How To: Organize Your Closet

Marisa Anziano

I must preface this article by saying that I am a recent convert when it comes to the art of organizing one’s closet. One of my New Year’s resolutions this year…well, every year…is to stay organized and keep my room clean.

As a full-time college student with two jobs and an addiction to reality television, I would much rather toss my clothes on the floor than take the time to put them in the laundry hamper, fold them, or hang them up. I know; I should be ashamed of myself. However, I am almost positive that many of you reading this are just like me. Have no fear, my fellow procrastinating fashionistas, I have you covered!

Before embarking on the seemingly arduous journey that is closet organization, you should trim the fat. No, I am not telling you to begin some sort of diet and exercise regimen, but I am insisting that you go through your closet and remove any unnecessary clothing. Now, unnecessary clothing is anything from those two-sizes-too-small jeans you purchased 2 years ago as motivation to lose weight to your trusty graphic t-shirt that has a small, but conspicuous hole on the arm. I am all for nostalgia and sentimentality, but enough is enough! You are wasting valuable closet space.

Ask yourself these questions: Have I worn this at any time in the past year? Would I wear this at any time this year? If the answer to both of those questions is no, you should donate it to charity. If you still do not want to part with it, purchase a storage bin from Target and store some items in there.

Congratulations to those of you that have made it this far! I will no longer sign you up to be on “Hoarders” and you are now ready to organize your closet. An optional part of this process is to remove everything from your closet and begin with a blank canvas. Either way, it is time to plan how you want to set up your closet. The two more popular ways are by color or by category. Although, if you are feeling especially motivated, you could organize by both.

If organizing by color, I advise starting with darker colors like black, brown, or navy, and ending with lighter colors like grey, cream, or white.

If organizing by category is more your speed, I recommend going in order by your top layer of clothing on. For example, the first items in my closet are coats and jackets. Next, I have sweaters, long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, and tank tops. After that, I have jeans, other miscellaneous full-length pants, leggings, skirts, and then shorts. My closet ends with dresses. This is just what I found that works for me.

There are so many benefits when it comes to having an organized closet. It will take you less time to pick out an outfit in the morning. It will help you see what you need next time you go shopping. It will make better use of the space you have. Yet, at the end of the day, the whole point of organizing you closet is to make your life easier. Therefore, you have to find what works best for you.

Thankfully, this assignment will not be graded because there really is no right and wrong when it comes to organizing your closet. Good luck and happy organizing!