Changing out clothes for different seasons? - YouLookFab Forum

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Changing out clothes for different seasons?

Gigi

Veteran

Do you switch out clothes in your closet when the seasons change, or do you have only one closet where you store everything for all seasons?

I have only one closet, but it is getting pretty full. It is getting to be a pain to get stuff in and out. I am wondering about taking out my heavier winter stuff once spring is here to stay, but I'm not quite sure where to go with it.

If you do take stuff out of your closet as the seasons change, how do you store it?

General

23 replies

Latest reply was from Lisa

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I do switch things out. I have a big wardrobe, plus I hate digging through wool sweaters and jackets in the summer -- it's too confusing and overwhelming. We have a closet in our finished basement that holds out-of-season clothes in hanging garment bags.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Yes, I swap out. I've got a spot in the back of my closet where I can fit our suitcases and a few bins. I've got four Rubbermaid containers with lids, and that's where I store my out of season clothes. The stuff that goes on hangers just goes to the end of my closet that is the least easy to access. It's a pretty large closet (not walk in or anything, but fairly long) so I'm fortunate. In other houses/apartments I had to store my out of season clothes in the garage or basement.

Anonymous

I have a fairly large wardrobe too but even when I didn't, I always changed out for the seasons. It seems silly to dig past wool pants and sweaters in 100 degrees C weather.

I always dread the exercise but once it is done, my closet is pleasant to work in

Anonymous

Ps. I store everything but jackets and blazers in bins

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I don't swap out. I have a 4' closet and it all fits pretty well. Sweaters are in a drawer, as are shorts and bathing suits. So, I have my most seasonal stuff in drawers and not the closet, so no real issue of having to dig through.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I switch things out. I really enjoy the process. It's a bit of a ritual, helping me mark the change of seasons and prepare for what's ahead mentally and emotionally as well as practically. I use it as a time to plan capsules, edit, and make my shopping list.

I do two big changeovers (fall and spring) with a couple of smaller shifts in between when I move out (for example) my heavier sweaters and make way for a few lighter weight ones (in cool spring), or add some jackets while subtracting others.

Keep in mind that I live in a climate of extremes. I find it jarring to look at heavy woollens and light silk and linen sleeveless tops at the same time. If I lived in Vancouver or Seattle and more of my wardrobe was truly cross-seasonal, I probably wouldn't do this.

I'm fortunate in that I have a hall closet right outside the bedroom that is very large. In it, I have a small chest of drawers there and hanging space. I just rotate my things from closet to closet. But if the weather takes an unexpected nose dive, it's all there for me to get it, just a few steps away from my regular closet.

In the past, when I wasn't so blessed, I always found other ways to do this. For years, when I lived in apartments, my out of season clothes went into a blanket box that also served as a coffee table.

Dee

Veteran

Like Mo, all of my trousers, tops, dresses and jackets/blazers hang in the 4' closet, while jeans and sweaters (and pajamas and bathing suits and underthings) live in a dresser. I do store some of my winter coats/boots on the top shelf of the closet instead of the coat rack during the off season, but that's it.

My mom used to do a changeover for my closet as a child/young teenager but now I don't, so that means I actually have fewer clothes in my wardrobe than ever before. Clearly my love of clothes shopping is hereditary though.

rabbit

Veteran

No seasonal change over, because as Suz pointed out, cross-seasonal weather with few extremes in my climate makes for more clothes of different weights being worn whenever. Also if you head to the mountains, there is snow in summer.

The daily clothes pretty much all fit into 2/3rd's of a 6 ft. closet, and half a chest of drawers, and a foot or so of coat closet. However the gear clothes between me and my husband fill another closet, chest of drawers, boxes in the basement and long rows of hooks in the garage. We weed these out pretty frequently too

Deborah

Veteran

Apart from coats, I keep everything in my walk in robe. I like have everything together and available to me. Some of my clothing works across multiple seasons for example I may layer some of my summer blouses under winter sweaters. I used to swap things out and store them in the spare room wardrobe but I just had too much stuff and really needed to get it under control.

Anonymous

Yes, I swap out stuff, mostly things from either the height of Summer or the depths of Winter. Transitional wear tends to stay put. I use a large under-bed drawer to store mine and I just try to lay it as flat and crease free as possible. The main reason I do it is lack of space.

kkards

Veteran

i do swap out. and i store true winter wools at the dry cleaners.
that being said, i do find that with the warming of the winters (this winter being a MAJOR exception), i'm buying a lot more seasonaless items and layering more.

Susie

Veteran

I have a lot of items that can be worn almost year round or at least 3 seasons so the bulk of my wardrobe stays in my closet. But I like changing out the strictly hot or cold weather items. I don't like to get tired of things by seeing them month after month when I am not wearing them. Things feel more fresh if they have been out of sight for a number of months.

I also rotate my shoes. Out of season ones are stored in plastic shoe boxes on the top shelf. In season shoes are lined up on shoe racks. Again, they feel more fresh when I bring them out.

I think we are finished with true winter weather so this weekend I will be pulling out my heavier sweaters. But I'm not ready to give up all of my boots yet

bella

(website)

Veteran

I switch out as well. I don't have a lot of stuff, so I could probably fit everything in the the closet that I share with my husband, but like Janet, we have 4 very distinct seasons and having wool sweaters in the wardrobe in summer or linen skirts in the winter is no use to me. So i switch twice throughout the year - only the very summery stuff (linen dresses and skirts, summery loungewear) with the very wintery stuff (wool sweaters, tweed dresses, fleece loungewear).

ETA: Out of season stuff get live in a cloth storage bag at the top of my closet.

Kristin L

Veteran

I switch out tops. My sweaters take up a lot of room, so after we get through the 3 months we need them, I change them out for spring/summer tops. I keep nice pants, skirts, dresses and jackets in year round. I adjust those and try to keep the lighter weight one closer to the front in spring/summer and the heavier ones in the back. Then, I'll just reverse the order in the winter.

Jules

Veteran

I swap out. I have a Rubbermaid bin that fits under my hanging clothes in my small closet and I basically fill it, whatever doesn't fit stays hanging (suits and things I don't want to stuff into a bin) or in my dresser.
I do this in spring and fall, so transitional/3 season things tend to stay out year-round. It's the more obvious summer and winter things that go away (shorts and wool sweaters).
This works better for me than moving things to the basement because my things are more available when I'm spring/summer preshopping at this time of year and need to try new things in outfits, but it's -20 C outside with two feet of snow Our spring and fall weather is also quite unpredictable, sometimes there's quite warm weather in March and April followed by a cold May, or Indian Summer in October, so I need things handy. Actual temperate "spring" weather tends to be short-lived so I don't have a full capsule for that.
Wool coats, puffers, boots and winter gear do live in the basement out-of-season because they are bulky.

Suja

Veteran

I have just started swapping out. Everything would technically fit into my closet but I like having space between my clothes. It also helps to look through all my items and do an edit at the start and end of a season. A lot of my clothes are four season so it is just about 20% that gets swapped out. I store out of season clothes in a cedar chest to keep the moths out of my woolen clothes.

ironkurtin

Veteran

I do a lot of swapping. My biggest problem isnot being able to see everything at once, so there's a lot of shift as I try to figure out what I own. Argh.

EveningMood

I used to do the seasonal switch, but it was horrible for my allergies and I hated doing it, so I bought another closet, and now I have a big one in the bedroom and a smaller one one just outside. Much better, and everything handy even if I'm to pack for different climates on a short notice. I still do swap my shoes because I couldn't find an adequate footwear arrangement, but I plan to eventually

MRL

Veteran

I have a hybrid system. I put my current season clothes in a certain hanging area and off season stuff on the side hanging space, so I do swap that out. But there are some multi season items that stay put. My jeans and workout/lounge clothes are on shelves and do not move, while heavy sweaters swap shelves with lighter cotton knits. During the swaps I assess each item as to whether I still wear it and if not why (size, not me, nothing to wear with), so that is when I get rid of things.

Isabel

Veteran

I also swap out. I have some things in our basement, with a dehumidifier . I keep all my sweaters and woolens in canvas bags under my bed for storage in summer. Same with shoes. Other wise it is just too overwhelming to me

unfrumped

Veteran

See options on carter's thread. I enjoy reading about vsrios storage systems , too.

Gigi

Veteran

Jules, your climate sounds just like mine! I don't have a full spring capsule either. We're lucky if we get three weeks of spring. And if I store stuff away, it will be basically just what you said: shorts and wool sweaters, linen...the extremes.

Bella, I really like your idea of a cotton storage bag for the out-of-season stuff. I am petrified of stuff growing in my clothes, and I have read that air ciculation is very important to keep clothes in good condition. I'll check into that. If I can't find anything nice, I'll just buy a cotton laundry bag (I hope they still make them--everything is polyester or nylon these days).

Susie, I like your idea that swapping stuff out keeps things "fresh" for you. Kind of like discovering a bunch of clothes that you forgot you had that still fit and you still enjoy!

Suje, I am completely in your boat. Everything will technically fit in my closet, but I want some more space between the clothes. My dresser is also getting too full. Not only that, but the runners are starting to crack (they are old...and plastic!). So stuff needs to go elsewhere for my own sanity, I think.

Lisa

Veteran

I used to do the swap, but it was too easy for me to forget what I owned and over purchase when the season starts and I didn't switch out items yet. I also realized I'm not a huge seasonal dresser (yes I need shorts only in summer, but many of my clothes can work year round because I run on team cold). Now I keep everything in one large closet and I find I get more use out of my clothes this way. But I am working with a small number of clothes (only 52 items for fall/winter).