With the change of seasons comes many transformations — and a change in your wardrobe should be one of them. As we say goodbye to summer, it’s time to start prepping for cooler temps. But cooler weather isn’t the only thing to consider when rethinking your wardrobe. A new season can also mean different color palettes to enjoy, new trends, fun accessories, and more.
A closet refresh is a huge undertaking that requires creativity, time, energy, and above all — organization. Here are five tips to keep in mind when changing your seasonal wardrobe.
1. Pack Up Spring and Summer Clothes
Breaking out all the fall styles can be exciting. But don’t get so caught up organizing that you forget to neatly pack away your spring and summer wardrobe. When making the switch from one seasonal wardrobe to another, start by first gathering a few storage bins or boxes.
If you are lucky — you can merely move all items into the extra bedroom closet. I pull an old sheet over the hanging bar so I don’t need to look at the clothes, and they won’t get dusty. This also makes the clothes appear newer to me when I bring them out again, and I like them again. If you have to use the bins, come up with a system for organizing things into boxes — your future self will thank you in the spring.
Packing away your entire spring/summer closet can be overwhelming. It’s just as big of a task as organizing your new closet. Because of this, you might put off the task for longer than you’d like to. If the cooler temps are quickly approaching and you notice yourself putting this off, don’t fret. Take a step back and work on your time management skills. Small changes will free up time in your schedule and allow you to work on packing up your closet without worry.
2. Purge Your Entire Closet
A seasonal wardrobe change is a great time to do a closet purge. Although it can be quite the task, it also feels good to get rid of what you don’t need. Not only will it give you maximal space to utilize in your closet, but it’s also just a refreshing feeling. It’ll make you feel more organized and ready to start putting together your fall wardrobe. Make sure you declutter your life before you attempt to declutter your wardrobe, though. A closet purge will be impossible if other areas of your life feel disorganized.
When you’re purging, sort things into piles. Usually, one pile for clothes you’d like to donate and one for clothes you’d like to sell. The rest can go into a pile that you plan to keep. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, don’t purge all of your clothes at once. Instead, purge your spring/summer wardrobe as you’re packing it away. Then, attack the fall clothes as you’re unpacking them.
Pro tip: Don’t throw away any clothes when you’re purging. Even if you feel like they’re completely unusable, recycle them. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 70% of clothing waste generated by Americans ends up in landfills. Sustainability has become huge in the fashion industry. Find a good place to donate unwanted items to play your part.
Seriously, it feels a lot better to donate — so many people the world over don’t have enough to wear, and we can all help out in some way. I keep a bag in my trunk for donations. More than once through the years, I’ve stopped and pulled out an old coat for a homeless person.
3. Start Grouping Items in Your Closet
Now that the hard part is out of the way (packing and purging), it’s time for the fun part. Choosing a system for organizing your closet requires a lot of thought and creativity. You need to consider the items in your wardrobe and what will work best. You might even consider what will look more visually appealing. It’s a lot more than just putting items on hangers.
If you need ideas, here are a few of the most popular ways to organize items in your closet.
By Color
For some people, it makes the most sense to group items by color. Maybe you have more of a neutral wardrobe and can just have a few color categories. For example – whites/creams, browns/taupes, and blacks/grays. Maybe you have a few bright colors in your wardrobe that can have their own category. Or, if your entire wardrobe is colorful, maybe you do a rainbow theme, grouping everything from red to orange to yellow all the way down to purple and violet.
By Item Type
If you’re someone who has trouble finding things in your closet, it might be best to sort by item type. Think skirts, short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, coats, jackets, and sweaters. Whatever makes the most sense for your wardrobe – just make sure your items are grouped by type. Once grouped, you can start hanging them up purposefully.
By Weather/Seasonality
Another popular organizing method is to organize your clothes by the type of weather you plan to wear them in. Fall often starts out with mild weather, and temps get much cooler by the end. Instead of stressfully sifting through your closet as temperatures begin to fluctuate, why not have them organized ahead of time?
One section of your closet can be for very cold temperatures, another for more mild temps. And for those in-between days, another section (fall transition clothing, if you will). You can even get more granular from there. For example, in the fall transition section, group short sleeves and long sleeves separately. Or group that particular section by color. Get creative with it.
By Occasion
One final system to consider is organizing by occasion. For example, does it make the most sense for you to put all lounge clothes together? Then, work clothes in a separate section? Maybe you want to dedicate an entire section to clothes you’d wear for a night out. And another section for special occasions and black tie events. This organization method makes it easy to dress to impress, no matter what the occasion may be.
Whatever organization mechanism you choose, just be sure that it makes sense for your wardrobe. Things should be easy to find and grouped in a way that makes sense. The right organization tactic will do exactly that.
4. Invest in Closet Organizing Tools
Invest in closet organizing tools and small storage bins to truly make the most of your closet space. These final touches will really add to the look and feel of your closet. Plus, handy organizational tools create additional space for items, making your closet feel bigger.
From hanging shelves to drawer organizers, there are tons of fun ways to step up your closet game. Once you’ve packed up unwanted items and purged them, and hung up all your clothes, block some time to research closet organizers and storage.
While shopping for items, make sure you’re also looking at your closet and determining what you actually need. One closet tip is to make sure that whatever you buy that is new — make sure it goes with at least three other items in your closet. But, do some areas look crowded in your closet? What spaces are you not utilizing where you could put your shoes or jackets separately? Consider everything before making any impulse buys.
5. Realize That Closet Organization Is Ongoing
Once you have a fall wardrobe that is beautifully organized to be in constant awe of, what now? Well, for starters, you can finally relax a bit. But it’s also important to realize that the upkeep of a well-organized closet requires continuous effort. It’s an ongoing project that doesn’t stop.
A survey by Stitch Fix United Kingdom found that the average person has almost $300 worth of clothing that they’ve never worn. This fall season, challenge yourself to get rid of some of these items. Even if you feel like you got rid of everything when you purged, really pay attention to items that you aren’t grabbing for as much. You may be able to sell, donate, or recycle them.
Fall style — there’s nothing like it. The change in season means new trends and breaking into new season’s favorites. From trench coats to boots to scarves, putting together fall outfits is so exciting. Unfortunately, you can’t just snap your fingers and have everything ready (though it would be nice).
It takes time and effort to get your closet ready for a new season. Once you organize your closet for a few seasons of the year (like Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall) you won’t gather as much junk in your closet, and your change-ups will become a snap. You don’t want to be stressed while strutting your stuff down the fall foliage-lined streets. So, organize away.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Rachel Claire; Pexels; Thank you!
Angela Ruth
My name is Angela Ruth. I aim to help you learn how Calendar can help you manage your time, boost your productivity, and spend your days working on things that matter, both personally and professionally. Here's to improving all your calendars and becoming the person you are destined to become!