New Year's Resolution: Organizing My (Real-Life) Closet

Today I actually achieved one of my New Year's Resolutions! I organized my real-life closet, which has been a little bit of a mess for while. Now, when I put together an outfit on the phone I'll know exactly where to pull it from in the closet. Here's what I learned so you can do it too:

1. Do the Laundry

No more procrastinating - today I washed everything! I even took 5 lbs of dry cleaning to the cleaners. You can't organize your closet if half the clothes are on the floor because they're dirty. Plus, you can organize the clothes by clothing type and color as each cycle is completed, which will help you when you put them away. 

2. Purge All Unnecessary Objects From the Closet

This probably had the biggest impact on my closet. There was a lot of stuff in there that was just taking up space.

- Wintercoats: Moved to the tiny closet in the living room

- Heavy Rotation Shoes: On the new shoe rack next to the front door

- Laundry Basket: Replaced by a more stylish version so it can be left out in the bedroom

- Trash: In the garbage - I literally found old shoe boxes, dry cleaning bags, and tissue paper in the closet. 

- Clothes that don't fit or don't match my style anymore: Donated

- Seasonal Clothes: In a fabric storage bin that slides under my bed

3. Replace Your Hangers

Every single closet makeover article or tv show I've ever seen has said to buy Huggable Hangers - and they were right! They kept everything super neat so my clothes are no longer halfway slouching off my hangers. The result is the closet bar looks like a store rack and the pieces actually take up less space. Remember not to hang up sweaters or jeans - sweaters stretch out and jeans take up way too much space, so fold them neatly and store them on a shelf or in a dresser.

Stylebook Tip: Set Up A Photo Station

If you haven't imported your clothes into Stylebook yet, lay a dark blanket and a light blanket to the side so you can quickly photograph your clothes as you hang them up. If you don't want to snap pics of everything just photograph your most-worn items or items you want to incorporate into your wardrobe more. Here are some helpful blog posts to help you with this: How To Import Images From Your Digital Camera and How To Take Great Pictures For Stylebook

4. Use Hooks

There were already little metal hooks along the wall in the closet and I finally put them to use! I put all of the waist belts on one hook and the hip belts on the other. I also added a coat hook from Anthropologie outside of the closet to hold my favorite statement necklaces.

5. Don't Forget About Your Dresser!

Clean that out too! It turns out I've been holding on to loungewear from 8th grade. Once I got rid of everything that was ancient or didn't fit any more I actually had quite a bit of space for sweaters, jeans, and other foldable items. 

6. Divide and Conquer 

Drawer dividers have seriously changed my life. I turned my top drawer into jewelry storage with an office supply tray. I also bought sock dividers to keep socks and undergarments neat. I even bought larger dividers to keep piles of clothes upright inside the drawers. This will keep me from destroying all my hard work the next time I go searching for my favorite sweater. 

It just took a little bit of time and a small budget to change my tiny closet for the better, so  I know you can do it too! 

How Long It Took: 1.5 hours (excluding laundry time!)

What I Bought:

1. Huggable Hangers
2. Coat Hook
3. Shoe Rack
4. Office Supply Tray
5. Sock Dividers
6. Drawer Dividers