When it comes to cleaning out and adding to your closet, there are a few tips one can try. There are ways that one can achieve a clean closet without getting rid of everything. On the other hand, there are ways to add to your closet without making it a mess, and making it so that you only have clothes that go with that “one top.” There are ways to add to your closet that amp up your overall aesthetic and give you a nicer look at the end of the day.
When purging (getting rid of) clothing, there are several ways to start. The first way is to decide if you want to go with the times and fashion. The second thing is decide what time how many times during the year that you want to clean out your closet. Rickey Jones, a senior fashion merchandising and apparel design major shares his routine: “I do a summer clean and then a winter clean,” Jones said. This is a smart tactic because every six months you will be getting rid of the clothing that doesn’t fit you or that doesn’t suit your style anymore.
The third thing to consider is if you’re too attached to clothing you already have. If you are, it’s time to say goodbye to grandma’s sweater or those short shorts you made yourself from those thrift store mom jeans that just don’t fit right anymore. Believe me… it’s time. Gather your courage and either donate them or put them in a box with other sentimental items. If you’re having trouble parting with the clothes, Jones has a way of choosing:
“What I would do is basically just really think about the actual sentimental value as opposed to just the physical presence of it. So it if it is something that is sentimental or that has been passed down, I will keep it, and I will keep it hung up in my closet. But if it hasn’t, then maybe it’s something I can get rid of, or maybe I don’t necessarily need – then I can go ahead and give it away.”
The fourth step is look through all your clothes. If you haven’t worn it in a year or even six months, it’s also time to get rid of it. “With me, I’m kind of impulsive and it’s like if I know I’m not going to be wearing it [the clothing article] within the next two weeks then okay, I’m ready to give it up,” Jones said.
One way to figure this out is the coat hanger trick, in which you turn all your hangers so that the hooks face the front of the closet. Then after you wear an item, you turn the hanger toward the back of the closet and at the end of the allotted amount of time (whether it be a season or a year) you can take all the clothes that you didn’t wear in that time and donate them. Knowing when to toss clothes is an attitude that most people should adapt so that you’re really only wearing the clothes you want to be wearing. This encourages college students to donate clothes that they don’t use so more clothing is going out to the poor or the people in need.
When it comes to adding to your closet, there are many things you can do to make your closet a more versatile and less chaotic sh*t hole. Mimi Ikonn, YouTube vlogger, image consultant and fashion stylist, suggests using velvet hangers to keep your closet looking elegant and expensive; additionally, this keeps your clothes in better shape in the long run. So look to invest!
She also suggests to find out what colors look best on your skin tone. “Once you understand your color palette, shopping for clothes is so much easier,” Ikonn said. Everyone falls into a season whether it’s fall or spring and certain shades of colors will look better on you than others. Find your shade and then when you’re shopping it will make it simpler to find exactly what you look great in, which will make you look better in the long run and add to your overall aesthetic.
When shopping also search the clothing racks for “basics,” or clothes that go with everything, so you’re able to mix and match with most of your different outfits. Examples of basics are black skinny jeans (because they look amazing on everyone and you can wear them everyday), plain white button down and a leather jacket (to give you an edge and warmth). In addition Jones described his own closet essentials:
“I would definitely say, just buying a lot of textures, like a lot of knits, a lot of leather, a lot of denims. That is basically what the main thing is in my closet – just a lot of texture. And I feel like people will be able to play with levels and be able to play with layering and different things like that. Pieces that you can layer, pieces that you can put on, and take off throughout the day so you don’t get too hot or get too cold.”
There is a starting point for everything and the first step for your closet is to purge your clothing so that you can invest on better clothing in the future! After the purge, Jones discussed the difficulties and compromises of splurging on new clothing.
“What I like to do usually is I start off with this big idea in my mind with how much I want to spend on clothes, and then I really take the time to make sure I budget out everything else, and then what I have leftover, I spend about half of that. Because for me, I can go and I can get six pieces of clothing at one time, then for me that’s a good two months of outfits… if you buy too many things at one time you’re bound to not wear some of the things that you buy.”
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