tips for cleaning out your closet

Now that I've been back home for a couple weeks, I finally did a much needed closet cleanout. I've barely been home much between jobs since graduation. (And in a few days, I leave again!) There was stuff from my old house before the move (like high school stuff that I hadn't seen in years), stuff from my college apartment that still hadn't been organized, and things from Europe that just fell apart or got ruined. I finally got rid of old shirts with holes - and sewed up a few favorites that I couldn't bear to get rid of - and donated some clothes and shoes to Goodwill. It feels so nice to pick out something from my closet that isn't falling apart.

I also listed some of my wardrobe on Tradesy. Feel free to check it out if you're interested; I'm selling stuff from Free People, Splendid, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, J. Crew, Forever 21, and Guess. A Coach bag and some designer jeans should be up soon.

My tips for cleaning out your closet:

Go through everything. Keep the items you absolutely love and wear all the time.

Get rid of anything you haven't worn in a while. Some people use the "two months rule" where you ruthlessly throw out anything you haven't worn in two months. I personally just look at whether I've worn it within the past year, since some things are seasonal. It doesn't make sense to get rid of something you haven't worn because of the season, right? But if you haven't worn that sundress you bought in summer 2011 since summer 2011, then it's time to rethink whether or not to keep it.

Donate, give away, or sell clothes you no longer want to keep. I sell my clothes on Tradesy if they're still in good condition or give them to friends. Anything else that's wearable is donated to Goodwill.

Set aside anything that has holes, is falling apart, missing buttons, has a broken zipper, etc. If it's worth it to keep it, then fix it. Sew it up, take it to a tailor, or wherever you need to make it wearable again. If it's not worth it to you to fix it, or if it's beyond repair, throw it away.

When you have everything leftover that you want to keep, organize it! Maybe there are some items that you haven't worn in the past year because they were tucked away in the corner of a drawer that you forgot about. Make sure your clothes and shoes are easily accessible so you remember all your options when getting dressed in the morning. As for clothes hanging up, I like to organize them from left to right starting with dresses and then tanks, short sleeve tops, long sleeve tops and sweaters, button-downs, jackets, skirts, jeans, coats. Color coordinating these sections also helps.

Make a list of anything you need to add or replace to your wardrobe. Maybe you need to update your basics or get a new pair of jeans. If you started a new job, you might need a different type of wardrobe than your previous one. That's the fun part - where shopping comes in!

xo-ally