Tag: fall closet clean-up

Streamline Your Wardrobe as the Seasons Change

Posted on by Jordank

Fall begins on Thursday, Sept. 22, and most areas of the country will soon enjoy cooler, crisper weather. As the seasons change, one’s wardrobe has to change, too; shorts and T-shirts won’t be of much use as temperatures tumble from summery 70s and 80s to the 60s, 50s and below.

Without getting into the weeds on what the Vogue fashionistas say is and isn’t in style this season, The Organizing Blog would like to remind readers that this transitional time is a perfect opportunity to #edit your #wardrobe.

As you reintegrate cold-weather garb into the daily routine, take a look at the #summer clothes you did and didn’t wear this year. Sort out the items you wore back into a closet or a storage bin, and trash or #donate the rest. You didn’t need them this year, and you won’t in 2023.

Summer-only clothing that makes the cut but should definitely be packed and stored for next year includes short-sleeve tops, open-toed shoes, beachwear, summer shorts, tropical prints, and linens and other lightweight garments, says The Closet Edit.

Wash or dryclean these items and store them in tucked-away baskets, plastic bins or a closet that’s distinct from your main or go-to closet. Then you can begin to integrate all of the fall and winter clothing you stored last year into active rotation.

As you make room in your closets for those fall garments, you’ll find items that didn’t get worn and shouldn’t have been stored last year. #Trash or #donate these garments unless you have a compelling reason to keep them. Perhaps you lost a few pounds and those old pants fit again?

There will also be #transitional #clothing items that you wear year-round and #accessorize according to the weather. Since they are subject to heavy use, check to see what’s going to continue to serve you through the winter, and what’s come to the end of its useful life.

As always, bag up any lightly used garments that you don’t need or want and contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a free, #contactless #donation #pickup. We’ll take those items off your hands and resell them to fund valuable #veterans programs.

Here’s to a fashionable, #streamlined and #organized fall and winter!

Keep Your Fall Fashions Clutter-Free

Posted on by Jordank

Saturated colors, logos and head-to-toe cable knits made a big splash on fashion’s runways this fall. But for those among us who aren’t ready to drop thousands of dollars on a single outfit, there’s another concern: how to refresh one’s wardrobe and look good for the fall season without creating more #clutter?

You may get the urge to shop as fall begins, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The temperatures are falling, and you might need new flannels, sweaters, jackets and other cool-weather clothing to wear, even if you’re working from home during the #pandemic. Specific items may need replacing after shrinking or wearing out.

As you shop, however, be mindful of the fact that every new item you buy will need to find a place in your closet or dresser. Ask yourself: Is this purchase truly necessary? Will it fuel a Marie Kondo-style sense of joy? Will I use that garment often enough to merit a spot in my limited space?

If the answer to each of these questions is yes, consider the storage space you have and what’s already in it. If you have are happy with your clothing storage and want to add a few new items to the mix, eliminate one item that you no longer use or just couldn’t work into the routine for each new item you buy.

If — as is more commonly the case — your closet and drawers are stuffed with things that you no longer like, no longer fit into or no longer use, #purge those unwanted items when you start shopping. Keep only a few essentials that you love, says Minimalism Made Simple, and your closet and mind will quickly become less #cluttered.

If you don’t have time for a complete purge, consider getting rid of two or three items for every new item you buy. That way, the overall numbers of garments owned will steadily decrease until your closet contains only successful new purchases and other items you cherish and love to wear.

As for the #stuff that doesn’t make the cut, bag up any garments that are in good enough shape to be worn again and contact ClothingDonations.org for a #donation pickup. You’ll feel good knowing that you look great and have an #uncluttered, #organized closet space while at the same time helping #veterans. That’s the way to kick off the fall season!

Fall Fashion 2018: Out With the Old

Posted on by Jordank

Every September, the fashion industry introduces its new styles for the fall season. And while annual “fashion weeks” throughout the world serve largely to drive consumer demand for clothing manufacturers and retailers, most people like to express their personalities through what they wear and get a genuine sense of excitement from buying something new.

This year, the Elle trendspotters positioned at the edge of the runways say, “power red” will be huge. Western-style details will be common on everything from blouses to boots, and 1970s plaids will be back alongside futuristic “athleisure suits.” There will be “couch” florals, Victorian collars, fishnets and lots of velvet.

Vogue says the ’80s will be back in a big way, with designers showing off garments with big shoulders and neon colors. Fashions featuring sporty looks and logos will make their way to market, as well as oversized utilitarian outerwear, chain-mail dresses, shaggy furs, and lots and lots of scarves.

In other words, there’s a lot for the everyday fashionista to like in 2018.

Most of the trendsetting runway styles are already being adapted for people who can’t afford to spend thousands on a couture garment. Within weeks — maybe days — of the designer debuts, you’ll see ready-to-wear labels and fast-fashion retailers such as H&M adapt many of the hottest looks trends into affordable garments.

The only problem? When people go shopping and find clothes that fit their fabulous new look for fall, they don’t often throw out the old.

Your closet is probably teeming with all kinds of garments that were the tip of hip a couple of years ago, but are now no longer on your short list for daily wear. You might not wear a particular item due to a change in size, a change in styles, or because that garment just never fit into your overall scheme.

Those garments are still in your closets and dresser drawers because you formed an emotional attachment to them — a fond memory of wearing them or when you bought them, or a determination that someday, you will find a way to wear them. But right now, they’re just taking up space.

Do yourself a favor this year as you shop and integrate new styles into your wardrobe: Get rid of the old. Anything you aren’t wearing is occupying valuable real estate in your closets and mind. When you buy anything new, eliminate something old (or two of those somethings, if you really want to declutter).

Bag those lightly worn, once-fashionable rejects up and contact ClothingDonations.org for a pickup. There’s no better way to stay on-trend than to eliminate the clothing that just isn’t working for you.

Chuck the Summer Clothing You Didn’t Wear

Posted on by Jordank

The first rule of switching your closets to the fall season? Chuck it if you don’t need it. “We [all] have clothes that we hold onto out of guilt, or habit, or hopefulness that we might wear them again,” author Erin Boyle told the the Sweethome blog. To cut down on that superfluous stuff, dedicate a limited space to a particular season’s clothing; anything that doesn’t fit should be donated (contact ClothingDonations.org for a pickup) or tossed. And be ruthless: If you didn’t wear it this year, you won’t want to unpack it next year.

How to Store Seasonal Clothing

Posted on by Jordank

Before storing summer clothes, be sure each garment is clean and free of stains. If not, wash or dry-clean anything you’ll want to wear next year. If you plan to hang stored clothing, use plastic or wood hangers that won’t rust. If you plan to fold and box items, invest in quality plastic storage bins to keep moisture and vermin away from fine fabrics; polypropylene (stamped “PP”) is best. And while you’re sorting and rearranging your clothing, Garde Robe says, take advantage of the time to clean and dust drawers, shelves and closets to ensure that bugs such as clothes moths won’t get at your fashions.