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Wardrobe Management

Deborah

Veteran

Well what I really mean is how do you all organise your wardrobes?

All the discussion on capsules has me wondering once you have established your capsules how do you then order your wardrobes?
Even if you don't work in capsules, how do you order your wardrobe?

For example, I realise that I kind of treat my whole wardrobe like one big capsule with many items that can go from work to weekend and so on. I have really reduced my wardrobe since joining YLF and now have all my clothing in the one medium sized walk in closet. The only things that are not in that closet are my extra coats which hang in the spare room closet (my frequently worn black winter coat and my trench are in the walk in). Also my underwear, my long and short sleeve layering tee shirt type tops and my scarves are all in a chest of drawers in my bedroom. Shoes are on shoe racks around the bottom of the walkin. Handbags are on the shelf above my hanging clothing.

I order my closet first by item type, ie. jackets all hang together and are then ordered by colour. Same with my pants, skirts, dresses and tops. Footwear is also arranged in colour. I realise this might work well due in part to my limited colour palette;)

My seasons are all mixed together. I find this works well because in Autumn I may wear a warm jacket with a sleeveless blouse so I don't want out of season things hidden away.

This works very well for me because I can see what I have and generally I know what works with what.

Natalie in her thread today http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....e-capsules mentioned her
"random mood-based methods of outfit selection". This struck a note with me as this is one of the reasons I find more precise capsules challenging for me. I am very mood based when it comes to dressing. Often I don't know what I will feel like wearing until I am in the shower considering my day. And as such I absolutely must have a very organised and tidy closet.

For example, our weather is warming up and I felt like wearing a dress today. So my process was to choose a black dress that spoke to me this morning, it is reasonably classic so I grapped a modern white short jacket and then reached for my black shooties.

There is a lot of liberty for me in how my closet works and I know we are all different in that respect and pehaps our personality plays a role in how our closets are set up and function?

So back to my questions;

1. once you have established your capsules how do you then order
your wardrobe?

2. Even if you don't work in capsules, how do you order your wardrobe?

Thanks for responding, I love wardrobe organsation (I find it very relaxing) and I would love to know what you all do.

xxxDeborah

General

21 replies

Latest reply was from jayne

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Same as you. I have done capsules but do not store clothing that way. I am too ordered for that. Must be by category and then color.

EDIT: pic of Tahoe closet sometime earlier this year. Dresses on the left, trousers on a tiered hanger on the very far right, likely out of sight, skirts on a tiered hanger on an over the door hook and shirts in the middle from tanks on the left to long sleeves on the right. Jeans on shelf above. (also random race t shirts and sweats are piled on the right which I never ever wear. Now I'm wondering why I keep that pile lol.) Every shoe I own in same closet, except for gear (Sorel snow boots, Asics running shoes).

I keep jackets in spare room closet and sweaters folded in a drawer.

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Suz

(website)

Veteran

Oh, the capsules thing (for me, at least) is just a way of helping me think about different ways I might wear items, or whether I might not be wearing items due to unrecognized wardrobe holes. Plus, trying out capsules for hard-to-style items teaches me why I'm not reaching for them -- and helps me purge them (or find ways to wear them.) The only time I'd sort things by actual capsule myself would be when I was putting them in a suitcase for a trip!

I do separate my main seasons (spring/ summer and fall/winter) keeping out of season items in a hall closet. However, the separation is quite flexible and if the weather demands it, I dip freely back into the other closet. I even change out mid-season, especially with toppers. Some feel appropriate to late winter/ early spring, but not to summer/ early fall. So I just move them around as needed. My wardrobe is small enough that I always know exactly what I have and never forget anything. And it bothers my OCD tendencies to see light linens hanging next to heavy woollens.

So. In my main closet (with is not a walk in, but a regular closet which I share with my husband) --

My sweaters and layering tanks, etc. are folded on one deep shelf. They all fit easily. I sort these by weight and type/ colour.

My other clothes hang by item type and colour. Shirts, then skirts (on a special rack), trousers (ditto), dresses, and jackets. My shoes are on a rack and the floor beneath my dresses. My belts are on a hanger and on some hooks. I keep a few bags above on a shelf and the rest in my study on a hook.

Jeans are folded in a dresser. Ditto workout wear, PJs and underwear, plus a few clutches and other odds and ends like scarves, socks, hose.

My in-use coats go on a hook behind our front door.

And that's it.

While I enjoy making capsules for the learning opportunities they offer, essentially I treat my wardrobe as one big capsule and I dress every day according to weather and mood, except for special events. I tried following my recent capsule but it was hopeless; I got too bored!

unfrumped

Veteran

I mostly sort by item type. Tops are tricky because I try to organize by tops that have to be worn with a tank , tops that are worn out, tops that are either long for pants or shorter for skirts-- that type of thing.
One thing I do is to store my shoes on upper shelves. My clothes go almost to floor, using double rods. I don't like shoes on the floor , though I have one space there for sport shoes.
I hang almost everything, even sweaters, as I'm bad about folding and sorting, but I will hang things up.

FlorenceFearne

Well, I was able to take some poorly lit cell phone pictures, but I guess it's better than nothing. We just moved, so I installed this closet wall myself, and I don't think it's exactly settled yet.

Current set-up is scarves on the back of the door, then a small shoe shelf that holds heels and flats. There is a dresser under the hanging rod that holds they underthings, socks, and hoisery. Boots are on the floor on the far right, next to the dresser. Pants are folded on the top right, purses are on the top shelf on the far left, and the middle currently houses a bin of miscellaneous hair accessories. On the bar, left to right: short sleeved tees, long sleeved tops, short sleeved sweaters, then long sleeved, button-down shirts, cardigans, other drapey toppers, jackets and blazers, skirts, short to long, and then dresses short to long. I have a few suits and formal dresses on the far end.

All my PJs live in rolling bins under the bed, in the other room, and coats in the coat closet.

*ETA: in terms of capsules/seasons/etc- no, I keep everything I wear all year right here. I wear short summer dresses as tunic tops or pair them with tights in cool weather, and I do long sleeves all year long, so I don't really have a good way to rotate out.

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Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I have a long Ikea wall closet and keep all my clothes there. A walk-in is luxury I can only dream of! I keep my clothes together by type - trousers, skirts, dresses in one part, shirts that can be hung in another. Jeans, shorts, sweaters, and sleeping, working out stuff are all in drawers in the closet. Shoes take up all the floor space and hats and odd bags are on the top shelf. Somehow it sounds more organized than it seems. I love to sort it out though and also find it very relaxing!

Caro in Oz

Veteran

These are all my clothes except gym, underwear, coats & long dresses. Short skirts are on the right of first pic & pants & longer skirts on the right of pic 2. I hang my layering pieces & knits, I fold heavy knits over the hangers. Colour first then garment type.

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Susie

Veteran

Mine is organized very similarly to yours. I have almost everything in my walk in closet. The only thing in my dresser is underwear, pajamas, bathing suits and socks. Coats are in a closet in the foyer. Like you, I keep most items in my closet year round with the exception of a few pieces that are strictly winter or summer. They go in a small closet in the guest room.

I hang by category and then by color, from light to dark. Almost everything is hanging, including camisoles and layering tees, shorts and jeans. I have some built in shelves that hold purses, bins for accessories, and some of my shoes. One of the full length sections contains shoe racks for current season shoes. Others are in plastic boxes stacked on the shelf that runs along the back wall above the hanging bars.

I don't do capsules. I like the idea in theory but I guess I don't see the benefit. I too feel like my wardrobe is one big capsule!

Edited to add pictures- these were from spring time so there have been some changes since then...New items added and replaced a lot of the hangers!

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Adelfa

Veteran

I hang my work clothes by type--pants, shirts, toppers, skirts, dresses. The shirts are hung in order of when I last wore them. I have a fairly small wardrobe which pretty much *is* my capsule. Sometimes I think of an outfit I want to wear in the coming week and then I hang the items together in a certain place, marked off by empty white plastic hangers. If I get inspired I might have several outfits hung up. This helps me get a mix of pants and skirts, different neutrals, etc., so I don't get too repetitive with my small wardrobe.

Lantana

Veteran

I am creating capsules at a snail's pace, using each of my "bottoms", one at a time, as a starting point.
So far I have two capsules. (!)
While this exercise is going on I have ordered my clothes by item -your idea Deborah - and it has been helpful for me to see what I have in terms of tops, bottoms and toppers. I discovered I needed more tops and have been working on that.
My shoes are in a hanger and on a shoe rack in the walk-in robe.
However once I've worked my way through all my skirts and pants I will go back to sorting by colour, which I find far more appealing.
I will pack away a few deep winter items soon but I am leaving everything else, regardless of its season, hanging together. I have a small number of clothes and a good sized walk-in robe so that is easy.
I have a chest of drawers for workwear, sports gear and PJ's.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I'm just lazy. I just sort by type and colour.

followrichard

(website)

Member

My wardrobe is small enough that I always know exactly what I have and never forget anything.I hang almost everything, even sweaters, as I'm bad about folding and sorting, but I will hang things up.

Hil

(website)

Veteran

My wardrobe planning is pretty much determined by the shape of my actual closets. I have 3 hanging spaces in one closet (2 which are one above the other and 1 long space)

I hang tops seasonally and then by colour in the top space and then I hang bottoms by type in the bottom space. I hang dresses, coats and jackets in the long space. Above the long hanging space is a shelf where I store occasionally used items like winter scarves and summer sarongs. On the inside of the wardrobe door I recently bought some plastic hooks and I have hung a variety of necklaces and scarves and belts from those hooks.

I also have a shelved wardrobe that I share with DH which holds a variety of folded t-shirts, tanks and pyjamas. I also have a shelf there for my handbags and shoes. Rarely worn (heels etc) are in see through boxes on one of the shelves and regularly worn shoes are in a messy space on the bottom shelf. I seasonally pack away shoes in the clear boxes too - like now - I probably won't be wearing boots much for a few months so I will store them in a box until I want them or next winter.

Undies and socks and such are kept in dresser drawers.

Oh and lastly, we have one very odd shaped space under the eaves in our room and in there I have a sort of holding area for when I do a closet purge. Everything I want to purge goes in there until I get my ass in gear to actually get rid of the stuff. I have been known to go digging in there for something to wear and some items have come out of my holding area again.

soobee

Veteran

Mmm, I keep coming back to this post and checking for photos. Wardrobe porn, mmmmmmmm.

Deborah

Veteran

I love seeing how everyone's wardrobes look.

Soobee if you check back here are some more pics:)

#1 Skirts and pants
#2 unstructured jackets, vests and tops (shirts/blouses etc) (a little messy!)
#3 jackets/blazers
#4 dresses

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Janet

(website)

Veteran

I organize things similarly to most here -- hanging by type, and then by color. Left-to-right (back of closet to from): dresses - skirts - trousers - blazers and jackets - tops - vests. Shoes are on racks on the floor under the clothes. Purses are on a shelf above, as are workout clothes and loungewear. Shelves in the back of the closet hold folded jeans, shorts, knit tops, sweaters and tees. Belts are on a rack on the back of the door.

This is all about to get reorganized since we are planning a closet overhaul from a local closet system installer. In the new plan, my shoes will have shelving all across the back of the closet so they will be much more visible. Even my husband is excited about that! We will also gain hanging space, as the new plan gives us three hanging spaces apiece -- two top and bottom sections and one longer one, with shelving in between.

These pics are a few months old (I spot things I've already given away), but you get the idea. Hubs' stuff is on the left side. The angled ceilings make things a little tricky, but the new system will help. I also want to get new lighting installed so you can see into the back of the closet better -- the exposed beam really makes it dim back there.

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VenusCow

(website)

This is one of the questions I always get asked in my live styling show. You can see from the pictures below the show set and the reality back stage are quite diferent. I am all about keeping staples the same and mixing things up with accessories. My styling philosophy is based upon building outfits and creating unique style using "Match or Contrast" (I have a few how to videos on You Tube) and to do this, all you have to do is sort your clothes into categories and then colour code within those categories. I like to keep things really simple.

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AnnieMouse

Veteran

I'm pretty much like everyone else: items are sorted by type, then colour, and length; office in the closet, casual in the dresser, for the most part. Pants I have sorted by office casual and office dressier (jeans I wear to the office are seperated from trousers; each is then sorted by colour). Shoes are sorted by type, then colour, then heel height.

So I might have a pale pink tank, followed by a slightly darker pink tee, then deepening pinks, leading to blouses or knits ordered by sleeve length. After my shirts, I have cardigans, then jackets. The other rack is dresses, then office denim, then trousers, then skirts by colour and length.

Like Deborah and others, I'm very emotionally motivated in my daily choices - I don't want to shave, so that means pants, and I had too much salt yesterday, so I want loose (alternatively: I feel saucy! I need skinneh pants!). Loose pants mean a fitted blouse/ top and topper (skinnies mean more volume up top, typically). What shoes do I want to wear/ what shoes work with what's chosen (am I going to the gym? How many meetings/ stairs do I have today - determines whether I'm rocking sky-high heels or something more comfy).

Happily, over the past few years, I've really begun tightening my colour stories, so most things go with everything else, to some degree. I almost feel like the whole of it is a capsule, just on a pretty large scale. ^__^

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Type of item, then color (but they do often get mixed up) and sometimes small "capsule" ideas make their way up to the front. I do hang my jeans as I don't have that much drawer space. Sweaters and most knits are folded on a shelf. Shoes in the closet, some on shelves, some on floor. I also dress depending on my mood and the weather so I don't really plan too far ahead unless I'm traveling.

Anonymous

Last winter (I switch seasons out but some things are all seasons like tanks) I used 2 closets. Master bedroom for work and spare room for casual. that didn't work as many things crossed over. This year I culled and sorted to 1 closet. Everything is sorted by item and then colour. All t-shirts are folded and shoes on the floor. I really enjoyed doing it this past week but it took ages!

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Lisa

Veteran

I keep my 4 season wardrobe in one closet except for underwear, PJs, tank tops, socks, and gear clothing which are stored in dresser drawers. Out of season footwear is on a shoe rack in the walk in closet and the in season footwear is in the front door hallway closet for easy grab and go. My walk in closet is split into two sides, one warmer weather, the other cooler weather items. T-shirts and sweaters are on the top shelves the rest of the items are on hangers.

I used to organize my closet by item type (all blazers, all jeans, all shirts, all cardigans, etc) but recently reorganized by mini capsules at the end of our summer season as a trial basis. I liked having one or two set outfit combinations per bottom and then switching bottoms, so this has worked really well for me. No outfit remixing to think about!

I'm regrouping my fall winter clothes for the same strategy right now. The closet doesn't look as tidy because items are mixed up (blazer, top, jeans vs all blazers, all tops, all jeans) but so far I'm finding it easier to grab and go. Before I would sit puzzled trying to figure out which items will work together.

jayne

Veteran

I seem to be the odd one out here. I organize by outfit. I have already planned outfits for the season so I use a meter wide rail to hang the outfits together, with even the necklaces on the topper hanger. The outfits I use go into the closet on the left and I try to pick the next upcoming outfit from the right. Generally though, I plan about 5 days in advance so I hang the outfits I think I will be wearing on hooks on the wall of the bedroom and then when I have used 3-4 of them, and some hooks are empty, I add 3-4 again. (5 hooks)

The one I want to wear tomorrow is hung in the bathroom next to the shower.

I do a bit of reuse of blazers and bottoms (my basics) so not every outfit is complete. My tux blazer is probably used in 3 outfits so once it is used in one, the rest of the outfit goes in on the left, but I add the tux blazer to the 'next' outfit in line that needs that tux. It seems complex but it is pretty easy in practice. For one thing, by having 4 other outfits already planned without that tux blazer, I know I won't be using it twice in the same week. And by taking outfits (or making outfits) from the clothes on the right (the items that have not been used in awhile) I clearly see if there are items I hop over or never use in a season...They keep hanging on the right and are candidates for purge later.

I do not have this rail very full, there is lots of space in between the two groups of used and not used items so they are easy to keep separated and I get a feel for when I have been through almost everything by having maybe only 2-3 items left on the right hand group. This is my work outfits area.

the casual items take up only about a foot of another rail and are hung randomly. A few outfits but since I keep this capsule small and totally interchangeable, it does need the same organization. I have found though, by having a few outfits already put together there, I am more likely to dress better when I reach for one. I don't seem to be a 'dress myself in the morning' type, I like to use planning on my app to create potential outfits, or on the PC. Over time I feel I am having a better success rate with those planned outfits actually working than in the beginning when I was trying every top with every bottom. Now I am much more selective in what I actually try to combine into outfits, less willing to try reusing every top/bottom combination. No mood dressing for me. I am not spotaneous, more a planner type, and nerdy excel spreadsheet tracker of what I wore and how much I loved it.

All pieces in use get hung, including sweaters, although I regret sometimes and put them back in a drawer when the shoulders get nipples. I have lots of empty drawers, since I am a single lady in closet space for 2, and trying very very hard to leave room for BF to move in someday! the kitchen space is more of a problem!