New You #1 - Closet Cleanse

A new biography of Coco Channel tells about her love for “invisible luxuries” – intimate treats that nobody else could see, Let’s start your “New You” by creating a secret indulgence of your own – a beautifully organized closet. You start every single day facing that closet, so you deserve to have it be a treat, not a trauma.

(I know you’re itching to start your wardrobe renovation by shopping those seasonal sales, but restrain yourself. There’s something about markdowns that seems to interfere with our best judgment. In a few weeks you’ll be much better equipped to make great choices. I promise it’s worth the wait. If you just can’t wait, at least keep the tags on until you evaluate your choices in the light of day)

Back to your closet: Start by taking everything out. Really. Everything. Find other homes for non-clothing items; this space is just for your clothes and accessories. There’s nothing luxurious about dodging tennis racquets, the vacuum cleaner and other paraphernalia.

You’ve gotta be able to tell your black pants from your navy ones …so improve visibility by removing the decorative cover from the ceiling light to get full benefit of the bulb’s wattage. Or take a cue from Wendy, who replaced the single-bulb ceiling light with a multi-bulb strip fixture – the kind you might see over a bathroom mirror. Five times the wattage in no time at all = one bright idea! Avoid the danger of overheating and even possible fire by checking with an electrician about local code requirements.

If rod space is short, create a double-hanging area. Hardware store offers options from wire shelves to supplemental bars that hang from the main rod above.

Now take a critical look at each garment. Every piece has to earn its way into your new, modern wardrobe. I can almost guarantee that you have way more clothes than you need, so don’t be afraid to let go of the ones that don’t work Ask yourself these 7 key questions

Is it in good condition? Faded? Out! Stained? Gone! Stretched out? Goodbye! Torn? A broken seam is repairable; a tear in the middle of the fabric is probably isn’t. Set repair projects aside for your friendly tailor. If it’s just worn out, say goodbye. (OK, you can keep one or 2 oldies for painting and lawn mowing, but that’s IT. If that stuff is in your closet you’ll end up wearing it, and then running to the grocery store and then bumping into your hubby’s old girlfriend … you deserve better.)

Is it a color that makes me glow, or one that makes me look like I died yesterday? (If you’re not confident about color selection you can hold on this criteria until the series of color lessons coming in a few weeks)

Does it fit me right now? I know you’ll lose 10 pounds next week – me too – but until then at least store the “tighties” elsewhere, out of sight. One clever reader stores those items in a spare closet, grouped by the weight she needs to be to fit into them.

Does it really fit? “Fit” doesn’t just mean “I can zip it”. It means the hemline is flattering, the sleeve length doesn’t cover half your hands, buttons don’t gap, waistbands don’t squeeze and a host of other details. Add those to the friendly-tailor pile. (If you’re thinking “this isn’t worth the investment to tailor” then maybe it’s not worth hanging onto either.)

Does it look current? Clothes don’t come with expiration dates like yogurt, but maybe they should. Classics go on and on, but last year’s hot trends are so OVER.

Is it comfortable? Gilda Radner said she based fashion decisions on what doesn’t itch. There’s no luxury in wearing something that irritates your body. (BTW - I minimize irritation for my clients by carefully cutting out scratchy tags from sweater and blouse necklines).

Have I worn it in recent memory? No arbitrary time limits, but at some point, if you haven’t worn it you’re probably not going to. If you’re keeping something for purely sentimental reasons you can still get it out of your active closet.

Can’t decide about a particular item? Set it aside; we’ll look later at easy updates that can transform some so-so items into superstars.

Next tackle items in bureau drawers, under-bed storage… everything. Don’t panic if you have a lot fewer pieces after this weed-out. Truly less is more. Clients routinely tell me “I can't believe I have so much more to wear with so much less in my closet.” And some other woman’s life may be richly blessed by your discards.

Now take a well-deserved break. Reward your hard work with a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of wine.

Then put the “keepers” back in their former homes, get the “fixers” to the tailor, drop the donations off to a favorite charity We’ll look at some great, easy, budget-friendly closet organizing strategies next week.