The Closet Advice Thread - YouLookFab Forum

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The Closet Advice Thread

April

Veteran

On another thread, Mae wrote:

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My biggest problem - and there are many- is the "I might wear this again if it is... tailored... mended... worn underneath something" pile. I hate this pile because I *never* get around to tailoring or mending or wearing underneath. I am also reluctant to donate things that I *might* wear again (but haven't). So I end up hanging onto things. Just in case.
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The first thing I will say is something you already know: you will never tailor or mend or "need" those items. Put them in a black garbage bag (black so you can't see through it and start second-guessing yourself) right now and put it in the trunk of your car. Next time you pass a Goodwill clothing donation box, drop it off without a second thought. It will be such a relief to have them gone and no longer creating the burden of feeling you must tailor/mend/wear things you don't love.

Holding onto mediocre stuff out of this kind of anxiety will keep you from ever having a fully functional wardrobe. Trust yourself to be able to provide what you need. If you find that you're panicking twice a week because you don't have a black cami and you donated one that was too short or too faded, we'll find you a new one.

If releasing it to Goodwill gives you palpitations, try Angie's "hidden holding zone" method: http://youlookfab.com/2010/07/.....ding-zone/

Who else has advice on closets?

General

37 replies

Latest reply was from Lynne

Inge

(website)

The first thing that comes to mind: it's not always a good idea to hold on to items that are too small now ("I'll wear that again when I lose 10 pounds"). I've discovered that when I finally do lose some weight, the clothes are out of style or I just don't like them all that much anymore (even though some of them were my favourites a few years before).

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Great tips April and Inge!

I also vote for fewer rather than more things (SO EDIT WITH VIGOUR). Much easier to navigate through a smaller wardrobe. Just wear the stuff you have, THAT YOU SHOULD LOVE, more frequently.

Sorry for hurting your ears!

Mae

Thanks, everyone! After logging out earlier, I spent the morning in dreaded closet land. It took several hours, but my closet and drawers have been edited. Yay! I filled an entire lawn and garden-sized garbage bag (yes, black, April).

I have two pairs of pants that I saved in the TBM pile. (One just needs a button sewn on. For heaven's sake, I should be able to handle that. The other is in need of a re-hemming.) Trust me, two pairs is much better than the previous number. I'm humbled to admit that I had saved all of the non-PPL pants after posting the looks here last year and realizing that *none* of my pants were appropriate. I had hoped that I could salvage some of them with tailoring. Alas, they are now in the bag.

I had a closet aha moment when browsing through the finished product. It will be SO much easier (and more pleasant) to get dressed now that there are fewer choices. Angie, you're so right. It didn't sink in until I SAW it. I had no idea the influence of a closet bulging with clothes I hate or that don't work or are stained or are ill-fitting on my psyche. And that box filled with TBM items was absolutely dragging me down. (Not to mention taking up valuable floor space.) Someone should write a book on the hidden anxieties caused by one's closet.

I know that I need to continue to EDIT WITH VIGOR. There is still too much. But I'm going to keep some items for another season to see if I can re-energize them. If not, into the bag they'll go.

The current bag is headed to a local organization that provides assistance to women who have been abused... Double win.

Mae

I just remembered a question I have...

How do YLFers store scarves efficiently?

Right now, mine are hanging around a hanger and taking up a lot of space due to volume. I bat for both team necklace and team scarf.

Louise

Veteran

Anything that's too big I throw staright out. I do struggle with bags though. I recently rediscovered a bag which had several times been in the charity bag and I kept thinking "but I might need it again!" x

Louise

Veteran

My scarves are on a hanger on the inside of the wardrobe door but like you say volume is a problem and the door won't shut!! x

Kate

Veteran

I have extra drawer space, so all of my scarves are coiled up and kept in a drawer. I can see all of them when I open the drawer (they aren't stacked), don't create a bulky mess, and can't accidentally slip off a hanger and end up on the floor. It works well for me.

taylor

Veteran

For scarves I have an over the door hook with about 3 different prongs...like a hand towel hook really. I got it at BB&B It is very pretty and I drape several scarves over each hook, they hang down the back of the door and don't take up much room...I use a second one for belts.

April

Veteran

That's impressive, Mae -- photos, photos!

I don't have a great suggestion about scarves since I find them tricky and am somewhat ambivalent about how much space they should be allowed in my wardrobe, closet, and mind. But what about this kind of hanger, to spread them out a little and reduce the volume: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.co.....0&

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

For scarves, I recently bought a Pants Hanger - I think its designed to fit 3 or 4 pairs of pants, but I have hung my scarves on it and it works really well. I just need another one now because I still have a few scarves to go.

Something like this:

http://img.inkfrog.com/pix/dom.....er_001.jpg

Mae

Wow- great ideas! Thanks everyone. I love the idea of putting them on a pants hanger- especially one with swing arms for easy access.

Taylor, my closet has sliding doors, so no room for hooks.

Kate, I envy your extra drawer space! What a wonderful idea. Oh, to be able to see all scarves sitting nicely curled up and ready to go. I suppose I could find another spot for my exercise wear (which is- ahem- rarely used). That would free up a drawer.

EDIT: April, please. Photos? No way. It's not impressive enough for photos. We're talking about 1/2 of a sliding-door closet, not a walk-in, peek-in, or dance-in version. Hangers don't match. It's really not particularly thrilling to anyone but me (who saw the "before" version.)

Goldie

I just did a closet clean-out this weekend too, though I only had time for part of it. Mine was inspired by the recent "How many clothes do you own" thread -- I started adding it up in my head, until I realized that I was just not counting half the things I owned ("oh, well, I have a ton of shirts, but I only really actively wear about 10 of them, so 10 shirts")!

It feels SO GOOD to get rid of it all, and I actually found a couple of things that I had totally forgotten about that I can now start wearing again! I'm probably still holding on to too much, but it's so much better than before! I think I need more visible storage, though -- the stuff that's in drawers I just don't see, and I forget that I have it. I'm going to try and figure out some better system sometime soon.

sinead

April, your last closet thread inspired me to finally tackle my closet. I had no idea how to do it and just started hauling things out and cleaning and tossing and rearranging- and, viola! A functioning closet! I've been opening it just to look at its organized beauty. (Okay, in my world organized is a relative term)

I got a shoe rack, a double rod for pants and skirts and a hanging, cloth-shelf thing for tee's and sweaters. Also, I put my scarves on an expandable rack from Ikea because I have to actually see them to use them, being one of those out of sight out of mind gals.

Anyway, April, a big, big thank you for posting about closet organizing in the first place. The pictures of everyone's lovely closets inspired me!

Mae

Yay, Goldie- we're closet-clean-out twins! You nailed it. It's completely liberating. I also "found" some oldies that I'd forgotten about and am going to try to reinvigorate. I actually like my clothes better now. How bizarre is that??

Mae

Ah! Triplets! Sinead-Goldie-Mae. I, too, have peeked at the finished product all day. The clothes and shoes are so happy in there. Oooo- and you made some organizing purchases <jealous>... How fun! Who knew closet clean-out could be so: therapeutic, liberating, and calming?

Lisa

Veteran

I am so excited reading about this closet clean-out. I am moving at a snail pace with mine. This is just the motivation I need.

For scarves, I hang mine on pants hangers folded in half. The hangers are coated, so they don't slide off.

Goldie

Yay! I'm so excited to start wearing some of the pieces I found, but they're mostly for fall, so I'm going to have to hold on -- I just hope I don't forget about them again!

As for scarf organization, I don't have very many at all, but I bought a scarf-organizing hanger from the Container Store (love that place!). It's basically a thick wooden hanger with holes through it that you can push scarves through, and it works very well for a small collection. It only holds something like 8 scarves though, so if you have a lot it's probably not really a solution.

yublocka

(website)

Veteran

Now that I've moved into an apartment with limited drawer and hanging space, I came up with a new scarf storage system this winter. I bought one of these Ikea multi-use hangers, but instead of hanging it in my wardrobe, I mounted a command hook on the wall behind my bedroom door and hang this off the hook so that the ikea rack lies flat against the wall.

I already have an over-the-door set of hooks hanging off the back of the door that I use for belts, bags and various gym gear, otherwise I would have mounted it there instead. It actually works quite well being on the wall behind the door though, as the soft scarves cushion the contents of the over door hooks from banging against the wall when the door is opened, if that makes any sense?

April

Veteran

Mae wrote: "Who knew closet clean-out could be so: therapeutic, liberating, and calming?"

Everyone who's completed a clean-out. It's a great feeling, isn't it? Definitely keep going there to look at your work -- very reinforcing.

Sinead, I was so touched by your post! Are you up to taking photos?

Great storage ideas, everyone. I really like that Ikea holder, Tam -- they are geniuses of inexpensive organization tools.

Mae

Great scarf organization tips and tricks. Hmm.. Push through hole hanger; lay flat on a pants hanger; or clean out a drawer and nestle them? I'll have to think about this some more. It seems like the hole hanger would leave a more voluminous scarf bunched in one section?

This looks like the one that Goldie mentioned:
http://www.containerstore.com/.....;Ntt=scarf

I now see that any of these options is far superior to my current method: Throw all scarves around one plastic hanger and call it a day. :0

April

Veteran

Here's the next thing I want to do in my closet. I want to create a little tag to go on the hanger for each pair of pants that says what heel height that pair is hemmed for. Then I'll group my shoes according to heel height, and voila -- instant PPL!

I know none of this closet stuff makes you want to sit next to me at a party, but it makes me happy.

Mae

Oh, you're wrong there, April. It makes me (and I bet a few other YLFers) want to sit next to you all the more. Maybe just a tiny bit of your organized--put together--beautiful--fashionable dust will scatter my way some day. A little sister can hope.

PS: If I ever have so many pants that I can't recall which ones fit with which heel heights and need little tags, I will be a very happy woman.

sinead

Yes, Mae is right, April. Those of us who struggle with organization need your special magic and encouragement. I'll think about the photo- I'm terribly proud of the transformation, but I'm not sure it's anywhere near photo worthy. And there is still another area of the closet I have no idea what to do with... well, okay I should post just to get ideas and advice. This is such a weird closet. Pictures tomorrow, I promise.

Lisa

Veteran

April-I like your tag the pants for heel height idea. I've labeled my hubby's pants so he knows which are the black and which are the navy. Why not label my own for heel heights. hmm..

Kate

Veteran

Lisa - How did you actually label them? Is it on the hanger, or the pants themselves? Did you write on the tag? I'm curious.

AJ

Veteran

I used to hang my scarves on a special scarf hanger with the individual holes, but I still thought it looked visually sloppy and bulky. So I am now folding them in a drawer. It doesn't take up haning space and it looks so pretty lined up next to each other.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/w.....otostream/

Here's a great little video on a folding technique. I know, it might look excessive but the end results are fab. I do this with my t-shirts and bulky scarves.
http://www.cardiganempire.com/.....lding.html

Lisa

Veteran

Kate-I was very simple for labeling. I cut up pieces of 1 inch width, two inch length sizing and popped holes into them with a hole punch. Then hung them on the hanger over the loop close to the base. It was very easy and now hubby can tell what pants are what color in our dark closet.

April

Veteran

AJ -- thank you! That folding video gave me a great solution for my stash of camis, which are always jumbled together and don't stay neat no matter what. (I did have to snicker at the thought of ever -- ever! -- folding a thong, but otherwise the presenter inspired me.) I got a wooden box that a fancy toy had come in years ago and refolded them all according to her instructions: http://i649.photobucket.com/al.....G_0886.jpg

Any other folding-video geeks out there?

Lisa -- what is "sizing"?

bella

(website)

Veteran

Aj, thanks for the video!I used the technique in the video to fold my hubby's tshirts. He was complaining about insufficient drawer space, now he has plenty!

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