I came home Saturday afternoon and decided to spend a good hour going through my closet, packing up my winter clothes (though with this week's forecast I'm thinking that may have been a bad idea) and actually putting items aside for Goodwill (believe it or not).
Here is what I was greeted with when I entered the room that houses my closet. Several containers of summer clothes, not to mention one and a half that still had items I hadn't found a home for since I moved.
Then I went to the closet. So, not what a closet is supposed to look like. Too much jammed into too small a space with no room to breathe. (though they are hung by garment type - so I guess in some weird way it is a bit organized). Plus the fact I can't find a thing. I think what freaked me out most about the closet were the scary piles of clothes stacked precariously on the top shelf (lets just say I need step stool to get up there without having everything tumble down on top of me).
The shoes, of course, are another problem. They are stacked in boxes along the walls of the closet - right now in no order whatsoever (which made it really difficult to find a pair of flipflops on Sunday. They really need their own closet, but until then I definitely need to come up with a solution.
So I packed up the winter sweaters and turtlenecks, pulled out a ton of stuff I haven't worn in quite some time and bagged that up to be given away. Started thinking about where to put my dozens upon dozens upon dozens of pocketbooks and then my room looked like this.
I'll admit it - the scene frightened me. All I could think is that the closet may begin to revolt and start throwing up more clothing at me and I still don't have anywhere to put it. I managed to sort through some piles, and organize the drawers of the other two dressers I have for storage, but I was afraid. So I took a break.
Even Molly was stunned.
I did manage to clean up the room by the end of the afternoon. Now I just have two more containers of clothes to find room for, along with the pocketbooks, and then I can start trying to make my closet somewhat functional. It will certainly be a challenge and I'll take any advice anyone can offer as to how to make this work.
Until then ...
4 comments:
good lord... I have no advice. But that is a lot of clothing...
I know! I need some serious help!
Can you get some of those rolling clothing racks? You can put them against the wall.
Nice new blog!
OK, You know I love to tease you.
I don't know who should go in first, the Clean Sweep crew or Clinton and Stacey from What Not to Wear. The latter, of course, only because you get a $5,000 shopping spree in NYC. Then, while you're out shopping, Clean Sweep can be building your closet organizer.
Either way, they would clear out about 50 percent of that stuff!
Here's some rules I use at the end of a season:
1. Sort through it all and whatever wasn't worn this season, or only worn once (and it's not for special occasions), it goes in the donate pile. Don't look at the labels. That's only going to get you in trouble.
2. Try on everything that's not going to be donated. If you have to tug on it more than once to make it look right, it doesn't fit. Donate that stuff, too. As painful as it is, do it.
3. By now, there should be a manageable pile that you can work with to decide what can be worked easily into an outfit. Put that into a pile to be washed, pressed or dry cleaned.
4. Take the separates that are left and go out and buy new clothes to make an outfit out of it. That way you have the fun of still buying new stuff.
Editorgirl, this will help you get control of the "wardrobe that ate my spare bedroom" and give you a more focused shopping list. BUT, it doesn't limit you to buy completely new outfits. Instead you can add judiciously, and if you plan it right, you could probably afford another Versace dress:)
Good luck! I want to see pics of the new wardrobe.
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