How to Organize Your 50+ Wardrobes

Happy Monday ladies. The thing on my mind this week is clutter. No drawer is safe from me at this time of year. In early January, I clear the clutter with greater pleasure than at any other time of the year. Everything I receive is analyzed and either placed in its proper place or put in a donation pile. I walk around the house without a schedule and edit as I go. My outfits require a little more planning, so today I’m sharing how I organize my wardrobe.

After helping my husband start hiss, I realized that my closet needed cleaning too. The change of seasons is the most popular time to organize your wardrobe, but since I live in a 2-3 season climate, I also like the mess throughout the year, so many of my things are worn year-round.

The most difficult clothes to arrange

Some categories are easier to unclutter than others. The pieces you struggle with the most will likely be your favorite type of clothing. We usually have the largest amount, and it’s easy to justify keeping them because we love them. For me it’s jeans, so that’s where I started.

Jeans are an essential wardrobe item for me, but how many pairs of jeans can a woman have? Apparently far too much. The more important question is how many pairs do I need?

This is how I gathered my jeans collection last weekend.

For hanging my jeans on wooden hangers (similar), it was easy to transfer them all to a portable rolling rack. Bringing them into the light, away from everything else, helped me be more objective. From there, I grouped them by category and, to my surprise, the largest group all had similar style. Tight, ankle-length jeans are my fail. I tried every pair myself.

Questions to ask when organizing your wardrobe

• is it okay to you
• Does it give the message you want to give with your wardrobe?
• is it still in good condition?
• still flattering your current body?
• Do you feel great when you wear it?
• is it still in fashion?
• Does it fit your lifestyle?

Next, I separate them by color. I don’t need four pairs of straight-leg black jeans, though, that’s what I had, so two pairs were folded up and put in a donation bag. Then I switched to blue jeans. I need a few more of these due to the variety of washes (reason goes here). I was able to pull out four pairs that were too tight. Then I separated them according to the shape of the legs. Since skinny jeans have never been my favorite and are not on trend these days, I packed them all in a bag to donate. Minimalism isn’t my ultimate goal, but a tidy wardrobe of things I feel great in is my goal.

I placed the protectors back in my wardrobe in categories ranging from light to dark. Now I can really see which jeans I have and it feels less claustrophobic when I walk into my closet.

TOOLS TO HELP YOU ORGANIZE YOUR CABINET

Tips to help you organize your wardrobe

The amount you pay for an item can affect how difficult it is to get it out of your wardrobe, so consider shipping more expensive items to earn a small commission.

Before clearing the clutter, make sure you don’t need to rearrange what you have. If your wardrobe is messy, it’s hard to find the pieces you need to put together.

Before you start taking things out of your wardrobe, organize them into categories. Hang all shirts on a stick facing the same direction. Group all jeans and all pants together. The same goes for skirts, jackets, sweaters and knit tops. You can further categorize them by color (light to dark) or by level of formality (casual to elegant).

Have bags or boxes ready for:

1. definitely donate
2. Too worn out to donate, you have to throw it away
3. needs repair or cleaning
4. I’m not sure if I want to keep this

This not sure box very important! You can put something bold in this box because you know it won’t leave your house. The decision is temporary and allows you to revisit the pieces later, but not hanging in your closet to see them every day. Tape the box and store it in a guest room closet or garage for review in 6+ months.

Mistakes to avoid when organizing your wardrobe

A lot of people like to hack their wardrobe, ala Marie Kondo, but that didn’t appeal to me at all because it’s so easy to make mistakes. If the work is overwhelming, decision fatigue can ensue. You end up feeling drained and start making bad decisions. Here are some mistakes to avoid:

do not rush the process

Listen to your intuition. Note that if you’re unsure about an item, it can go into I’m not sure box #4 above.

not having a plan

Do you want to have an organized wardrobe that makes dressing easy? Hoping to automatically change the clothes you lie in? Have an end goal in mind.

Being overly emotional about an item

Is this the scarf your aunt gave you, but you don’t like how it fits on you and you don’t wear it at all? The suit you wear when you get that amazing promotion and retire and lead a comfortable lifestyle?

Editing essential items without a replacement plan

Your basic black trousers look shabby because you wear them too often. Be sure to make a tangible date to replace your frayed ones before you donate them.

not bothering to try things

You may assume something doesn’t look right, but trying things out and looking in the mirror is the only way to know for sure. Taking the extra time to try things out can help prevent you from second guessing yourself.

Letting the money you pay for an item determine its value in your wardrobe

This is a slippery slope. Just because you’ve paid a lot of money for something doesn’t mean you should keep it. And if you’ve made a very hot deal for something that doesn’t look great on you, it doesn’t serve you well either.

Trusting only if a garment gives you pleasure

A functional wardrobe needs items that serve a purpose, and not all of them need to be cheery… Sorry Marie Kondo. Wardrobes need functional foundations that we can feel neutral but complement some outfits. However, don’t hide anything you don’t like!

You keep too many copies.

I’m up in the air on this one. It’s easy to justify another great pair of black pants because I love them so much and wear them so often. Keep a few of the best and leave the rest.

You clear the clutter before you know your style

we talk about find your personal style usually in AWSL. Our style changes as we learn and grow, so at least throw away large parts of your wardrobe before narrowing it down. your kind words can lead to regret. This is when I recommend using plenty of I’m not sure boxes.

I’d rather have three boxes that I’m not sure about, than regret donating a piece ahead of time. Packing things up and removing them from your everyday wardrobe often helps clear your mind so you can get a better idea of ​​what you want to look like in the future.

The only category I rarely take out of my wardrobe is accessories. They take up very little space and I often change my mind about them. You can also create a box for accessories that you are not sure about.

Now you can use this process for tops, pajamas, sweaters, shirts, etc. I have to repeat with but none of them will be as challenging as my jeans.

Which outfit do you deal with the most when organizing your outfits?