by Lorraine Russo,
Ladies Who Launch member, Suffolk County, NY

One of the first steps in taking control of your wardrobe is to organize your closet. This may sound painful to some, but it will alleviate the angst of opening your closet door in the morning and feeling overwhelmed. Plus, once it’s done, you’ll feel better and know what clothes you have to build your (new and improved) wardrobe around.

And you can make it fun! If you have a friend with a sense of style you admire, invite them over. Have food and drinks on hand. You’ll be surprised by how enjoyable it can be.

Most of us don’t go through our closets on a regular basis, and some of us don’t even do it at the beginning of each season. Yet we all know the feeling of standing in front of an open closet door in the morning and thinking, “I have nothing to wear.” If you don’t eliminate the items you no longer wear, it looks as though you have more to choose from than you really do. There is nothing more distracting than a closet full of clothes that are never worn.

Your first step is to pull everything out and separate it into two categories: what you wear and what you don’t. Separate these items into the subcategories below. You need to determine why you don’t wear each item:

1. It doesn’t fit
2. It looks outdated
3. It’s not comfortable
4. It doesn’t match anything

If it doesn’t fit, does it just need some alterations? Or is it a size too small? If it needs alterations, get it done. If it’s too small, be honest about whether or not it’s ever going to fit. If you’ve been holding onto something for years in case you lose that extra weight, chances are it won’t look right when you do, as our bodies change and styles change. If it doesn’t fit and isn’t worth altering, give it away!

If it looks outdated, it probably is. You can try to pair the piece with something more current, but if it still feels unstylish, give it away.

If it’s not comfortable, you’ll never wear it, so it’s just taking up space. Give it away.

If it doesn’t match anything you have in your closet, set it aside for now.

Once you eliminate these items, you will have a better idea of what you’re working with each morning.

Lorraine Russo is a member of the Suffolk County, NY, Incubator, a fashion consultant, and the author of the book How to Make the Most of Your Wardrobe.

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