Do you store your off-season clothes? - YouLookFab Forum

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Do you store your off-season clothes?

Elizabeth P

Veteran

I recently had a bit of a lightbulb moment, and I'm curious how the rest of you feel.

I used to keep pretty much all my clothes "out". My recent house has a decent closet, and with the exception of very summery or very wintery sweaters, I could see it all. I liked that if I was going on vacation, I could easily find my summer clothes in March. Of if there was an unseasonably warm (or cold) day that hit unexpectedly, I could find something appropriate. But as my wardrobe has been growing (thanks YLF ) I've been having to tuck more and more away for the off-season. And all of a sudden, getting the clothes back out, sure it takes time, but it's exciting to see them again, and new combos of wearing them come to mind as they are sorted and hung. I realized that with having them "in my face" all the time, I was getting sick of my clothes, without even wearing them. And so I resolved to figure out a space and system to be more purposeful about only having clothes "out" that were good for the current season.

And then I started reading Mari Kondo's book. And she recommends having her clothes out all the time... just the opposite of what I've realized in fact "gives ME joy".

So what do you do? What do you prefer to do? Realizing ones space sometimes dictates...

General

38 replies

Latest reply was from Elly

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I leave my clothes out year-round. My entire wardrobe fits easily within my closet space and I live in an unpredictable climate in a place with elevation extremes. I can quite often can use a puffer coat in July if we're driving up Mt. Evans or rising early to make breakfast while camping.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I really don't like looking at heavy wool sweaters in summer or sleeveless tops and shorts in winter, so I agree with you that having all my clothes visible year-round does the opposite of "sparking joy." I store the out of season stuff. It also makes my closet less stuffed and makes it easier to find things. I just hang the out-of-season clothes in a garment bag in our downstairs closet (also where things like beach towels live during the winter, and winter hats and scarves during the summer).

Diana

Veteran

I don't, primarily because I don't have the storage space. It also makes me anxious trying to figure out when to make the switch! New England weather can be so unpredictable.

I do swap shoes out (between a rack in the back of the coat closet and one in the entrance hall).

Summer

Veteran

I keep out-of-season things in a closet in the spare room, so that they are out of sight but readily accessible if needed.

Anonymous

I rotate seasonally. Seeing winter clothes in high summer offends me. Likewise seeing summer clothes in deep winter offends me. This may be the OCD component of my personality asserting itself.

I want my closets to be "working" closets. That means that only the pieces I will actually wear during a given season are represented. I can see immediately what I have available to me (nothing is pushed back or hidden). Unnecessary duplicates and gaping holes become instantly obvious. My wardrobe is much more workable.

It takes a lot of time to switch out twice a year, but it is worth it to me. I do have friends that choose not to switch out and they seem happy with their process as well. It might be personal preference.

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

I have a large wardrobe and a large storage space in the basement, so I do store my off season clothing and shoes/boots. There are some things that stay all the time, even if I don't necessarily wear them all seasons. But I store the "extremes" - boots, heavy sweaters, wool pants, skirts and dresses for winter; shorts, short sleeved blouses, open toed shoes and sandals, very lightweight skirts and dresses for summer. I usually switch in October and May. If it happens to get cold or warm earlier than planned, I have plenty of "all season" clothing to get me through.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

I cannot ever imagine having ALL of my clothes or shoes out. I have a very large wardrobe and decent closet space too. I store all out of season clothing inside my two box beds (storage inside beds). And by all I really mean ALL. Our summer and winter are both extreme. I can't imagine looking at sweaters or coats in summer, or gauzy flowy dresses in summer. I make the switch over a weekend twice a year - March and November. Our winter is much shorter. Like you, I love seeing seasonal clothes when it's time to wear them and immediately start to see them in new light, the excitement building as I imagine the many ways I will wear them.

However, there aren't any weather fluctuations here in India. When I need a lightweight jacket or sweatshirt while traveling, it comes out of the bed. I actually put away clothes systematically - what will be needed first sits right on top, what I'll need last sits at the bottom. Sometimes I do have to pull a couple of things earlier, so this works.

I do have lightweight denim jacket and a soft fleece jacket out all year round. I use them in over air conditioned areas, traveling, planes etc and it works well.

I agree with Sterling, this is a personal preference and what works for someone may not work for another person.

unfrumped

Veteran

I've waffled back and forth, as noted in my recent post on this subject.

Two things I know:
1) Very off-season things are okay for me to store (cashmere sweaters and heavy wools aren't out in summer; my lightest "July and August" tops aren't out in winter)
2)Storing stuff off-site promotes more wardrobe expansion than I want. For example, I could end up filling all the rail space in my closet with one season of clothes and have the same amount stored elsewhere--bad use of resources, for me. I need more overlap and "more wears".

Whereas, if I were to follow a very restricted item number season capsule, like The Daily Connoisseur, that would be okay because the total number would be very low. I don't want to do that, so I'm working toward a more versatile core and then overall fewer "high summer" and "deep winter" items, and fit core + in the main closet but all of these need to be absolute "yay" items.

I do risk getting tired of items that are "in sight" but really, I've had more worries about losing interest in excess stored items (even "yay" could turn to "nay") or trends not being worn, or changing size or fit, that sort of thing.

Anonymous

I don't have a ton of clothes, but I most definitely do a quarterly switch out. Part of it is for bedroom storage reasons, but the other part is just as you described: I don't want to have off-season pieces sitting there confusing and cluttering up my mind/closet (lol) while trying to figure out what to wear. I love getting out the next season's stuff - because half of it I've forgotten I had Doing it quarterly also forces me to look at things with a clear eye and get rid of pieces I'm not wearing anymore. I'm still pulling out a few summer pieces even today in fact.

Susie

Veteran

I regularly rotate things in and out of my main closet and use a guest room closet for the out of season stuff. I agree that I don't like seeing the out of season things and get tired of them more quickly than if they are put away for a while.

I used to do a big swap twice a year when I didn't have enough hanging space and it took a good deal of time. Now it is quick and I move things frequently, not just twice a year If something is too warm to wear right now, I will move it out until September. Some summer items will get put away in September while others will work into October and will get moved then. Fall sweaters will come into my closet in September or October but the cashmere and wool ones not until November or so.

Works for me!

E

Veteran

I just rearrange the order in which things are folded in my drawers & hung on my racks twice a year, so that the more seasonally-appropriate pieces are the easiest to access. This works for me, because a lot of my stuff is trans-seasonal, and I love my clothes, so being able to see them all when I get dressed every morning makes me smile. hehe

crutcher

Veteran

I do...because I have always had a closet for the off seasons...Living in a four season climate,gives one more clothes that need to be worn and more clothes that take up space...
I know that having everything in one closet gives a smaller and more focused wardrobe but hey, when have I done what is most expedient?...
smile..

Sara L.

Veteran

I swap out my summer and winter clothes. I don't like looking at clothes from the wrong season and I like the excitement of getting out clothes that I haven't seen for several months. It makes them seem new again. I keep out items that can be used for spring and fall but store them near the back of the closet to get me through the transition periods when the weather is really changeable.

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

My closet is so small (and shared with DH) that I simply would not have the room the keep all 4 seasons worth of clothes in the one place. I keep seasonal items only in my bedroom closet and then store out of season items in a downstairs closet.

krishnidoux

Veteran

I do. I live in a four-season country, with extremes. Storing off-season items is a bi-annual ritual, involving making sure everything is stored cleaned, ironed and mended. Shoes and boots are thoroughly examined, cleaned and shined. I keep items mostly in plastic blue and transparent bins stacked in my basement. Turn of seasons are occasions for me to donate. I tend to donate at the start of the season, rarely at the end. It's also a time to assess if some items would need alterations, due to my body's possible changes. So as you see, for me storing off-season items is central to curating my wardrobe.

Author Linda

Veteran

I have a cedar armoire and closet space in the guest room (my husband has our bedroom closet). Most of my wardrobe lives in the armoire. My cashmere sweaters are all in there, for example, as are skirts, pants (aside from jeans), dresses, and tops (aside from tanks and tees). The jeans, tanks and tees (long and short sleeve) inhabit a chest of drawers beside the armoire and they never go anywhere else. Strictly seasonal items, though, get moved into and out of the armoire. Woolen pants (too hot for summer where I live) or crop pants (not good in snow) get moved to the closet when temperatures rise or plummet. Outerwear and jackets are in the guest closet full-time.

This system works for me. It keeps my currently in-use clothing where I have easy access for creating outfits. This gives me joy. In fact, it was Marie Kondo's book that led me to consolidate my wardrobe this way. Before, only woolen and "nice" items were in the armoire. Everything else was in the guest closet or stuffed into a bin or hanging on racks in the basement. Remembering where things were (or even if I had them) and finding them in a pinch was a pain. Now whatever clothes I actually want to wear at a given time of year are at my fingertips. There's a gradual changeover during transition seasons, but if it isn't in the armoire or chest, it's in the guest closet. I would gladly live only out of the armoire if I could, but having very hot summers and very cold winters means I really do need to shuffle some items.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Glad to hear that I am not the only one who doesn't want to see her off season clothes.

A lot of variety, which of course I expected, given the variety of seasons, wardrobe sizes, living situation. But thanks for sharing! Esp those who gave a lot of detail. I do want to do some rearranging sometime, so that has provided me with more food for thought.

catgirl

Veteran

I store my summer clothes in winter, but not vice versa because it's possible I could use my winter items all year. Summer stuff goes in a zippered bag under my bed. There isn't much of it.

Anonymous

I thought that I'd want everything out all year but find that I'm happiest and shop less when I can bring out things that I've not seen for months and they look new again. I can also edit out more easily because I know immediately if something makes me groan at thinking of wearing the same old same old. Yes, I pack away even things I could wear to save them for a better season. I am lucky at present to have a couple of extra small closets available to hang things and get to them easily if needed. Each person is different and even what works for me now may not work when we downsize.

Anonymous

Where I live, we have two seasons: cold/rainy and summer.

Therefore I leave everything out at all times, except I have my shorts and beachy/resort wear put away in a drawer. However, most clothes get worn year round since even in summer, it is freezing at work.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Yes, Joy... this: I can also edit out more easily because I know immediately if something makes me groan at thinking of wearing the same old same old.

I'm also finding I'm also packing away things that I COULD wear, but that I don't need to, just so they can feel new and fresh when they reappear.

Anonymous

Hmmm...you've got me thinking now, because around the New Year I sorted my wardrobe storage out and ended up with most stuff out all the time, but I do find that I'm getting a little tired of seeing my winter skirts in Summer time. I'm thinking I might move them right to the one end or get opaque clothing bags for them. We get an awful lot of transitional in-between weather in the UK., so I do need a lot of my clothes available, but even so...not middle-of-Winter stuff, when it's Summer.

approprio

(website)

Veteran

I store things off season too. Having a very seasonal wardrobe brings a certain joy in the rotation. I like the fact that there are some things that only get worn in the height of summer, the depths of winter, or in spring and autumn for that matter. When I see something I love that hasn't been worn for a while it feels new and interesting again. It keeps things changing, keeps them fresh.

Alassë

Veteran

Same here - all clothes out is the opposite of joy-sparking for me.

Thistle

Veteran

I have a very long and very distinct winter where it is regularly -20F. Combine that with a short but warm summer, and I really don't want to see my cashmere when its 85 degrees out.

Yes, I store mine, and it forced me to do at least 2 reviews per year - once when I store it, and once when I get it back out. If I am not excited to wear it as it comes out of storage, what does that say?

When I lived other places where the temp changes were less extreme, it made more sense to have all my clothes together.

Gaylene

Veteran

I've done it different ways--4-season climate/swap, 4-season climate/all out, 2-season climate/swap, and 2-season climate/all out. All the systems have their good and not-good aspects. Swapping meant I had the thrill of re-discovery you mention, but also could lead to overbuying because I forgot certain items. All out made it easy to see what I owned, but did lead to mixed emotions since it was hard to love a thick wool sweater in 100F temps.

I've finally settled on all out because I'm determined to keep my closet under control. If I buy something new, I generally try to take something out so my closet stays more or less the same size. Seeing everything out also makes me more aware of what I'm actually wearing as opposed to what I THINK I'd like to wear. That information alone has totally changed my attitude towards style goals. I realized my style is more Traditional Tomboy than Modern Urbanite. I can do touches of the latter, but my heart belongs to my jeans, boots, polo sweater, and duffle coat look.

Beth Ann

Veteran

In this new home, I have a decent sized closet and dresser, but no "offsite closet." Our one coat closet is tiny and all the bedrooms are full. DH dresses in his office (has a large closet), which gives me the luxury of not needing to share. However, I don't have any "offsite storage." Just one high shelf that has room for one or two bins. I plan on moving things front to back seasonally. I will also hang more of my sweaters in the fall/winter months. When it's warm, I'll keep them folded in the dresses to avoid stretching.

Sal

Veteran

I swap out the high summer and true winter pieces, but the bulk of the closet stays there all year. This includes shoes. I enjoy the ritual and use the chance to clean up the closet, try on the pieces, and donate others that are no longer working for me.

Our climate is temperate so jeans, converse, tees, some jackets can be worn most of the year depending on the supporting acts. I have deliberately grown this trans seasonal part of the closet and tried to keep true winter and summer pieces to a minimum.

I probably could fit it all in my closet at once...except for shoes.

Deborah

Veteran

I used to swap my closet out depending on the season but as I have moved to more of a minimal/moderate closet I now have everything together all the time:) One of the reasons this works for me is because a lot of my clothing is used for layering and is in fabrics that work across the season. For example even my 'summer' dresses can be worn with leggings/boots/warm jacket and not look seasonally confused due to the fabric. So this means that a lot of my wardrobe is worn all year round:) We do have a short period of very cold weather and another of very hot weather so of course there are things I wear for those parts of the seasons that don't get worn for the rest of the year but it's not a lot so they don't take up much space. I actually like being able to see everything .. that brings me joy: Sometimes I will walk into my closet and my eye fall to something that I may not wear until the weather changes but I will run my hand along it, and lovingly recall how much I enjoy wearing it! I know.. I need a life lol x

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