What’s in Your Closet?
Taking Stock:
Once you are done weeding out your closet, the next step is to take stock of what is left. If you have the luxury of a large closet where everything is organized and visible, stop reading this post, call Marie Kondo, and ask to be a spokesperson for her business. On the other hand, if you don’t have a clear vision of what’s in your closet or what you want in it, read on.
For those of you who love to see images, shop mostly online, don’t mind sharing your information, and have the time to look or take photos, there’s a new website called Finery.com which pulls your purchases from your e-mail account, and arranges it in a virtual closet. I am testing out this site and will report more on it later, but in the meantime, it was more efficient for me to open up a word doc., create a table, and make quick notes, some from memory and some from sitting in front of my closet and dresser.
Your Closet, Organized
Here’s my the basic template:
The template took me about two minutes to create and format, while I sat under a tree enjoying the fall breeze. Of course my actual completed form took much longer and is a work in progress, but before I get to that, let’s start with what information you need to put down.
It all depends on your goal. Do you want to add more trends to your wardrobe? Do you think you have too many clothes you don’t wear? Is your wardrobe monochromatic?
At the top and bottom enter two opposite characteristics that you can use to describe your closet. Examples include casual vs. dressy, old vs. new, basic vs. trendy, neutral vs. color, solid & print. Enter your items roughly (remember this is supposed to be quick) in order of characteristic from top to bottom.
The categories in the top row include: pants, tops, dresses, skirts, sweaters, shorts etc. You may want to break down these categories even further: pants, jeans, dresses, sleeveless tops, short sleeve tops, shirts, sweaters, cardigans etc.
To figure out what information to put down in each cell, also depends on your goal.
Here’s what I ended up with:
My lifestyle requires both casual clothing (housecleaning days) and cocktail dresses (galas and dinners). My goal is to have more variety in brands, colors and trends as well as to buy more investment pieces. As you can see I have a tendency to buy dark neutrals from Banana Republic, and cocktail dresses from BCBG. Those habits have served me well, but now its time for change.
I can print this table out and throw it in my purse, but just the act of writing it out gave me a clearer picture of what I already have. It reminds me, when I shop, that I don’t need another navy t-shirt no matter how cheap it is. I also know that I have plenty of dresses but not enough sweaters.
Goals
Next up, is my Fall shopping list and purchases., but in the meantime, here’s how to take note of what’s in your closet:
Step 1: Create a grid (start with a larger number than you think you’ll need and scale back)
Step 2: Start thinking about your goals, to help you decide your style opposites and what information you will put down in each cell. Your goal will become more clear once you are done.
Step 3: Find a way to take the grid with you (memorize it, take a screenshot, or print it out) when you shop.
Good luck!
