Closet reorganizing: 3 seasons

I did some closet and off- season reorganizing and am trying out what I call my 3- season approach.
These are Summer, Winter, and All Other.
The purpose is to limit my off season storage and changeout to a twice yearly swap of wool/ cashmere sweaters and tweedy jackets/ pants for short- sleeved/ sleeveless tops and summery jackets and my coolest, often washable, trousers.

The All Other is everything in between, and for now I want it to stay in my main closet year - round.

After a recent wardrobe review and edit, and keeping in mind my climate and temp needs, I thought this approach may help keep me on track regarding which areas are over- or underrepresented and whether I'm wearing my items. I tend to forget things if out of sight, and miss chances to remix, but can manage storing the 2
extremes and appreciate the extra breathing room in the closet by doing so. . The All Other is a category that for me can get too bloated or duplicated if I think of, say spring and fall as totally separate, plus those kind of weather days crop up year round.

11 years ago

JillG

Active Member

What a clever organizing idea! This makes a lot of sense to me.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

This does make a lot of sense. In a lot of climates there are a lot of things that can be worn most of the time except when its really hot or really cold. Plus modern life is less seasonal than it used to be, I think.

Elizabeth P

This is kinda what I do. I only store the real winter bulky things, and the real hot weather things. I just never know when I'm going you need the "fringe" season items, I've been caught before!

unfrumped

I know it seems really obvious, to keep "all-season" stuff in there all the time, but I had sort of started moving some spring things out to make room for summer, and fall for winter, and over time this kind of creeping on or out led to problems. It is more about identifying one's own ability to deal with stuff out of sight, and one's shopping and curating goals and tendencies.

Also, the All Other category is one that can potentially include both some of the best items, in terms of quality, that you purchase and say, I'll wear this year-round, and also, some of the best options for re-mixing or inventing new outfits-mild layering, or accessorizing to turn spring into fall, and so on. So I was missing out on some of the creative aspects.

Beth Ann

I think this is a particularly valuable approach for "office" workers. since there's less need for heavy duty sweaters or sleeveless items in a temperature controlled office. As I've posted before, I tend to divide the seasons into 6-8 "capsules," but I only change out my closet twice a year, just as you do. I do move the sweaters down and the summer tops up on the shelves, for more convenience, but that can be done in 5-10 minutes and without digging out bins.

Susie

I basically do the same thing. As Beth Ann said, working in an office means there are a lot of things that can be worn year round. But I don't wear my shorts in the winter or my velvet tops in the summer so I do move some things to another closet. It keeps my main closet less full and it also helps things feel fresh again when I haven't stared at them unworn for months.

Beth Ann, good point as usual--one can have mini-season capsules but don't have to store them. That's where I was having a problem--for me. And the office is the great climate neutralizer except for the extremes

Susie, right, these items like shorts, sleeveless tops, special fabrics are easier for me to "visualize" when out of sight, so to speak, and so are not such a problem to move in or out seasonally.

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