time.

I've weeded out sweaters a few times over the past few years, but will try them on again, refold them and stack them where those "future presents" are now. If we aren't moving by the end of the year, I might want to get some kind of divider things for up there.

Clothing! What is all this clothing hanging here?

Also, what is all this stuff in the middle of the floor? That is a mystery to be unraveled once organization has been introduced to the perimeter and there are spots to put things.

Piles outside the closet:
* Something old, something new; something wrinkled, something blue. No, I'm not a bride, just never want to brave the depths of my closet to put this stuff away correctly. It's on top of the trunk where I keep sheets and blankets; I need to be able to get in there more easily.
* What passes for winter wear in Florida.
* I'm fairly indifferent to the misuse of a dinner chair for stuff to chuck, because that's temporary, but should probably come up with a better spot to put things.

Setting the (6) stage(s) (https://youlookfab.com/2017/04.....oset-edit/ )

I want to make space for keepers right at the front of my closet. I'll set up hanging fabric shelves there, because I am not a fan of woven fabric. Even many of my "nice" or "work" things (such as many of the first batch of blue dresses the other day) are ponte or knit. I find folded clothing easier to deal with, so if it doesn't have to be on a hanger, it won't be.

The luggage I move out from there will not be permitted to rest. Some of it will be for things that are still too small, some for those "work" clothes that I can't wear now and will pass on if I haven't --gulp!--worked out a use for them a year from now. This is Angie's holding zone.

Digging in, my first move was to... cheat! I have a couple of oddball jackets in my son's closet. (Sentimental clothing items are there too, in that bin on the floor, because it is either his or matching mommy & me stuff. It's on the docket for sorting after the memory books). I put the coats and jackets I know I want to keep on the far right of my closet rod, and moved the rest to his closet, because he has acres of space in there (compared to me anyway).

My temporary keep spot has an additional use beyond Angie's standard. It's a box of stuff that I've ordered from a couple different places and may return. The latest return dates are next spring, but I hope to decide on all of it by this fall.

I don't foresee the need for a spot for things in need of alterations/repair or for things to temporarily keep just until I can find a replacement, but I never say never. This is my first time through this and Angie's been through it hundreds (thousands?) of times, so I won't be too surprised if I find a need for those areas she recommends. If I do, I'll set them up then.

Plunging in / doing it

Rules are made to be broken, right? I've decided not to tuck away my holding zone out of sight. This is what Angie says about holding and temp zones:

instead of passing them on right away, you’ll keep them temporarily in an area that is out of sight. Give yourself a chance to miss them for about a year or so, and if you haven’t reached for them at all, pass them on right away.
... don’t let the items that currently don’t fit depress you either. Get them out of your wardrobe and stored somewhere else.-

But here's the thing: packing those things away hurts. I'm close to my body goal and I want to get there. The reasons I don't like my life are complicated, but flying free (even if we don't move house) will clearly involve career moves. Putting too-small and work clothes into the suitcases feels like putting those goals on hold, or, even worse, admitting that I'll never get there. That's depressing.

Over the past year of weight loss, I've enjoyed ordering things that are too small and eventually being able to wear them. It's much more fun that way, because you see the progress your body is making in a way that wouldn't happen if you just got stuff that fit right away. So I've decided to keep those things where I'll see them, adjacent to my current everyday wear, as constant reminders of the goals I'm working toward. Every once in a while, I'll try on something that was too small, and it will fit. Yippee! Maybe I'll keep it, maybe not, but I'll know I've made progress.

I also plan to keep my workout gear right there. I sometimes put it on in the morning, even if I won't be able to work out right away, because that pushes me to do it when I do have time. Seeing it when I'm getting dressed should do the same thing. So I'm putting my "holding zone" where I'll see it and renaming it my Zone of Aspiration/ Motivation/ inspiration (ZAMI).

For now, the likely keepers are up front. I've put away everything that was on top of the trunk and can get out different sheets. Yay! The winter clothes that were on top of the toolbox are on a hanging shelf, and the toolbox is back where it belongs. The smidgeon of closet in pic 1 is not as well-organized as I'd like it to be, but I'm going one step at a time. Just this little bit of organization should improve movement around our home, so I can get other things picked up and out of our way. I've already discovered two new things. Just look at the peach-colored items and b/w patterned things on top of that trunk! That alone convinces me that I don't have to restrict b/w patterns to solid black or solid white partners. And this sweater. Where did it come from? I have no idea, but here it is! The small burgundy suitcase only had a few things left in it, but the big green one is much more full than I had remembered. It will have to find a new home in some other corner of the closet, so my lovely Lanz summer dress can hang straight, as well as more shirts and dresses on multi-hangers. Sometime in the last two weeks of August I will have a try-it-on marathon, where I go through all my clothes in my closet, my son's closet, and the dresser drawers. Look out for a flood of pictures, probably spread out over a couple posts, from me then.