Spring Fling: Get Your Closet Ready for Warmer Weather

Posted by Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®

March 4, 2010

It’s hard to believe the official start of spring is only a few weeks away, but it is! Warmer weather, silkier fabrics, bare skin, sandals… It’s fun to think about the new colors and patterns you want to bring in to your wardrobe, but you’ll want to get your closet ready first. If you start now, it will be a painless process, and before you know it, you’ll be ready for the new styles and trends spring has to offer.

You know you’re going to want to store your out-of-season clothes (after first laundering or dry-cleaning them). But, how about editing your cold-weather wardrobe first? It will make getting them out of storage come next fall that much easier. To identify keepers and discards, ask yourself a series of questions about each piece. A single “No” answer means the piece really should find a new home (that is, one that’s not in your home).

Here are the things to consider:

Do I love it?
Would I buy it again?
Have I worn it in the last year?

There will be pieces about which you find yourself saying “No, but…,” things you’re reluctant to get rid of. Some are real keepers, like a wedding dress (but that type of piece belongs in deep storage, not in your main closet.) With your true maybes, see if you can give them a second life by creating new outfits with them or adding accessories you haven’t tried before. Then, if you still wish you could change out of that piece before you’ve even left home, because you still don’t love how you feel in it, it really is time to say goodbye. Start a give-away bag, and add that item to the pile. Repeat with all your fall-winter clothes, and don’t forget accessories like shoes, belts, scarves. If they’re worn, dated, or don’t make you feel great, out they go!

Once you’ve gone through this process, you’ll have a closet full of clothes you’ll be happy to see again next fall. Bring on the warm weather — you’re ready!

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About the Author

Don’t love what’s in your closet? DC-based writer and image consultant, Ketura Persellin, helps her clients find the style that works for them, through personalized style assessments, color analysis, closet editing, personal shopping, and other services. For more information, visit www.TheWardrobeWorkshop.com.