Spring/summer is the time we all clean out our closets.  You want to organize your closet to make it functional.  Most closets are cluttered with clothes that are no longer serviceable.  Never keep anything in your wardrobe that is not wearable.

First thing to do—

A.  Everything Out!

Let’s find out what does and doesn’t fit your body.

1. Remove everything in your closet that isn’t your current size.  Even if you are left with three garments, that’s all you have to wear anyway, so there is no point in making yourself miserable by staring at clothes that don’t fit, and STOP waiting to buy clothes until you’ve lost weight.  We are going to dress the body you have now.
2. Remove everything in your closet that you haven’t worn for a year.  I have consistently found that an item not worn for a whole year will not be worn again, because if you lost weight you will want something new that’s in style.  Besides reward yourself.  BE RUTHLESS!  You are not doing yourself a favor having clothes that “take-up” space in your closet.  For each item, ask yourself:  If I haven’t worn it lately, what are three good reasons for keeping it?
3. Remove the items in your closet that are mistakes.  There are some things in your closet that need to be discarded not because they’re old, but because they’re plain “simple mistakes”.

B.  Organize your clothing.

Put similar items together:  jackets, skirts, pants, tops, dresses and so forth.  If possible, line up your shoes and handbags also.  This includes putting your suit jacket with other jackets—suit skirt with other skirts—they will be used as co-ordinates to combine with your other separates.  Hang you clothing according to color.  Starting with whites and going to darker colors.

C.  Taking inventory of your closet—5 groups.

Group 1 – Everything you love to wear all the time.

Group 2 – Clothing you have grown out of but are saving until you lose weight.

Group 3 – Clothing you can still fit into but never wear or hardly ever wear.

Group 4 – Clothing you like, but which has gone out of style, is badly worn, etc.

Group 5 – Clothing “mistakes”.

Now steel yourself – get rid of groups 2, 3, 4, and 5.

D.  Storage tips.

1. Put knit items (such as sweaters) on shelves, in drawers, boxes or sweater bags as they stretch out of shape if hung up.
2. Hang easily tangled chains from a tie bar.
3. Hang belts you wear most often on a coat hook.  Put the rest in a plastic boxes.
4. Use multiple hangers to store pants, skirts, and blouses.
5. Don’t use wire hangers as they may distort delicate garments.
6. Use sachets or empty perfume vials in your lingerie drawers to keep your clothing fragrant.

Fact from the past

The two piece bathing suit wasn’t introduced until 1954, but Paris designer Louis Reard is stumped by what to call his new creation.  Inspiration strikes when the United States drops an atom bomb that same year in the Pacific Ocean .  Reard names his explosive swimsuit for the site of the bomb blast:  Bikini Atoll.

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