The Great Closet Clean Out

 I mentioned about a week ago that I was going to begin a secret mission. I've been worried about my style choices, or lack there of lately, and I think it all had to do with the contents inside my closet. Most of the items, if not the majority, were geared toward a girl who used to work full-time in Corporate America. That girl doesn't exist anymore. Instead, she's running errands, taking her son to the park/farmstead/zoo, playing, going on the occasional lunch date with girlfriends, hanging out with friends for much needed mama nights, and not once wearing a pencil skirt or suit.

I decided it was time to truly go through the pieces I own and take a look at each one. Do I really need as many dresses as I have? No, but I do need a simple black sheath, a cute cotton dress for spring and summer outings, and some chic dresses for the times I do go out for fun events in town. I did this with suits, skirts, pants, tops, and blazers. And the result? A streamlined closet that works for play, date nights, and dressy occasions. And I am one happy girl!

It all started with a closet that looked like this. You can see why I was completely uninspired! I couldn't see my way through what I owned to put together anything cute.

I bought a rolling rack and literally took sections at a time out of the closet and looked at each piece one by one. I did this five times with a load like this each time! I made a consignment pile, a donation pile, and a maybe pile. I then weeded back through the maybe pile to see if I really wanted to keep it. From that pile, I think I might have kept three or four pieces. Not too shabby, if you ask me.

   

Then I got down to this. Once I got all the pieces back in the closet, I went through them again and organized them by groups. Starting with the far left it's pants and dresses from long to short. The middle is tops. It goes from sleeveless to long sleeve. Then shorts, short skirts, long skirts, vests, blazers, and leather jackets.

 

 

After all the hanging things were organized, I moved on to sweaters in the boxes below, scarves, the piles of unfolded sweatshirts and miscellaneous stuff on the sides of the jeans, and shoes. I am down to one sweater box, a few sweatshirts I actually wear, a few scarves that all fit on the scarf ring and not hanging over my beautiful shoes, and shoes are all in their respective boxes (if they have one). It's simply amazing and incredibly efficient!! See the results!

 Would I give anything to have a giant walk-in, yes! But, if I had that, I think my hoarding issue would be even worse! The 1960s closet works for me, now, because I'm trying to take an artful eye to my wardrobe and keep it to pieces that I will actually wear and can style for an easier lifestyle.

I challenge you to try it too! It truly does make you feel accomplished and I feel like I have a much better handle on my style! Now, if you are in the market for a cleaner closet, but feel you don't have the patience or haven't a clue where to start, call me! I am up for the challenge! And, while we're at it, I will make sure you have multiple looks when all is said and done!

I am one happy girl after a week of hard work! Up next, the big consignment sale!! Can't wait to see you all there!

Happy Friday!  

A Working Girls Closet

Here are the exact contents of my main closet (yes I have two) and as you can see, it contains the pieces of one Corporate American working girl. A no longer working in Corporate American girl and I'm struggling. I'm struggling to find inspiration from my closet. I'm struggling to find daily looks that work for daily life with my son. I'm simply struggling. And it's evident in my lack of blog posts. (I also struggle with how to organize a 1960s closet that comes complete with one rod and one shelf! Seriously!!)

 My current closet consists of pencil skirts, sheath dresses, dress pants, and rows and rows of heels. A wardrobe I curated for fifteen years. One that is perfect for a day job in a cubicle environment . But now, these pieces are no longer a part of who I am. Maybe they will be one day, which I hope isn't true, but how do I part with them or incorporate them into my new daily life?

   

I told my husband about a week ago that I'm tired of wearing boyfriend jeans. I love them, but I'm tired of them. We're on the cusp of summer, if it would EVER STOP RAINING! And with summer comes shorts, casual dresses, and cute sandals. And bathing suits with darling cover-ups. Looks that I can't wait to start creating, sporting, blogging about, and squealing over in excitement. But until then, I can't seem to find anything to wear. Insert eye roll here...

 

  

Over the course of the next week or so, I may not be blogging about daily looks until I can find my voice again. It might be a new voice, but I know I need one. I might blog about what I want my new closet to look like. I might blog about how I am plan to clear out my existing one. I might even give a tutorial on how to really examine ones wardrobe and how to make difficult decisions when parting with its contents. One that might make me shed a tear every now and then. But I believe it's time to take a fresh look at something that's a little outdated. 

Will I fill it with brand new pieces? Probably not. I'm on a budget these days and it's not one that calls for new clothing. I might pick up a piece here and there that compliments my new wardrobe, but it won't be a large shopping spree. And it doesn't need to be. It just needs to fill the requirement of cute, comfortable, functional, and chic.

If you are a faithful Style My Way reader, I hope you stick it out with me! It's going to be a fun journey. If you're new to the blog, I welcome you to the journey as well. It should make for some interesting posts, dizzying styling challenges, and a hopeful profit on Poshmark! 

Stay tuned, Fashionista's!! 

A small closet dream! Maybe someday!

My Closet - A Work in Progress

  This is my closet! Okay, so I wish this were my closet! How amazing is this work of art?

This is my actual closet. Pathetic, huh? I've always said that in our next house, a house that we will probably never move into, will be a five bedroom and the fifth bedroom will be transformed into my very own closet! Until then, I have my very own closet(s), just one that looks like this!

I've thought and thought and thought about ways to transform it. I've looked and looked for a space in my house to create a closet, but we just don't have it available! I'm currently thinking of taking one of our storage closets in the basement and turn it into a "seasonal" closet. A closet where I would house spring during winter and then rearrange to the next season. (No true plans are in place. Just in my head.)

So what to do with this tiny closet that's filled to the brim? I really need to get rid of the tiny chest of drawers. It's truly taking up too much space! More clothes will fit from my other closet, freeing up that space for an expanding McKinley wardrobe. I need to consolidate my sweaters into one box, or several for under the bed storage. And what to do with the shelf space that is truly a mess I fight every time I look for a pair of jeans.

 

I have a possible solution for the jeans. Remember when I organized my handbags? Well, I've purchased one for my closet to house jeans! Get rid of the ones I truly can't wear, won't wear, will never fit in again, and house only the ones I wear daily or often. What do you think?

I also need to evaluate tons of things within my closet. How many scarves do I really need? I'm a wearing all those shoes (yes there are more where they came from) hanging from shoe bags inside said closet? Do I need the pieces of jewelry I never really wear? They're just collecting dust, taking up space, and needing a new home. 

I consider this space my work in progress. I will check in every now and then to give you updates on how the clean out is going. I will also share ideas of space saving along the way. I can't be the only with a closet this small, right?

Until then....if you need me, I'll be cleaning and sorting and weeding out and crying... I think a glass of champagne is in order.

Closet photo courtesy of Eye for Design.

New Year = Closet Organization

What is it about a new year or spring? For me, it lights a huge organizational fire under my tail and this past weekend was no exception. While on vacation, due to the stomach flu that took over my household, I decided to organize while others slept. With my moms help, I was able to accomplish quite a bit! 

My hall closet, or should I say closet that is located along a wall in my living room, houses coats, baskets full of hats, scarves, gloves and the vacuum! The coats aren't usually an issue, unless you call not being able to add any additional coats to the closet an issue, but the shelf that holds the hats, gloves and scarves was out of control! I purchased lined wicker baskets several years ago to house all of those items. It worked for about a month and then I would find myself unbelievably frustrated at the fact that I couldn't find anything that matched. I would reorganize and the same thing would happen about a month later.

I decided that this year I was taking control! I purchased an over the door shoe holder, 3-M hooks so you wouldn't see the brackets on the outside of the door, and I conquered that rats nest of accessories! I so wish I had taken a before shot, but McKinley tried to help me earlier in the week and the pile  made its way onto an ottoman in the living room. You just get the after!

Now, I can literally see every set of hats, gloves and scarves that match AND it's at eye level! No more carrying in the kitchen table chair to try and find what I am looking for! This is amazing!!!

I'm still using the baskets. They now house flat scarves that we don't wear often and all the loose baseball hats that only get worn on game days and weekends, by Joel. I stacked all my winter hats, since I don't wear them as often, but they are still accessible and I know which one is which!

So then I started thinking about my handbags! Again, I purchased baskets to place all of them in, but I was doing the same thing I did in my "hall" closet. I would throw them back up into the closet, maybe making the basket, or I was getting out a step stool to find the one I was looking for...again! I can't afford a complete closet makeover, nor do I have the type of closet that would benefit, so I've been taking ideas from magazines.

 I found this piece at Target and just went for it. Sure, it doesn't fit all of my handbags, but the large ones are easy to see. It was the clutches that were getting lost. AND, I was able to add them all, including the ones in a tub under our spare bed. I can see them all in one place. It's a closet miracle!!!

Before:

And After:

 

This isn't a great photo, as I took it with my phone to share with my mom, but you can see that I recycled the baskets. They now house all of the t-shirts that were piled up in the corner. The bottom are ones I don't wear often and the ones on top are...makes total sense, right? Now, what can I do in my other closet! The ideas are endless at this point!

I feel a huge sense of relief now that these tasks have been completed. I also worked in our den to try and organize McKinley's toys around our everyday living. I made vast improvements there too but nothing worth documenting. It just feels good to get my house in order, although I have a LONG way to go!!

What do you do in the new year to refresh? Is it a closet clean out or a home remolding job? Let's discuss!!