"I Have Nothing to Wear!"

How many times have you gone to your closet, which by the way is FILLED with clothes, taken a quick look inside and announced, "I have NOTHING to wear!?" Chances are most of you will say, TOO MANY times! It's frustrating to get up in the morning and not be able to find clothing that's clean, fits properly, and goes well together! Sometimes, when we finally get the outfit set, we can't find accessories that work, or even a pair of shoes that match! How is it that we have so many clothes and yet have nothing to wear?

Here's a fact.....we only utilize 20% of the clothing we own. The other 80% sits idly in our closet unworn! If you want to test this, take all of the clothing in your closet and turn the hangers so that they face the wrong way on the rod (so that the open end is towards you). Over a period of 30 days, each time you take out clothes and wear them, return them to the closet so that the hanger is now hanging the correct way on the rod (closed end towards you). If you take several items out to try them on, replace all those that weren't worn back on the rod in the incorrect direction. Only those items that are actually worn should be hung the correct way. By the end of the 30 days, you will be able to see exactly which clothes you wear and which ones never get worn. Most likely you'll find that the majority of what's in your closet is just taking up space! So, now what?!

It's time to take inventory and PURGE! The underlying problem here is that we, especially women, tend to purchase on a whim (It was on sale for such a great price!!) or out of a momentary need ("I'm headed for vacation, so I need these shorts and that bright T-shirt." "I have a social to attend and I want something new to wear tonight." "I really need some new pants, so I'll buy one or two while I'm out.") What we're doing is just purchasing clothes, when what we really need to be doing is creating a wardrobe. A wardrobe consists of a variety of clothes that all work together to create numerous outfits. When clothes are purchased piecemeal, there's no guarantee that they will coordinate with anything else you own. The end result is an overflow of clothing with very few "outfits" to choose from.

Step 1-Purge and Prosper!
There are a few ways of doing this, so you can choose which works best for you. You can either pull everything out of your closet (don't forget your dresser drawers!) and place it on your bed (make sure it won't collapse under all that weight!), or leave everything hanging and simply work from within the closet. Personally, I find it best to lay it all on the bed for two reasons: First of all, it will allow you to go in and vacuum, dust, and take stock of what space you have available. Secondly, it will force you to complete the job, or you'll have no place to sleep! It's best if you have a full length mirror available so that you can try things on as you go. What you want to do is create three areas: one to toss, one to sell or donate, and the last to keep. Pick up your pieces of clothing one at a time and give them a good once over asking these questions for each item:
1)Do I wear it? (this means regularly, not once in a blue moon)
2)Do I really like it?
3)Does it fit me properly?
4)Is it in style, or am I dating myself?
5)Is it in good shape?

If you answer yes to all of the questions, then you've got a keeper! If you answer yes to most, but maybe it needs a button or some sewing, set it aside next to your keeper pile, because once you've gotten through all of your clothes, you'll need to see if any of the keepers are in need of some TLC. Once you've placed an item in a pile, DON'T remove it! Sometimes we get personally attached to certain pieces of clothing. Ask yourself why it's important to you. Your wedding gown is understandable, but if you've got several bridesmaids gowns that you've worn to various weddings over the past ten or twenty years, chances are good that they're not going to be worn again!

No matter what you try on, it needs to fit you properly. If you don't like the way it looks on you, don't keep it! If you're like most, you probably also have a variety of sizes in your closet (some dating from college years, through the young professional stage, pre-baby, post-baby, thin days, fat days, etc...) You only NEED what fits you NOW! If you are trying to lose weight, you will find it easier if you don't have the "itty bitty polka dot bikini" (or what have you) making you feel bad everytime you see it hanging there, or everytime you attempt to put it on. Ditch it! Losing weight takes time, and is a process. When you're body is ready, I assure you that you'll be able to find a bikini or outfit that will look fabulous on you! You can look and feel great at any size when you wear clothes that play up your assets and that draw attention away from those areas you're not as pleased with. (That will be the next blog!) Trying to fit into something that is too tight, or wearing something that is too big for you, is not only uncomfortable, but if it isn't visually appealing, you won't enjoy wearing it and you'll feel overly self conscience. Your wardrobe should contain outfits that are ready to wear now! Don't purchase ahead, thinking you'll go from size 16 one day to a size 6 the next. For the same reason, don't keep sizes that are one or two sizes larger for "fat days," or in case you gain weight. Be positive!

How long have you had the piece of clothing? Unless it's a classic, or a fairly recent purchase (within the past year or so), it's probably out of style. Look at what's in the stores and in the style magazines (InStyle, Elle, More, "O," GQ, are some examples). You don't want to look dated, so if it's not a classic piece (something simple that can span years, like the simple black dress, or a well tailored jacket), and without identifiable period details, such as wide lapels, large shoulder pads, overly boxy jackets, etc..., then you need to get rid of it. I always get a chuckle from the TLC commercial where a lady enters a building in a "futuristic" yellow jacket with large shoulder pads, and the guy at the desk asks her where she parked her Delorian! Sometimes we don't realize that a certain look has expired and we need to put it to rest. Don't think, "some day it will come back." When designers revisit looks from the past they always bring it up to date, so your look from the past will look very outdated in comparison.

Step 2-Divide & Conquer!
1)Toss-Everything in this pile should be things that are worn out, too far gone that you'd feel guilty even giving them to a charity, or have broken or missing pieces. Bag them and get them out of the house immediately! Make it a quick sweep, not a one by one process where you might give into second thought!

2)Sell or Donate-Schedule a garage sale, or sign up on E-bay and sell your wares! You'll get rid of stuff and make money in the process! There are many charities out there in need of your excess clothing and accessories. The Salvation Army and Goodwill are good places to start, and there may be others in your particular area. Also consider some special charities: look at www.charityguide.org. They have a list of charities that need prom gowns for teens who can't afford to purchase a dress or accessories, and who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend this special event. "Dress for Success" takes donations of business wear to help those who are looking for employment and can't afford a suit. There are also charities who take donations for cancer patients. E-bay also offers you an opportunity to make donations to charities from your sales. Remember it's all tax deductible too! (You're getting a clean closet, money or a tax write off, and doing a good deed all in one!!) If you have a garage sale and have leftover items, either take them down to the Salvation Army or Goodwill, get them on E-bay, or to an area consignment shop. Just don't let them back into the house!

3)Keep-These are the items that you definitely wear all the time, that you like, fit you best, are in style, and also in good shape. Do you have a jacket that's great but has lost a button or two? Perhaps you've found a pair of trousers that need an interior pocket resewn, or a simple hem put in. Go through your "keep" pile and pull out those pieces that need a little extra work. Will you work on them yourself, or do you have a seamstress or tailor who can do it? If it's you, don't bag them and put them back in the closet. Get them near your sewing machine and locate the necessary buttons or thread you might need, then schedule a day or two when you can get through them. For items that need buttons replaced, consider taking the item to a fabric store and replacing the buttons with something new. If you're taking them out to have the work done, bag them and take a trip to the tailor's NOW. You'll get them back and have "new" clothes to wear!

Step 3-The Move
If you didn't do it before, vacuum and dust out your closet and dresser drawers. It's going to look like a whole new space and will be a much happier place to walk into! Get some good hangers. They don't have to be expensive. The wooden, plastic, or thick heavy metal hangers all work well. You're looking for something that is smooth and won't catch the fabric and cause damage to the clothing, and that won't create a crease line as well. Now it's time to move your prized possessions back into your closet. Place "like items" together (slacks in one area, dress shirts in another, jackets together, etc...Then, within your groupings, arrange them by color, so that all the black slacks are together, all the blue shirts are together and so on. This will make it easier when you're in a hurry in the morning to locate exactly what you're looking for. If you're really ambitious, you can go one step further and arrange those groupings by seasons.

Step 4-Organize
If you have shelves in your closet, consider what you place on them. Hats, sweaters, books and stationary? Look for some boxes that might help to corral items. These can be decorative cloth covered boxes, hat boxes, or woven baskets, whatever works for each item. Shoes can be placed on either a tiered shoe riser on the closet floor, or placed into a hanging pocket holder if there is room on a rod. If you have a lot of shoes, and shelves to stack them on, use clear plastic boxes, so that you can see what's inside, or place photos on the outside end of the bin. A dish, bowl or jewelry case can be set on your dresser or on a closet shelf to hold small items like rings, or small bracelets. Necklaces can be hung from a multi-key holder at the end of a book case or shelving unit, or if decorative, right on the wall. This makes choosing a necklace much easier and keeps them from getting tangled as they would in a drawer or box. If you store magazines in your clothes closet, purchase either magazine holders, or if there's room add a book case or shelving.

This should get you started and prepared for the next topic on finding the clothes that work best for you! Good luck and happy purging!!